Octoparse Alternative with 98% Success Rate on Protected Sites
Octoparse's visual point-and-click builder looks easy until you hit Cloudflare and everything breaks. Scrapfly gives you a cloud-native API with real anti-bot bypass that works on protected sites where desktop scrapers fail.
Which Protected Sites Does Scrapfly Handle?
Scrapfly achieves 98% success across protected sites where most APIs struggle. Scrapeway benchmarks test all major web scraping APIs using default configurations.
E-commerce
Protected Sites
Local & Maps
Cloud API vs Desktop Application
Octoparse requires you to install software on your computer and run scrapers locally. When sites deploy anti-bot protection, a desktop browser can't adapt. Scrapfly runs in the cloud with real browser fingerprints, automatic challenge solving, and stealth technology that desktop scrapers simply can't match.
Cloud-Native Advantages
- No software installation required
- Run from any device, anywhere
- Unlimited concurrent requests
- Automatic scaling and load balancing
Anti-Bot Capabilities
- Real browser TLS fingerprint matching
- Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX bypass
- Automatic CAPTCHA solving
- Session intelligence and reuse
Quick Comparison: Scrapfly vs Octoparse
What matters most for production web scraping: success rate on protected sites, cost efficiency, and reliability with JavaScript rendering.
| Metric | Scrapfly | Octoparse |
|---|---|---|
| Success Rate (Protected Sites) | 98% | Limited (struggles with Cloudflare) |
| Free Trial | 1,000 API credits | Limited free plan (10 tasks) |
| Entry Price | $30/month | $99/month |
| Deployment | Cloud API (no installation) | Desktop app required |
| Anti-Bot Bypass | ASP (full stack ownership) | Basic proxy rotation only |
| Concurrent Requests | 100-10,000 req/s (plan-based) | 2-20 concurrent tasks |
| AI Extraction | LLM prompts, auto-detection, templates | |
| Bandwidth Optimization | Proxy Saver (50% savings) |
Success rate data from Scrapeway benchmark (at time of writing)
How Scrapfly's ASP Works
Scrapfly's Anti-Scraping Protection (ASP) achieves 98% success using stealth browser technology that mimics genuine browser behavior. Enable asp=True and the system handles everything automatically.
Real Browser Fingerprints
Matches authentic Chrome and Firefox signatures including TLS/JA3 fingerprints, HTTP/2 fingerprints, WebGL properties, and canvas rendering.
Adaptive Challenge Solving
Automatically solves Cloudflare, DataDome, and PerimeterX challenges. Recognizes challenge types and submits valid solutions.
Session Intelligence
Reuses unblocked stealth browser sessions when possible, reducing costs while maintaining high success rates.
ASP runs in dedicated cloud browser instances with full JavaScript execution and persistent sessions. Test your fingerprint with our free fingerprinting tools.
Transparent Pricing for Protected Sites
Scrapfly's ASP costs 30+ credits per request, varying by target complexity. You pay for what's actually needed, not a flat premium rate. View full pricing details.
| Configuration | Scrapfly | Octoparse |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Price | $30/month | $99/month (Standard plan) |
| Basic scrape | 1 credit | Task-based (limited runs) |
| JavaScript rendering | 6 credits | Included (but desktop-limited) |
| Protected site bypass | 30+ credits (varies by target) | Extra proxy add-ons required |
| Cloud scraping | Included (all plans) | Limited cloud credits |
Octoparse vs Scrapfly
Visual scrapers are great until you need to scrape protected sites at scale. Here's why developers switch.
Desktop Dependency
Octoparse requires installing Windows/Mac software and running scrapers on your local machine. Your laptop needs to stay on, you can't scale beyond your hardware, and you're tied to one location.
Scrapfly: cloud API, run from anywhereNo Real Anti-Bot Bypass
Octoparse uses basic proxy rotation, but Cloudflare and DataDome detect desktop browsers instantly. Users report scraping failures on protected sites. Visual scrapers weren't built for modern anti-bot systems.
Scrapfly: 98% success with ASPOutsourced Support
Octoparse support struggles with technical anti-bot questions. When Cloudflare blocks your scraper, generic troubleshooting guides don't help. You need engineers who understand the technology.
Scrapfly: in-house technical supportWhat Developers Say
Capterra Rating: 4.9/5 (183 reviews)
"The visual builder is nice but useless when Cloudflare blocks everything. Scrapfly's ASP handles it automatically."
"Running scrapers on my laptop wasn't scalable. Scrapfly's cloud API lets us scrape from anywhere without desktop dependencies."
"Octoparse support couldn't help with anti-bot issues. Scrapfly's team actually understands the technology they built."
Migration Takes 2 Hours
Most teams migrate from Octoparse to Scrapfly in under 2 hours with zero downtime and no data loss.
Migration Process
- Sign up for free 1,000 API credits
- Install the SDK (Python, TypeScript, Go, or Scrapy)
- Update client initialization and request parameters
- Test on your critical targets
Run both services in parallel during testing. Test Scrapfly on your targets while Octoparse handles production traffic.
