What is the difference between the browser extension and Web Scraper Cloud?

The Web Scraper browser extension and Web Scraper Cloud use the same sitemap format, but they are designed for different parts of the scraping workflow.

Web Scraper browser extension

Use the browser extension to build, test, and run sitemaps directly in your browser.

  • Runs on your computer in the browser.
  • Uses the website access available from your local browser session.
  • Is well suited for building, testing, debugging, and one-time scraping jobs.
  • Stores only the latest local scraping job data in the browser's local storage.
  • The browser and computer must remain available while a local scraping job is running.

Web Scraper Cloud

Use Web Scraper Cloud when you want to run sitemaps remotely or automate repeated scraping jobs.

  • Runs scraping jobs without requiring your browser or computer to stay open.
  • Supports scheduling and unattended scraping.
  • Supports proxies, retries, monitoring, API access, webhooks, and automated data exports.
  • Stores scraping job data in Cloud for the applicable data retention period.
  • Is better suited for larger or repeated scraping workflows.

Which one should I use?

Start with the browser extension to create and test your sitemap. Use Web Scraper Cloud when you need scheduled, unattended, or automated scraping.

See the Local scraping documentation and Web Scraper Cloud documentation for more information.

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