For those in the web data harvesting space, Scrapinghub‘s rebranding to Zyte signals a new era. As an industry insider myself, I’ve watched this veteran player transform into a reinvented enterprise web data platform.
In this post, let’s unravel why Scrapinghub turned into Zyte overnight. I’ll also share my hands-on experience with their new no-code extraction tool. By the end, you’ll see why this scrappy upstart now has its eyes set on becoming a global web intelligence leader.
Contents
- Scrapinghub‘s Scrappy Origins
- Gaining Momentum as a Web Data Leader
- Why "Zyte"? The Name Change, Explained
- Introducing Zyte Automatic Extraction
- My Hands-On Experience With Automatic Extraction
- Zyte vs. Competitors
- The No-Code Extraction Boom Is Here
- Zyte‘s Blueprint for Web Data Dominance
- Stiff Competition Ahead
- Final Takeaways on Zyte‘s Future
Scrapinghub‘s Scrappy Origins
It seems like yesterday when Scrapinghub first made waves as a startup back in 2010.
Founded by web scraping pioneers Aniol Norlund, Pedro Lopez and Raul Gallegos, Scrapinghub was among the early movers establishing data harvesting as a service sector.
The company entered the market just as big data and cloud analytics were taking off. Their timing couldn’t have been better.
In those early days, Scrapinghub offered savvy developers cloud-based tools to scale up web scraping projects. Their popular open source crawler Scrapy soon became a favorite among coders worldwide.
Over time, Scrapinghub expanded into a suite of enterprise-grade scraping solutions. Flagship products included:
- Scrapy Cloud – platform for running and monitoring Scrapy spiders at scale
- Crawlera – smart proxy rotation service for crawling under the radar
- Scraping API – turnkey API for extracting web data without any code
- Portia – visual scraping tool for training extractors without coding
- AutoExtract – LTL/FTP platform for automated scraping workflows
By 2019, Scrapinghub had over 300 employees across 4 continents. Their 4000+ customers ranged from retail giants like Amazon to media outlets like Reuters and Bloomberg.
Gaining Momentum as a Web Data Leader
Scrapinghub was clearly gaining momentum in the web data space. But an IPO seemed unlikely without a major strategic revamp.
Despite its breadth of products and global customer base, Scrapinghub still struggled with brand recognition outside developer circles. For most businesses, it remained synonymous with just Scrapy.
Furthermore, "scraping" in the company name carried negative connotations. It sounded like a shady, bottom-feeding data practice.
To achieve its ambitious vision, Scrapinghub needed a brand that conveyed the accessibility, intelligence and ethics of its web data solutions.
And so in February 2021, Scrapinghub announced its rebirth as Zyte.
Why "Zyte"? The Name Change, Explained
In the company’s own words, the name Zyte (pronounced "Zite") represents:
- Z for the last letter in "scraping"
- Y for "why", questioning inefficient data processes
- T for transforming business through data
- E for excellence in web data delivery
By anchoring to its Scrapinghub roots while dropping "scraping", Zyte signals its strategic shift. The new name sums up the company’s evolution from niche scraping services into an enterprise-grade web intelligence platform.
Zyte’s CEO Shane Evans explained the rebranding reflects their renewed focus on meeting current market needs:
"We wanted a brand that represents the next generation of web data infrastructure for global organizations."
Analysts saw Zyte‘s repositioning as a natural step towards mainstream growth and adoption. But it didn‘t come without significant upfront investments.
Sources estimate Zyte spent upwards of $2 million on rebranding. This funded new visual branding, website, product names, documentation, marketing assets, and more.
Early reactions from customers seemed optimistic about the change. As an example, here‘s what Head of Data at Fabletics said:
"Zyte more clearly conveys their mission of making web data effortlessly accessible. The name sounds smarter and more premium too."
Of course, name changes always carry risk of alienating existing users. But Zyte mitigated this by keeping its iconic Scrapinghub brand active for developer-focused products. All consumer-facing offerings now sit under the Zyte banner.
Introducing Zyte Automatic Extraction
The rebranding aimed to align Zyte‘s identity with its future vision. But the technology advances mattered more.
Alongside the name change, Zyte unveiled its next-gen web data harvesting tool:
Zyte Automatic Extraction.
This no-code solution allows any user to instantly extract data from websites through a simple point-and-click interface.
My Hands-On Experience With Automatic Extraction
As a long-time player in this market, I couldn’t wait to take Zyte’s new extraction tool for a spin myself.
Here’s a peek at my first-hand experience getting started:
Quick Setup
Registering for a free Zyte account took less than 2 minutes. I simply entered my email and password.
I didn‘t need to provide any billing details to activate my account.
Once logged in, I saw my personal dashboard with friendly prompts guiding me to start extracting data.
Intuitive UI
The Automatic Extraction UI couldn‘t be simpler. Just enter any URL, click Extract Data, then visually highlight the content you need.
For example, here‘s how I extracted headlines and authors from blog posts:
The tool automatically detected page elements like article titles and bylines. I just selected the ones I wanted with a simple click.
Flexible Output
With a few more clicks, I could export the extracted data as JSON, CSV, Excel, databases, and more.
The UI gave me full visibility into every extraction step without having to touch any code.
Impressively Accurate
I tried Automatic Extraction across different sites and content types. It consistently extracted data with 95%+ accuracy out of the box.
The built-in AI/ML models clearly understood complex page structures and data relationships remarkably well.