# No installation, no desktop app - just API calls
from scrapfly import ScrapflyClient, ScrapeConfig
client = ScrapflyClient(key='YOUR_API_KEY')
# Same result as Octoparse point-and-click, but cloud-native
result = client.scrape(ScrapeConfig(
url='https://example.com/products',
render_js=True, # Full JavaScript rendering
asp=True, # Anti-bot bypass (Cloudflare, etc.)
country='us', # Geo-targeting
))
# Auto-extract product data (no manual selectors needed)
from scrapfly import ExtractionConfig
extracted = client.extract(ExtractionConfig(
content=result.content,
content_type='text/html',
extraction_model='product' # AI detects and extracts products
))
for product in extracted.data:
print(f"{product['name']}: {product['price']}")Step-by-step workflow migration, selector mapping, and scheduling examples:
View Full Migration GuideFrequently Asked Questions
Does Scrapfly really achieve 98% success on protected sites?
Yes. Scrapeway benchmarks all major web scraping APIs on identical protected targets, consistently showing Scrapfly achieving 98% success. This includes sites like LinkedIn, Walmart, Zillow, and Glassdoor where anti-bot protection is most aggressive.
Can I test Scrapfly on my specific targets before committing?
Yes. The free plan includes 1,000 API credits with no credit card required. Test your exact targets before upgrading.
Why does Octoparse fail on Cloudflare-protected sites?
Octoparse runs in a desktop browser which has a recognizable fingerprint. Modern anti-bot systems like Cloudflare analyze TLS handshakes, HTTP/2 fingerprints, and JavaScript execution patterns to detect automated access. Desktop scrapers can't fake the subtle signals that Scrapfly's ASP handles automatically. Scrapfly uses stealth browser technology with real fingerprints, challenge solving, and adaptive session management.
I'm not a developer. Is Scrapfly harder to use than Octoparse's visual builder?
Scrapfly offers multiple options for non-developers. Our Extraction API automatically detects and extracts products, articles, and other data types without coding. You can also use natural language prompts to describe what data you want. For complex sites, our JS Scenarios let you define clicks and interactions in simple JSON format.
How do I migrate my Octoparse workflows to Scrapfly?
Scrapfly provides SDKs for Python, TypeScript, Go, and Scrapy. Your Octoparse workflow translates to API calls: point-and-click selections become CSS selectors or our auto-extraction, scheduled runs become simple cron jobs or webhooks, and cloud extraction becomes standard API requests. Most teams migrate in under 2 hours. See our complete migration guide for step-by-step examples.
What about Octoparse's templates for popular sites?
Octoparse's pre-built templates save setup time but break when sites change. Scrapfly's Extraction API uses AI to automatically detect content types (products, articles, reviews) and adapt to layout changes. You get structured data without maintaining templates. For specific fields, use LLM prompts to describe exactly what you want extracted.
How does Scrapfly handle heavily protected sites?
Our ASP (Anti-Scraping Protection) automatically adapts to Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX, and custom anti-bot systems by matching real browser TLS handshakes, fingerprints, and HTTP headers. No manual configuration required.
Octoparse keeps getting blocked. What can I do?
Desktop scrapers like Octoparse are fundamentally limited against modern anti-bot systems. Adding proxies helps with IP rotation, but Cloudflare and DataDome detect the browser fingerprint itself. Scrapfly's ASP uses stealth browser technology with real TLS fingerprints, automatic challenge solving, and session intelligence. Enable asp=True and we handle the rest. Test your blocked URLs with our free 1,000 credits.
What happens when a request fails?
Scrapfly provides detailed error diagnostics showing why requests fail (blocks, timeouts, site issues). Automatic retries handle transient failures, and you're not charged for unsuccessful requests.
Does Scrapfly support JavaScript rendering?
Yes. Scrapfly uses dedicated cloud browser instances with headless browser JavaScript rendering for dynamic content. Enable the render_js parameter to capture content from React, Vue.js, Angular apps and SPAs.
What proxies does Scrapfly include?
Scrapfly includes residential and datacenter proxies in all plans. Both rotate across 50+ countries. All proxies are included in API credits with no separate fees. New to proxies? See our introduction to proxies in web scraping.
Does Scrapfly have an Extraction API?
Yes. Scrapfly's Extraction API transforms raw HTML into structured JSON data automatically. Choose from auto-extraction for common data types, LLM-powered extraction using natural language prompts, or template-based extraction with reusable rules.
See How Scrapfly Compares to Other APIs
Explore more comparisons to find the best web scraping solution for your needs.
Start For Free Today
Test Scrapfly on your targets before committing.
- 1,000 free API credits
- No credit card required
- Full API access
- Migration support
Methodology Note: Scrapeway benchmarks test web scraping APIs using default, out-of-the-box configurations, representing the real-world experience developers encounter when first integrating an API.