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Surf VS Simple Scraper

Compare Surf VS Simple Scraper and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

Surf logo Surf

A simple web browser based on WebKit2/GTK+

Simple Scraper logo Simple Scraper

Extract data from any website in seconds โ€” download instantly, scrape in the cloud, or create an API.
  • Surf Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-25
  • Simple Scraper Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-29

Simple scraper is the easiest way to scrape the web โ€” turn any website into an API in seconds and use ready-made scraping recipes to scrape popular sites with ease.

Surf

Website
surf.suckless.org
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
-
Edit details

Simple Scraper

Website
simplescraper.io
Pricing URL
Official Simple Scraper Pricing
$ Details
freemium $30.0 / Monthly (6,000 credits)
Release Date
2019 November
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Surf features and specs

  • Minimalism
    Surf is extremely lightweight and focuses on offering a minimalistic web browsing experience, which can result in faster performance and lower resource usage.
  • Customizability
    Users can tailor Surf to their specific needs through patches and configuration. This makes it highly adaptable for those who are comfortable with a bit of coding.
  • Integration with Suckless Tools
    Surf fits seamlessly into the Suckless ecosystem, integrating well with other minimal and efficient tools like the DWM window manager.
  • Privacy
    By default, Surf doesn't include many of the tracking features found in mainstream browsers, potentially offering a more privacy-conscious browsing experience.
  • Compliance with UNIX Philosophy
    Surf adheres to the UNIX philosophy of doing one thing well, focusing solely on web browsing without additional, potentially unwanted, features.

Possible disadvantages of Surf

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Customizing and configuring Surf can be challenging for users who are not familiar with programming or the command line.
  • Limited Features
    Due to its minimalistic design, Surf lacks many modern features like extensions, tabs, and a built-in password manager that are standard in other browsers.
  • Manual Updates
    Users need to manually update the browser, which can be a hassle compared to automatic updates provided by mainstream browsers.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Surf may have trouble rendering some modern web pages correctly, as it lacks some of the compatibility layers found in more feature-complete browsers.
  • Community Support
    Being a niche and minimalist browser, Surf does not have as large a user base or as much community support compared to more popular browsers.

Simple Scraper features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    SimpleScraper offers a user-friendly interface that allows even those without technical knowledge to easily extract data from websites.
  • Speed
    The tool allows for fast data extraction, reducing the time needed to gather information manually.
  • Automation
    Users can set up automated scraping tasks to run at regular intervals, which is useful for keeping data up-to-date without manual intervention.
  • API Access
    SimpleScraper provides API access, allowing developers to integrate scraping functionality into their own applications seamlessly.
  • Browser Extension
    The tool offers a browser extension, making it convenient to set up scraping tasks directly from the browser.

Possible disadvantages of Simple Scraper

  • Cost
    Advanced features and higher usage limits come with a subscription fee, which may not be feasible for all users.
  • Website Restrictions
    Some websites employ measures to prevent scraping, which may limit the effectiveness of SimpleScraper on such sites.
  • Data Quality
    Automated scraping can sometimes result in incomplete or inaccurate data, requiring manual verification.
  • Learning Curve
    Though designed to be user-friendly, there can still be a learning curve for those completely new to web scraping.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running multiple or complex scraping tasks can be resource-intensive and may affect the performance of your system.

Analysis of Surf

Overall verdict

  • Surf can be considered 'good' for users who value simplicity, minimal system resource usage, and the ability to customize their browsing experience via external scripts or patches. However, it might not be suitable for those who rely heavily on modern web features and extensions available in mainstream browsers.

Why this product is good

  • Surf is a minimalist web browser created by the Suckless community, known for developing software that adheres to the philosophy of simplicity and clarity. It is designed to be lightweight and efficient, making it suitable for users who prefer minimalism and are comfortable using a browser without a graphical user interface (GUI) for settings or extensions.

Recommended for

  • Users who are familiar with Unix-like operating systems and command-line interfaces.
  • Individuals who prefer lightweight and efficient software.
  • Those willing to customize their browser through external tools and scripts.
  • Minimalists who do not require a plethora of features and extensions.

Analysis of Simple Scraper

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Simple Scraper is a reliable and effective web scraping tool that balances ease of use with powerful features. It is well-suited for both beginners and experienced users seeking a quick and straightforward solution for extracting data from the web.

