Web Scraping 2025: What You Need to Know

What’s staying, what’s changing, what’s happening. And, what it means for you.

Jan 20, 2025

Hello there,

First things first, Happy New Year.

Sorry it has been rather quiet here on Substack. I’ve been busy cooking up this report which I’m excited to finally share with you.

What will 2025 look like for web scraping? Whether you’re a developer figuring out how to make the most of new tools, a business leader weighing your options for web data acquisition, or an industry player navigating the AI and legal bandwagon, Zyte’s 2025 industry report has something interesting for you to chew on.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll find:

For Developers: Scraping Is Easier, but Scaling Is Still a Grind

It’s true—building a scraper has never been easier, with low-code tools and AI frameworks lowering the barrier to entry. But here’s the catch: having a scraper does not equal having data at scale.

Can you trust AI-powered scrapers to do the heavy lifting, or will they leave you with sky-high infrastructure bills?
What’s the optimal way to juggle proxies, manage bans, and adapt to website changes without sleeping with one eye open?
How much do you need to know under the hood, and when is it okay to lean on “automagical” tools that do the work for you?

This section of the report will offer perspective to help you navigate the scaling challenges.

For Business Leaders: Build or Buy—What’s the Smart Move?

Web scraping isn’t just a technical challenge; it’s a business decision. And the question every leader faces is: Should you build your own solution or buy what you need?

When is it worth investing in DIY data solutions when data marketplaces and AI-powered crawling and extraction tools are making buying data more cost efficient than ever?
What’s the hidden cost of buying off-the-shelf data, and how can you avoid getting locked into inflexible vendor agreements?
What kinds of projects that used to be too complex or expensive to tackle have large language models opened doors to?

I’ve laid out a framework in this report to help you think through these questions and decide what’s best for your organization.

For Industry Players: Intelligence Meets Integrity

The web scraping market is more competitive than ever, and the stakes are getting higher. Sure, AI-powered tools are leveling up capabilities across the board, but technical brilliance alone won’t cut it anymore.

How do you differentiate in a market flooded with “AI-powered” tools that all promise the same thing?
Is your company prepared for the legal and ethical scrutiny that’s becoming unavoidable in web scraping?
With so many players consolidating, are you positioned to adapt—or will you get left behind?

Here you can get a sense of the challenges and opportunities ahead for players in the web scraping industry. From navigating compliance and legal hurdles to making smart bets on the right mix of AI and traditional methods, you might find useful ideas to help you stay relevant.

Why This Report Matters

This isn’t yet another trends piece—it’s a systematic look at the shifts shaping web scraping in 2025. Whether you’re in the trenches solving technical problems or making decisions about your company’s data strategy, I hope you turn to this report for clarity in navigating the landscape ahead.

🔗 Read the full report and learn what’s staying, what’s changing, what’s happening, and what it means for you.