Overview
Import.io enables you to extract data directly from the web. This is commonly known as web scraping, but Import.io is much more. Our point-and-click interface transforms websites into data with a few simple clicks, enabling you to get the data you need, whether it requires page interaction, JavaScripting or lies behind a login.
Tip: If you're new to Import.io and have general questions about the services we provide, visit our introductory Starting with Import.io FAQ.
How does data extraction with Import.io work?
Import.io allows you to create an extractor and give it an example URL containing the data you want to extract. Once Import.io loads the webpage, it presents you with the data it finds and give you the option to identify the data you want to collect via point-and-click. As you select data, Import.io analyzes the underlying structure of the webpage and determines where the elements of data you want reside.
All this data is laid out in a tabular data column structure that you can design to meet your project needs.
What makes Import.io unique?
Import.io contains a built-in crawl service specifically designed to handle multiple URL queries. It uses dynamic rate limiting and contains a retry system to handle errors and restrictions. When querying multiple webpages, the crawl service queries URLs asynchronously, each from a rotating IP address pool, to make the process more efficient. If a URL fails, the URL is requeued and tried again from a different IP address. This crawl service monitors website response time, which ensures extraction does not place excessive load on a website.
The result is superior performance, high-quality data extraction and reliable success.
First steps
After starting a trial, take a moment to read Import.io's terminology. Then visit our Building Your First Extractors guide to get you started building extractors to grab data from Yelp, or if you prefer video, our Getting Started with Import.io Tutorials on YouTube.
- Every Import.io account begins as a trial. This is a free week period where you can explore the platform, extract data from websites, experiment with your use cases, and share your data with friends and colleagues.
- When you start a trial, you'll be able to create extractors to extract data from millions of websites.
- If you would like to extract data from websites that have multiple pages, you can use our URL Generator to generate page numbers for a page.
- When you're ready to download your data, you can download and share your data in either NDJSON, CSV, or Excel format.
Signing up
You can choose from a range of billing plans to integrate web data into your project, whether you're extracting for machine learning, market research or risk management.
- All billing plans are available on monthly and annual payment cycles. On an annual billing cycle, the average monthly cost is lower, and gain access to the sharing portal, reports, image & file downloading (up to 10,000 files), and email/phone support.
- If you are interested in a managed service where we do all the dirty work for you, contact us to see how Import.io can be your primary data provider.
- If you are interested in our advanced features such as API access, interactive extractors, and webhooks, contact our sales team to learn more about pricing.
Tip: Find more Getting Started guides by exploring the left navigation.