Why this product is good

  • Simple Scraper is considered a good tool primarily due to its combination of user-friendly design and robust functionality. It allows users without extensive technical skills to easily scrape data from websites with its visual point-and-click interface. Additionally, it offers features like scheduling, API access, and integration options that cater to more advanced use cases. The platform's flexibility and efficiency make it a suitable choice for many data scraping projects.

Recommended for

  • Individuals or businesses looking for a no-code solution to web scraping.
  • Marketers and researchers needing to extract and analyze web data.
  • Developers who want an API-accessible scraping solution.
  • Users who require scheduling capabilities to automate the data collection process.

Surf videos

+ Add

Pro Surfer Reviews Surf Movies, from 'Blue Crush' to 'Point Break' | Vanity Fair

More videos:

  • Review - Noel's "2021 Favorite Finds" Surfboards & Surf Product Must Haves
  • Tutorial - Surf Tip "How to Surf Faster in Small Waves" Part 1

Simple Scraper videos

+ Add

Super Simple Scraper Review

More videos:

  • Review - Super Simple Scraper RevieW
  • Review - Scraping with Simple Scraper in under 30 seconds

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Surf and Simple Scraper)

Surf

Simple Scraper

Web Browsers
100 100%
Web Browsers
0% 0
Web Scraping
0 0%
Web Scraping
100% 100
Web Development Tools
100 100%
Web Development Tools
0% 0
Data Extraction
0 0%
Data Extraction
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Surf and Simple Scraper. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Surf should be more popular than Simple Scraper. It has been mentiond 45 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Surf mentions (45)

  • How to build a circular LCD clock
    Interesting, surf is based off WebKit2. https://surf.suckless.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 26 days ago
  • Ladybird browser spreads its wings
    What about surf? https://surf.suckless.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • A peculiarity of the X Window System: Windows all the way down
    Another awesome aspect of X11: Xembed. Since it's "windows all the way down" you can have apps (rather than the window manager or root window) be the parent of other app windows. Two nifty examples of this: * https://tools.suckless.org/tabbed/ * https://surf.suckless.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • The Ladybird Browser Project
    Don't forget WebKit. It leads to project such as https://surf.suckless.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Tampermonkey: Dev Mode will become mandatory for running userscripts in Chromium
    I would assume surf[0], I don't know if suckless has any other browser. [0]: https://surf.suckless.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

Simple Scraper mentions (22)

  • Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (March 2026)
    Data extraction: https://simplescraper.io A project that I launched on HN that became a business. Simplescraper rode the no-code wave of a few years back ('instant structured data without parsing html'). Now working on increasing the surface area for AI agents: MCP support, screenshots API, and (experimentally) x402^ ^ https://simplescraper.io/blog/x402-payment-protocol/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Scraperr โ€“ A Self Hosted Webscraper
    1. Clicking the box programmatically โ€“ possible but inconsistent 2. Outsourcing the task to one of the many CAPTCHA-solving services (2Captcha etc) โ€“ better 3. Using a pool of reliable IP addresses so you don't encounter checkboxes or turnstiles โ€“ best I run a web scraping startup (https://simplescraper.io) and this is usually the approach. It has become more difficult, and I think a lot of the AI crawlers are... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (October 2024)
    Making my data extraction Saas (https://simplescraper.io) more LLM friendly. Markdown extraction, improved Google search, workflows - search for this terms, visit the first N links, summarize etc. Big demand for (or rather, expectation of) this lately. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • The Architecture Behind a One-Person Tech Startup
    Things are much easier for one-person startups these daysโ€”it's a gift. I remember building a todo app as my first SaaS project, and choosing something called Stormpath for authentication. It subsequently shut down, forcing me to do a last-minute migration from a hostel in Japan using Nitrous Cloud IDE (which also shut down). Just pain upon pain.[1] Now, you can just pick a full-stack cloud service and run with it.... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • A list of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS offerings that have free tiers of interest to devops and infradev
    Simplescraper โ€” Trigger your webhook after each operation. The free plan includes 100 cloud scrape credits. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Surf and Simple Scraper, you can also consider the following products

Coindive - Stay effortlessly updated on your favorite crypto projects.

Octoparse - Octoparse provides easy web scraping for anyone. Our advanced web crawler, allows users to turn web pages into structured spreadsheets within clicks.

Sidekick Browser - The fastest browser for work ever made

Diggernaut - Web scraping is just became easy. Extract any website content and turn it into datasets. No programming skills required.

Vivaldi - Vivaldi is a free, fast web browser designed for power-users. You decide how you browse. Download Vivaldi's fully customisable browser now and browse your way.

Scraper API - Scale Data Collection with a Simple API.

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