We tested 9 web scraping tools across 100,000+ real extractions on LinkedIn, Instagram, Google Maps, and Amazon. This post covers what we found — block rates, setup time, actual free-tier limits, and which tool wins for which use case.

Full benchmarks and methodology: Best Free Web Scraping Tools in 2026

Quick Decision Matrix

Use Case Best Free Tool

LinkedIn / social profiles Browser extension (runs in your session)

Instagram hashtags / followers Browser extension (handles virtualized scroll)

Google Maps local business Browser extension

Amazon / e-commerce prices Browser ext or Scrapy

Full site crawl Scrapy

JavaScript-heavy SPAs Playwright

Quick one-off table grab Instant Data Scraper

Real Free Tier Limits — What "Free" Actually Means

Tool Free Limit Block Rate* Setup Paid

Clura 20 scrapes/day, 500 rows ~4% 30 sec $29.99 lifetime

Instant Data Scraper Unlimited ~5% 0 sec Free forever

Web Scraper (ext) Unlimited local ~8% 10 min $50/mo cloud

Data Miner 500 pages/month ~7% 5 min $19/mo

Apify…