10 Best Data Collection Services in 2024

In this comparison article on the best data collection services, you will discover:

• What a data collection service is and what it has to offer
• Which aspects to consider when considering companies providing such services
• The best 10 data retrieval companies 

Let’s dive in!

What Is a Data Collection Service?

A data collection service is an online platform used to gather data from various sources. These services automate the extraction of information through APIs, from websites, or from ready-to-use datasets.

Based on that distinction, data collection services can be classified into the following categories:

• Web scraping solution: They provide tools to programmatically extract data from web pages. They often include proxy integration for enhanced effectiveness. For more information, explore our dedicated guide on the best web scraping tools.
• API-based data collection: They come with specialized APIs to retrieve data from different platforms and sites. These APIs make it easy to collect structured information from the Web.
• Data retrieval service: These providers gather data from multiple sources and compile it into unified, aggregated, and consistent custom or existing datasets. Some of them also offer data enrichment services. 

Note that this classification is not mutually exclusive, as a single service can fulfill one or more of these roles.

Aspects To Consider When Evaluating Data Collection Services

Below are the key elements to keep into account when selecting the best data collection services:

• Types: The high-level categories the data collection service can be categorized into.
• Number of Customers: The number of companies that pay (or have paid) for the services offered by the provider.
• Products and Services: The main data collection products and services offered by the company.
• Free Test: Availability of a free trial period for the products or free sample datasets.
• Review Score: The average user review rating on Trustpilot.

Top 10 Data Collection Services

Time to apply the criteria presented earlier to select the best data collection services on the market.

If you are eager to find out what these companies are, take a look at the comparison table below:

Company	Products and Services	Web Scraping	Data Collection APIs	Datasets	Customers	Free Trial	Review Score	Reviews
Bright Data	Tons	✔️	✔️	✔️	20k+	✔️	4.6/5	747
NetNut	Regular	✔️	✔️	✔️	2.7k+	✔️	4.6/5	160
Smartproxy	Many	✔️	✔️	❌	50k+	✔️	4.6/5	1,298
Oxylabs	Many	✔️	✔️	✔️	3.5+	✔️	4.6/5	515
Infatica	Regular	✔️	✔️	✔️	700+	✔️	4.3/5	28
Octoparse	Few	✔️	❌	✔️	3M+	✔️	3.0/5	39
Zyte	Few	✔️	❌	✔️	2.5k+	✔️	2.6/5	4
DataHen	Regular	✔️	✔️	✔️	—	❌	—	0
HabileData	Many	✔️	❌	✔️	2k+	✔️	—	0
CoreSignal	Many	❌	✔️	✔️	500+	❌	—	0

1. Bright Data

Bright Data stands out as the provider of the best proxies in the market. In addition to its top-notch proxy servers, its powerful and numerous web scraping solutions form the foundation for several data collection services.

In the Bright Data dataset marketplace, you have access to a wide range of datasets. These cover diverse categories and purposes, such as finance, social media, business, and more.

Specifically, you can choose from:

• Pre-built datasets: Sourced from popular websites, these datasets come with standardized schemas and formats such as JSON and CSV for easy access.
• Custom datasets: Tailored to specific needs, they offer high flexibility and endless possibilities for unique data requirements.

Bright Data provides both subscription and one-time purchase options for its datasets, catering to different preferences. The company ensures data quality with rigorous validation methods and adheres to compliance standards like GDPR and CCPA.

In case of help, you can rely on the responsive support from a team of over 80 data experts. Trusted by a global customer base of over 20,000 companies, Bright Data excels in delivering actionable insights through its robust data solutions. This is why Bright Data is the king of data sourcing!

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• API-based data collection
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 20,000+

Products and Services: 

• Web Scraper APIs: User-friendly APIs for programmatic access to structured data from a wide range of well-known sites.
• Scraping Browser: Execute Puppeteer, Selenium, and Playwright scripts on fully managed browsers, featuring CAPTCHA auto-solving, unlimited scalability, and access to 72 million residential IPs.
• Scraping Functions: Accelerate your development with a runtime environment designed for scraping, unlocking, and scaling web data collection.
• Web Unlocker: Seamlessly access any public website at scale with automated proxy management and real user behavior simulation to bypass anti-bot systems. Enjoy efficient and limitless scalability.
• SERP API: Simplify SERP data extraction from major search engines including Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Baidu, Yahoo, and Naver.
• Dataset Marketplace: Acquire fresh, accurate datasets from any public website without the hassle of maintaining scrapers or bypassing blocks.
• Custom Dataset: Create tailored datasets using an automated platform that handles collection, parsing, validation, and delivery with 99% automation, providing fresh data from any website effortlessly.
• Retail Insights: Gain actionable, AI-driven eCommerce intelligence with Bright Insights. Access precise, affordable insights on any product, category, or source at any time.

Free Test: Yes, free trial on scraping tools, scraping APIs, as well as free sample datasets for data retrieval services

Review Score: 4.6/5 (747 reviews)

2. NetNut

NetNut is a prominent proxy provider renowned for its robust and reliable servers. It also delivers a variety of data collection solutions, including a product to overcome advanced anti-bot measures and a scraper API for efficient search engine result retrieval.

