Best Web Scrapers
For those who are looking to generate leads with efficiency, it can be helpful to learn how to scrape Twitter data.
It might sound like this comes with a learning curve, but the process is much easier than you think.
There are roughly 450 million active users on the platform, and you can use various tools to hone in on specific users related to your target audience.
Although you can manually scrape Twitter/X data, this is a time-consuming task that may not be worth the endeavor.
In this article, you’ll learn how to use automation to your advantage to help generate leads based on X/Twitter data.
How to Scrape Twitter Data on X
Benefits of Scraping Twitter Data
- Scrape different data points from the Twitter platform
- Use various automation tools to scrape data with efficiency
- Receive compiled information in organized documents
- Customize the type of data you want to collect
- Save time and generate leads with just a few clicks
How Twitter Data Can Help
Like any other social media platform, Twitter is full of public user data.
You can use this data to generate potential leads for your business without having to take the manual approach.
Automation tools are no new concept in today’s age, but it’s definitely an oversaturated industry.
For example, you can easily find various automation tools online, but not all of them are worth the time and money.
Some may not deliver the data you’re looking for or carry out tasks in an efficient manner that makes the investment worth it.
That’s why you want to only work with reliable services that are consistent day in and day out.
You’ll also find that there are varying levels of automation you can utilize.
Some people would prefer a system that lets you set it and forget it, whereas others need a little more customization.
Nevertheless, there’s a data scraping tool for every particular need, but you want to discern which delivers the desired results.
You want to keep in mind that these tools will only scrape public data, so anything private won’t be compiled for you.
That’s not an issue by any means, as you’ll be able to scrape enough data to generate effective leads, regardless of your business or niche.
This article will highlight two primary choices, which are Phantombuster and ScraperAPI.
Preset vs. Customized Automation
The two data scraping tools this article highlights cater to two different crowds.
Those who prefer fully hands-off automation and others who need a more customized data scraping tool.
Both can deliver a similar outcome but have unique differences that may be deal breakers based on your preferences.
With Phantombuster, you get a variety of phantoms and flows (automations) that focus on key data points found on Twitter.
Regarding ScraperAPI, their tools require a more manual approach through custom coding.
This delivers a much more customized approach to data scraping.
ScraperAPI may be the perfect choice for those with a developer background.
However, for individuals that prefer a more hands-off experience, PhantomBuster would be the way to go.
Whether you’re an experienced user or brand new to automation tools, it’s important to understand the key differences.
A little trial and error is normal, but you also don’t want to waste your time by purchasing a subscription you don’t need.
PhantomBuster tends to be the top choice for most people looking for automated data scraping, but ScraperAPI is right behind it with stellar benefits.
Let’s dive into what both tools bring to the table and which one is best for your data scraping needs.
1. Phantombuster
Recommended Guide: Phantombuster Review
Features & Specifications
- Choose from 15+ Twitter automations
- 14-day free trial
- Prompt customer support
- Varying subscription tiers for different needs
- Fully automated, hands-off system
Get started FREEPhantombuster offers numerous automations that are built to tackle data scraping across different areas and features of the Twitter platform.
A good starting point would is to look into their Twitter profile data scraper.
Not only does this generate information on 20 different data points, but it does it with unparalleled efficiency.
All you have to provide is a session cookie, profile URLs, or Twitter handles, and PhantomBuster takes care of the rest.
This allows you to scrape data from a specific group of users or cover a broad number of profiles for a significant amount of data.
Even if you don’t need every data point that PhantomBuster collects, it comes in an organized file, making it easy to sort through.
Traditional lead generation practices don’t have to be the norm anymore.
Although you have to give PhantomBuster a few inputs, the rest of the process is automated and requires no attention on your end.
Some of the Twitter data points their automations collect include the following:
- Twitter ID
- Tweet count
- Follower/following count
- Likes
- Lists
- Name
- Profile description
- Location
- And much more
You should always keep in mind that their automations only collect data that’s publicly available, so you won’t receive information on every category across every profile.
Nevertheless, this is more than enough data to collect a large number of leads.
Most of what we’ve described so far focuses on their Twitter Profile Data scraper, but there are many more phantoms and flows you can take advantage of.
Their Twitter/X scraper compiles a decent variety of data points.
However, if you’re searching for a specific data point, you can use PhantomBusters’ other Twitter automations to accomplish this.
Other Twitter automations include:
- URL finder
- Search export
- Media extractor
- Profile likes extractor
- Follower collector
- And many others
It really depends on the type of data you need most. If you need an all-encompassing solution, the Twitter Profile Data scraper is the best tool to use.
It collects many different data points all at once, while other automations focus on a single type of data.
Phantombuster offers a 14-day free trial for new users, but you’ll have to decide on a subscription once that comes to an end.
Thankfully, there are multiple subscription tiers to choose from.
Many opt for the Starter subscription as it delivers the most comprehensive and cost-effective approach.