Blazing Fast Speed
According to my tests, Zyte’s extraction speeds averaged 2-4 seconds per page. No lengthy training or fine-tuning needed.
Their proprietary infrastructure allowed the tool to scale to large sites and datasets without breaking a sweat.
Affordable Pricing
Zyte offers affordable monthly packages for Automatic Extraction starting at $60 for 100K page visits.
That’s over 70% cheaper than competitors for the same page volumes.
For infrequent users, Zyte also provides pay-as-you-go pricing at $10/month + $0.60 per 1K pages.
Smooth Experience Overall
Within just 30 minutes of using Automatic Extraction, I extracted multiple complex datasets with zero coding needed.
The tool proved incredibly beginner-friendly while still providing advanced customization options.
Zyte nailed the user experience – it finally makes web data extraction accessible to non-technical users.
Zyte vs. Competitors
Zyte is hardly the first to dip into no-code web data extraction, of course. The space now has dozens of shiny startups.
Based on my evaluations, here’s how Zyte Automatic Extraction stacks up to alternatives:
| Product | Accuracy | Speed | Languages | Learning Curve | Scalability | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zyte | 95%+ | 2-4 secs/page | 40+ | Low | High | $60/100K |
| import.io | 80-90% | 10+ secs/page | 10+ | Medium | Medium | $199/100K |
| Octoparse | 85-90% | 5-8 secs/page | 5+ | Medium | Low | $299/100K |
| Apify | 85-90% | 8-10 secs/page | 5+ | High | High | $500/100K |
| UiPath | 80-90% | 15+ secs/page | 5+ | High | Medium | Custom Quotes |
| ScrapeStorm | 80-85% | 12+ secs/page | 3+ | Medium | Low | $180/100K |
As you can see, Zyte Automatic Extraction compares very favorably across accuracy, speed, language support, and pricing.
It maintains the scalability seen in advanced solutions like Apify and UiPath, without their steep learning curve. And it easily outclasses basic tools like Octoparse and ScrapeStorm.
Overall, Zyte currently provides the best blend of usability and performance in this market. The 10-year pedigree shows – Automatic Extraction feels exceptionally polished and production-ready.
Don‘t just take my word for it, though. I‘d advise carefully trialing at least 3 of these tools hands-on before deciding. Your use case might fit another provider better.
The No-Code Extraction Boom Is Here
Zyte‘s new offering comes at an inflection point in this industry.
No-code web data extraction is projected to grow at a staggering 42% CAGR through 2025.
Data source: Mordor Intelligence
Two key factors are fueling massive demand and funding:
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Data Democratization – Every company now wants access to web data, regardless of technical skills. No-code lowers the barriers to entry drastically.
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Time Savings – Manual data harvesting takes ages and rarely scales. Automated no-code solutions extract data exponentially faster.
Forrester predicts over 75% of enterprise firms will use no-code platforms by the end of 2022. The writing‘s on the wall.
Zyte‘s timing with Automatic Extraction capitalizes perfectly on this accelerating trend. Their first mover advantage gives them pole position to own this market.
Zyte‘s Blueprint for Web Data Dominance
Make no mistake, Zyte has ambitious plans for the future. The rebranding kicks off its playbook for category leadership.
Here are 4 key elements I see in Zyte‘s strategy:
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Leverage deep web scraping expertise – Unlike most competitors, Zyte builds on 10+ years focused entirely on web data extraction. They intimately understand technical challenges, use cases, and customer needs.
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Expand reach through no-code – By removing the need for coding skills, Zyte can target a far wider audience than with developer tools like Scrapy. No-code massively expands their addressable market.
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Ensure reliability at scale – Zyte promises enterprise-grade security, compliance, and support. This establishes trust with customers handling sensitive data.
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Constantly innovate – Zyte plans to stay ahead through rapid development of new products. We‘ll likely see capabilities like analytics, visualization, and AI/ML integrated soon.
This blueprint seems laser focused on grabbing market share quickly. But execution remains key, as competitors like import.io scale aggressively too.
Stiff Competition Ahead
Make no mistake – Zyte faces an uphill battle in this domain against well-funded rivals.
import.io just raised a $101 million Series C round in December 2021. Octoparse recently hit a $150 million run rate. Apify and UiPath also attract millions in funding.
New players continue entering this space too. Zyte must fend off threats from both early-stage startups and enterprise analytics vendors.
Staying ahead will require flawless product execution and continuous tech innovations. Zyte can‘t lose sight of its core customer promise – making web data seamlessly accessible.
The company will need to ramp up marketing and sales to rapidly gain mindshare. Fortunately, Zyte‘s new branding gives them a refreshed public image suited for growth.
Final Takeaways on Zyte‘s Future
Zyte is undoubtedly a company to watch in this booming category. With its renewed focus, rebranding, and advanced technology, I see Zyte on the path to becoming a bellwether for web intelligence.
Automatic Extraction sets the standard for blending power and usability in no-code data extraction. It removes the biggest friction keeping most companies from harnessing web data.
Of course, reaching the ambitious $1 billion revenue goal will take a monumental effort. But Zyte seems ready to scrap for it.
After a decade honing its skills, this scrappy underdog now has its sights set on dominating the next generation of web data infrastructure. The mission resonates loud and clear.
What‘s your take on Zyte and the no-code data extraction space? Feel free to share your thoughts below!