NetNut also offers data retrieval services with access to datasets containing over 250 million professional profiles and 50 million company profiles. Those support a wide range of data collection requirements.

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• API-based data collection
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 2,700+

Products and Services: 

• Website Unblocker: Overcome advanced anti-bot measures to access hard-to-reach websites and data.
• SERP Scraper API: Rapidly retrieve search engine results with an efficient SERP data extraction tool.
• Professional Profile Data: Access a comprehensive database of 250 million individual professional profiles.
• Company Data: Retrieve detailed information from a vast collection of 50 million company profiles.

Free Test: Yes, on all services and products

Review Score: 4.6/5 (160 reviews)

3. Smartproxy

Most users know it as one of the best proxy providers, but Smartproxy also offers data collection products and services. For custom web scraping, Smartproxy includes a site unlocker that bypasses anti-bot measures to access raw HTML from any site.

Its dedicated scraping APIs are useful for retrieving data from various sources, including social media, e-commerce sites, and search engines.

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• API-based data collection

Number of Customers: 50,000+

Products and Services: 

• Site Unblocker: Access real-time data from even the most difficult-to-reach websites.
• Web Scraping API: Collect large volumes of data from across the web with guaranteed success.
• Social Media Scraping API: Extract and structure real-time data from a range of social media platforms.
• SERP Scraping API: Retrieve search engine results from Google and other major platforms.
• eCommerce Scraping API: Efficiently gather structured eCommerce data with a single API request.

Free Test: Yes, free trial on scraping APIs

Review Score: 4.6/5 (1,298 reviews)

4. Oxylabs

Oxylabs is well-known for its proxy services but also provides web scraping products and ready-to-use datasets. Its scraping APIs focus on e-commerce and SERP data, while the datasets guarantee valuable company information. 

These datasets include data from sources like AngelList Owler, and CrunchBase, offering insights into company size, industry, revenue, and more. This helps businesses monitor competitors, identify investment opportunities, and make informed decisions.

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• API-based data collection
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 3,500+

Products and Services: 

• Web Scraper API: Access public data from a wide range of websites.
• SERP Scraper API: Scalable delivery of search engine results from major platforms.
• E-Commerce Scraper API: Enterprise-grade data from online marketplaces.
• Company Data: Detailed datasets for business profiling and analysis.
• E-Commerce Product Data: Insights and catalog data from online stores.
• Job Postings Data: Datasets for analyzing labor market trends and job insights.
• Community and Code Data: Datasets reflecting trends in developer communities.
• Product Review Data: Fresh datasets for analyzing user sentiment and feedback.

Free Test: Yes, free trial for the scraping tools and APIs

Review Score: 4.6/5 (515 reviews)

5. Infatica

Infatica comes with both proxy services and data collection services. It also sells a robust scraping API that supports JavaScript rendering, proxy rotation, and geotargeting. This makes the API an excellent tool for extracting structured data from both static and dynamic sites.

Additionally, Infatica provides a custom data retrieval service that ensures data is delivered in a human-readable format. With its focus on scalability, robust security, and legal compliance, that service is ideal for businesses seeking reliable and actionable data insights.

Its SERP Scraper API is powerful enough to position Infatica among the best alternatives to ScrapeBox.

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• API-based data collection
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 700+

Products and Services: 

• Web Scraper: A robust data collection tool that supports JavaScript rendering, geotargeting, and proxy rotation, delivering results in JSON and HTML formats.
• SERP Web Scraper: Capture valuable data from search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and others.
• Scraping-as-a-Service: Complete web scraping solutions for extracting and analyzing data from any website.
• Infatica Data: Custom datasets for personalized site search and discovery experiences.

Free Test: Yes, free trial for the scraping APIs 

Review Score: 4.3/5 (28 reviews)

6. Octoparse

Octoparse is primarily known as a no-code web scraping tool to extract data from web pages through a point-and-click interface. However, not everyone is aware that the company also features on-demand data extraction services. That enables businesses to get all the information they need with no effort.

The Octoparse software lets you create customizable scrapers using a visual workflow designer. It also supports AI-powered features, cloud automation, and pre-built templates for many sites, making it an ideal solution for automated data retrieval.

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 3,000,000+

Products and Services: 

• Octoparse Software: A desktop no-code application for web scraping, enabling you to transform web pages into structured data with just a few clicks via an intuitive UI.
• Data Service: Web scraping services offering automated data extraction, processing, and integration solutions tailored to many industries, ensuring reliable, high-quality data delivery with expert support and scalable technology.

Free Test: Yes, on the web scraping solution

Review Score: 3.0/5 (39 reviews)

7. Zyte

Zyte is a popular data collection company focused on simplifying the process of web scraping. With over 14 years of experience, it must be mentioned in the list of the best data collection services in the field. 

Zyte offers powerful APIs that ensure high success rates, low response times, and built-in legal compliance. It also provides AI-driven web scraping tools and customizable datasets to meet your specific needs.

