Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

WebPlotDigitizer VS ScrapingBee

Compare WebPlotDigitizer VS ScrapingBee and see what are their differences

WebPlotDigitizer logo WebPlotDigitizer

WebPlotDigitizer - Web based tool to extract numerical data from plots, images and maps.

ScrapingBee logo ScrapingBee

ScrapingBee is a Web Scraping API that handles proxies and Headless browser for you, so you can focus on extracting the data you want, and nothing else.
  • WebPlotDigitizer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-28
  • ScrapingBee Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-12

Web Scraping is hard, scraping at scale can be very challenging.

You have to handle:

  • Javascript rendering ๐Ÿ’ป
  • Chrome headless ๐Ÿ› 
  • Captcha ๐Ÿค–
  • Proxy ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™€๏ธ

ScrapingBee is a simple API that does all the above for you, and much more.

WebPlotDigitizer

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

ScrapingBee

$ Details
freemium $49.0 / Monthly (Freelance / 10,000 searches / 100,000 credits)
Platforms
REST API
Release Date
2019 July

WebPlotDigitizer features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    WebPlotDigitizer offers an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users without extensive technical expertise.
  • Cross-Platform Capability
    Being a web-based tool, WebPlotDigitizer works across various operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux without requiring installation.
  • Supports Multiple Plot Types
    The tool can digitize diverse chart types, including line plots, bar charts, scatter plots, and heat maps, enhancing its versatility.
  • Free to Use
    WebPlotDigitizer provides its core features without cost, making it accessible to a wide user base, including students and researchers.
  • Batch Processing
    The tool allows for batch processing of multiple images, saving time and effort when dealing with large datasets.

Possible disadvantages of WebPlotDigitizer

  • Accuracy Concerns
    The accuracy of digitized data can vary based on the quality of the input image and user interaction, which may require manual adjustments.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While suitable for basic digitization tasks, WebPlotDigitizer lacks some advanced features and customization options found in dedicated data analysis software.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    As a web-based tool, WebPlotDigitizer requires an internet connection, which can be a limitation for offline work.
  • Learning Curve
    Some users may experience a learning curve with initial usage, especially when dealing with more complex digitization tasks.

ScrapingBee features and specs

  • Easy to Use
    ScrapingBee provides a simple API that allows developers to scrape web pages without worrying about handling proxies or web browser rendering.
  • JavaScript Rendering
    With built-in JavaScript rendering, ScrapingBee can handle complex web pages that rely heavily on JavaScript for content display, making it suitable for scraping modern websites.
  • Proxy Management
    ScrapingBee automatically manages proxies, meaning developers don't have to deal with proxy rotation, blacklisting, or bans.
  • Rate Limiting Control
    The service offers control over rate limits, making it possible to scrape at a custom speed that suits your needs and prevents being blocked by target websites.
  • Custom Headers Support
    ScrapingBee allows the use of custom headers, enabling users to mimic different browsers or add specific headers required by the target site.
  • Geolocation
    It provides geolocation-based scraping, which is useful for accessing content that is region-restricted.

Possible disadvantages of ScrapingBee

  • Cost
    ScrapingBee is a paid service, and costs can add up depending on the volume and complexity of your scraping needs.
  • Rate Limits
    Even though it offers control over rate limits, there are still predefined limits depending on your plan, which might not suit very high-volume scraping needs.
  • Dependency on External Service
    Relying on an external service means that you are dependent on ScrapingBee's uptime and performance, which may affect your operations if the service faces downtime.
  • Data Privacy
    Using a third-party service for web scraping means sharing your scraping activities with ScrapingBee, which could raise data privacy concerns.
  • Limited Customization
    While ScrapingBee handles many aspects of web scraping for you, it may not offer the level of customization that a self-built scraping solution could provide.

Analysis of WebPlotDigitizer

Overall verdict

  • Overall, WebPlotDigitizer is a robust and effective tool for converting graphical data into numerical form. Its combination of ease of use and powerful features makes it a reliable choice for those needing to extract data from images.

Why this product is good

  • WebPlotDigitizer is considered a good tool because it provides users with the ability to extract numerical data from various types of plots, images, and charts efficiently. Its features, such as auto-extraction, color channel selection, and curve fitting, make it versatile for different kinds of data extraction tasks. The tool is also web-based, meaning users can access it easily without needing to install software on their local machines. Additionally, it supports multiple file formats and offers a straightforward user interface, contributing to its popularity in academic and professional settings.

Recommended for

    WebPlotDigitizer is recommended for researchers, scientists, data analysts, and students who frequently need to extract data from published graphs and charts. It is particularly useful in fields such as biology, engineering, physics, and any other areas where visual data needs to be quantitatively analyzed.

Analysis of ScrapingBee

Overall verdict

  • ScrapingBee is generally considered a good choice for web scraping, especially for users who want to streamline the process and avoid the complexities of managing their own infrastructure. It is well-regarded for its ease of use, reliability, and comprehensive feature set.

Why this product is good

  • ScrapingBee is a popular web scraping service because it provides a simple and efficient way to scrape websites without the need to manage proxy servers or deal with headless browser setup. It offers features like rendering JavaScript, handling CAPTCHAs, and supporting various customization options, making it suitable for different scraping needs.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking to automate data extraction from websites
  • Businesses needing reliable web scraping solutions without investing in infrastructure
  • Users who require JavaScript rendering and CAPTCHA handling in their scraping tasks
  • Projects that require scalable and customizable web scraping options

WebPlotDigitizer videos

๐Ÿ”ด Webplotdigitizer Tutorial - A Plot Digitizer to Digitize Graphs

More videos:

  • Tutorial - WebPlotDigitizer v2.5 Tutorial - 2D XY plots and general tips.

ScrapingBee videos

No ScrapingBee videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WebPlotDigitizer and ScrapingBee)
Data Extraction
25 25%
75% 75
Web Scraping
0 0%
100% 100
Data Visualization
100 100%
0% 0
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ScrapingBee seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 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.

WebPlotDigitizer mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of WebPlotDigitizer yet. Tracking of WebPlotDigitizer recommendations started around Mar 2021.

ScrapingBee mentions (3)

  • Self-hosted, simple web browser service โ€“ send URL, get screenshots
    If youโ€™re worried about the security risks, edge cases, maintenance pain and scaling challenges of self hosting there are various solid hosted alternatives: - https://browserless.io - low level browser control - https://scrapingbee.com - scraping specialists - https://urlbox.com - screenshot specialists* Theyโ€™re all profitable and have been around for years so you can depend on the businesses and the tech. *... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Are there any APIs that maintain a database of subscriptions?
    If you really just need the data you can use something like https://scrapingbee.com to scrape the info from the various price pages to make sure your info is always up to date. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Our bootstrapped SaaS just turned 3 and reached $1.5m ARR: the lessons learned.
    Well done! And posting here was a great idea. Not sure I would have found scrapingbee.com otherwise. We will probably become a customer. Signed up for the trial account. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WebPlotDigitizer and ScrapingBee, you can also consider the following products

Plot Digitizer - All-in-One Tool to Extract Data from Graphs, Plots & Images

Apify - Apify is a web scraping and automation platform that can turn any website into an API.

g3data - g3data is used for extracting data from graphs.

Scraper API - Scale Data Collection with a Simple API.

DataThief III - DataThief III is a program to extract (reverse engineer) data points from a graph.

Zyte - We're Zyte (formerly Scrapinghub), the central point of entry for all your web data needs.