Well, This AI Web Scraper Sucks!
- Kevin Not-A-Robot
- Jan 16
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 11
025 - A REVIEW of the data scraper, AI Web Scraper.
The Pitch
Scrape data from any webpage; no coding is required.
I've been looking for a low-effort way to scrape data from the web, so I was naturally excited to find this extension. Unfortunately, that excitement died quick.
AI Webscraper is a Google Chrome extension that promises to allow you to scrape any data from a website using no code and minimal effort. If only that were true in my experience.
The Experience
Getting Started With AI Web Scraper
To use the extension for free, you must sign up with your name, email, and mailing address—no credit card. You are then given a free API (application programming interface) key to use the extension with limited features.
Assessing AI Web Scraper's Usability
I was disappointed with this one, as the extension is simple from a user interface perspective. In the extension, you start by prompting the AI your overall objective with the data you are trying to scrape. You state the data fields and/or attributes you want to extract from the website. Fields and attributes like a product name, price, etc.
Simply put, the extension did not work. After trying it on several e-commerce websites and a few blogs, the scrapper didn't extract the information requested.
AI Web Scraper Standout Features
AI Scrapper then scrolls through the web pages to scrape the data. Before scraping starts, you are warned not to close your browser, switch tabs, or have your computer sleep, all of which will cancel the scrapping. The issue starts when the scrapping is complete. I got an "error, please contact..." message, or the CSV-generated file was blank. While it's great that it auto-scrolls through a website to load "lazy loading" content and navigates to other pages in pagination, the constant errors marred the whole experience.
The Verdict
Why Should You Care
I wanted this to work but gave up after trying it on several websites. The extension is free, so you can give it a go yourself. Please don't say I didn't warn you. But if it works, I'd love to hear about your experience.
AI Web Scraper Facts:
Free with limited features
Monthly subscription
Google Chrome Extension only