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 2,500+

Products and Services: 

• Zyte Data: Receive web data quickly and accurately with Zyte’s extraction services, handling all the complexities for you.
• Zyte API – Ban Handling: Built-in proxies and a smart browser in a single API to prevent bans while scraping the web.
• Zyte API – AI Scraping: Gather product data from any website in seconds using AI-powered scraping technology.

Free Test: Yes, free sample datasets

Review Score: 2.6/5 (4 reviews)

8. DataHen

DataHen is a versatile data collection service that provides enterprises with clean and structured web data. It offers customizable solutions for web scraping, API integrations, and ETL processes. The end goal of the company is to streamline the tedious task of gathering business insights.

Its platform enables scalable data collection, seamless integration with business intelligence tools, and hassle-free management of custom data services.

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• API-based data collection
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: Undisclosed

Products and Services: 

• Custom Web Scraping Services: Obtain clean, structured data from web pages without the burden of developing or maintaining your own scrapers.
• Custom API Integration Services: Seamlessly push and pull data to and from third-party APIs without the need to develop or maintain your API integrations.
• Custom ETL Services: Receive clean, structured data tailored to your needs without the complexity of building or managing your own ETL pipelines.
• Custom Business Intelligence Services: Integrate clean, structured web data with your preferred BI (Business Intelligence) tools, without the hassle of managing data collection processes.

Free Test: No

Review Score: — (0 reviews)

9. HabileData

HabileData is a trusted data provider specializing in transforming raw data into actionable insights. With over 20 years of experience, the company offers a wide range of services, including data entry, processing, cleansing, and web research. 

Its expert BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) model promises 99.9% data accuracy, 30% cost reduction, and a 24-hour turnaround time. HabileData helps businesses enhance operational efficiency and gain a competitive edge in the global market. 

Types:

• Web scraping solution
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 2,000+

Products and Services: 

• B2B Data Enrichment: Enhance business data by adding relevant information. This includes the following sub-services: B2B Data Append, B2B Data Validation, B2B Data Standardization, and B2B Data Acquisition.
• Data Annotation Services: Tag and label data for machine learning and AI models. This includes the sub-services: Data Labeling Services, Image Annotation Services, Video Annotation Services, Text Annotation Services, Semantic Segmentation, and Product Categorization.
• Data Processing Services: Handle and process various types of data efficiently. This includes the sub-services: Invoice Processing, Order Processing, Data Cleansing, Well Log Digitizing, Land Record Digitization, Document Processing, Resume Processing, Catalog Management, and Image Processing.
• Data Entry Services: Enter and manage data efficiently. These services include: Product Data Entry, Appraisal Data Entry, Mortgage Data Entry, Property Listing Management, and Typing Services.
• Data Collection: Gather data from multiple sources for analysis. This includes the sub-services: Data Mining, Web Scraping, and Real Estate Property Data Collection.
• Data Conversion Services: Convert data from one format to another. This includes PDF Conversion.

Free Test: Yes

Review Score: — (0 reviews)

10. CoreSignal

In the market since 2016, Coresignal specializes in workforce analytics. It provides a wide range of datasets, including professional network data, company data, employee data, job postings, startup data, and more. These datasets, sourced from 20 different platforms, encompass over 3 billion records. This is enough to place it among the best dataset websites.

The company ensures high-quality data and offers flexible delivery options tailored to business needs. Additionally, they offer a dedicated scraping API for specific use cases.

Types:

• API-based data collection
• Data retrieval service

Number of Customers: 500+

Products and Services: 

• Company Data: Gain a 360° view of millions of companies.
• Employee Data: Access global talent data at scale.
• Job Posting Data: Retrieve data on hundreds of millions of job listings.
• Company Enrichment API: Improve and enrich your existing company data.
• Company API: Find and retrieve detailed information on specific companies.
• Historical Headcount API: Track changes in company headcounts over time.
• Employee API: Access millions of employee profiles with ease.
• Jobs Data API: Search and retrieve relevant job postings effortlessly.

Free Test: No

Review Score: — (0 reviews)

Conclusion

In this comparison blog post, you gained valuable insights into the world of data collection services. You saw the key areas to compare companies providing data retrieval services and applied them to compile a list of the best solutions available. As it turns out, Bright Data stands out as the most reliable data collection service in the industry.

Bright Data operates a fast, large, and secure proxy network, trusted by Fortune 500 companies and over 20,000 customers. This serves as the backbone for a range of powerful scraping tools:

• Web Scraper APIs: For programmatic access to structured web data from dozens of highly-visited domains.
• Scraping Browser: For browser automation using Puppeteer, Selenium, or Playwright scripts on fully hosted browsers equipped with CAPTCHA auto-solving capabilities and unlimited scalability.
• Scraping Functions: For a complete runtime environment designed to scrape, unlock, and scale web data collection.
• Web Unlocker: For accessing any public website at scale, bypassing anti-bot systems through a flexible scraping API.

If web scraping tools and APIs are not what you are looking for, explore our vast dataset marketplace. Bright Data leverages its expertise to ethically retrieve data and offer it via ready-to-use datasets. If these pre-made options do not meet your needs, consider our custom data collection services.

Sign up now and see which Bright Data products best suit your needs. Start your free trial now!