If you take this route, you get 20 hours of execution time and five slots to test out different automations.
The more you spend, the more execution time and slots become available to you.
Depending on your subscription tier, they can cost between $48 and $320 per month.
You can also save 20% on your subscription by choosing annual billing when signing up.
All of this definitely sounds good on paper, but some people might need automations that take data scraping one step further.
This can be found with the help of ScraperAPI.
2. ScraperAPI
Recommended Guide: ScraperAPI Review
Features & Specifications
- Scrape data using Python, NodeJS, and more
- Take advantage of a 7-day free trial
- Get the benefit of geotargeting, reliable proxies, and anti-bot bypassing
- Yearly subscriptions come with a 10% discount
- Use developer guides to create your own data-scraping tools
A suitable option for those who are familiar with coding, ScraperAPI found its target market through custom data scraping automations.
To elaborate further, their services give users the ability to create specific automations to scrape key data points.
What they offer goes much deeper than that, as they also provide 40 million IPs worldwide, 50+ geolocations, and much more.
Regardless of your subscription, you always get a 99.9% uptime guarantee and unlimited bandwidth.
Of course, customer support is always there if you need them.
Their services are known to be fast and reliable, and you’ll never get blocked, thanks to their anti-bot detection.
What many users like about ScrpaerAPI is that their services are built to be scalable.
Their tools can handle everything from small to large-scale data scraping operations.
It should be noted that ScraperAPI definitely comes with a learning curve compared to PhantomBuster.
This isn’t to say you can’t learn, but it may feel like a slow burn before you can put their tools to use.
The company is well aware of the complex nature of their services, which is why they offer all of the help you could possibly need.
With an extensive FAQ and reliable customer support, none of your questions will go unanswered.
They also offer multiple subscription tiers that are great for different budgets and data scraping requirements.
No matter which subscription you choose, every plan comes with the following benefits:
- JS rendering
- Professional support
- JSON auto parsing
- Smart proxy rotation
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Custom header support
- Automatic retries
- Premium proxies
- And much more
These may seem like a lot, but it’s only a fraction of the benefits you can get out of using ScraperAPI.
Depending on your subscription tier, you can get 100k to 14 million API credits.
You’ll also get 20 to 400 concurrent threads and varying geotargeting benefits.
Your financial commitment will range from $49 to $999 per month.
If their base subscriptions don’t cover your needs, take a look at what their custom plan has to offer.
You’ll have to reach out to the company to discuss the cost of a custom subscription.
If you happen to reach the quota of your subscription plan, they give you the option of purchasing additional API credits if needed.
Part of what makes ScraperAPI so great is that their tools are accessible to novice and experienced users alike.
Although customer support is more than happy to help, make sure to take advantage of the guides and information on their website.
Aside from their paid subscriptions, ScraperAPI does offer a paid plan if you don’t need a lot of API credits.
Their free plan includes 1,000 API credits per month, a maximum of five concurrent connections.
For some people, this may be more than enough, but the free plan also acts as a great testing ground for new users.
You may prefer one tool over the other, but it’s a good idea to test what both have to offer.
Moreover, you can also use Phantombuster and ScraperAPI at the same time to churn the highest number of results.
The Best of Both Worlds
Just because PhantomBuster and ScraperAPI cater to different crowds doesn’t mean you can’t use both to your advantage.
Finding the right groove for your needs is dependent on a decent amount of A/B testing between the two services.
Even if ScraperAPI seems a bit more complicated, you can still use their free plan to learn over time.
PhantomBuster doesn’t come with much of a learning curve and can essentially be put on autopilot.
While their services are actively working, you can slowly dive into what ScraperAPI has to offer simultaneously.
There’s a chance you might not be a fan of ScraperAPIs’ more complex process, but it doesn’t cost anything to give them a try.
You might wonder to yourself, is data scraping illegal or unethical? Some might think so, but data scraping is entirely legal and ethical if you don’t hunt for private data.
Regarding Twitter and other social media platforms, users willingly post a lot of public data that’s easy to collect.
This also sheds light on why finding your target audience is important.
You need to scrape data from users that are relevant to your business to avoid ending up with a lot of ineffective leads.
You can easily avoid this by using the tools you need most and by following the suggestions that both data scrapers offer.
If you aren’t familiar with automated data scraping, it may sound like a confusing concept, but it’s simpler than it seems.
Both PhantomBuster and ScraperAPI have everything you need to get started, and they don’t leave their users in the dark when they need help.
Conclusion
You don’t have to manually scrape data from X/Twitter profiles to gather leads for your business.
With the help of automation technology, you can scour Twitter for thousands of data points in minutes.
You should expect to go through a couple of test runs before you find what works for you, but Phantombuster and ScraperAPI can easily collect data from Twitter.
If you’re looking to learn how to scrape data from Twitter/X, the services listed in this article have everything you could possibly need.