5 Best Yelp Scrapers - 2024 Edition [No-Code]

Ever needed business listings data from Yelp? Doing it manually will take ages. Using a web scraper is a quicker and smarter way to extract that data. But you can't code a scraper.

The best option – a no-code Yelp scraper. But with so many options available, which one will be the best for your specific needs?

In this article, I've compared 5 best Yelp scrapers available online. They’re no-code, free to use, and the best part – they actually work.

But before going to the list, let me answer the most common question everyone has when discussing Yelp scraping:

Is it legal to scrape data from Yelp?

The answer is a little tricky. So to explain it better, I’m going to divide it into 2 parts:

1. Does Yelp allow scraping?
2. Is it legal to scrape Yelp data?

Does Yelp allow scraping?

The simple answer is No. They’ve explicitly mentioned on their website that Yelp is against scraping or copying data from its website.

Which brings us to the second question.

Is it legal to scrape Yelp data?

Technically, the answer to this question is Yes. There’s a huge difference between Not Allowed and Illegal. I’ve already discussed it in detail in my how to scrape Yelp article.

Scraping publicly available information is for sure legal. Most recent and infamous example to prove this point is the LinkedIn vs hiQ Labs case.

Since, Yelp business listings are public data, it’s legal to scrape data from Yelp.

For a detailed overview of data privacy laws and legality, ethics, and boundaries of web scraping, do check out our article on legality of web scraping.

But if you’re a nerd, you may ask; Why scrape Yelp if I can use the official API to get business data from Yelp pages? Let’s answer this as well.

Is there any official Yelp API?

Yelp does have an official API to extract data from local business listings. When you open the Yelp developers portal, you’ll see different APIs and tools.

For data extraction, you can precisely use Fusion API.

But like any other API, it also has a number of limitations. It only allows 500 daily requests and supports limited regions. I’ve explained the limitations in detail in this article.

Another issue with using APIs is you need to know how to code. If you do, you still don’t need the API to scrape Yelp. Just read this interesting tutorial on how to scrape Yelp using Python.

But coding is not everyone’s Mojo! Which brings us back to the solution – a no-code web scraper for Yelp. Let’s compare the best no-code Yelp scrapers.

Best Yelp scrapers of 2024

First question you may have: How can I call them the best? Finding the top 5 Yelp scrapers was a journey full of searching and testing.

I went online, checked out all the Yelp scrapers I could find, and gave them a spin to see how they performed.

I looked for 7 important qualities to decide which scrapers were the best:

1. Accuracy
2. Speed
3. Data attributes
4. Data export formats
5. Easy of Use
6. Pricing
7. Cool features

After testing them rigorously, here’s our list of top 5 Yelp scrapers:

1. Lobstr.io
2. Octoparse
3. Apify
4. Webautomation.io
5. Scrape-it

Let’s explore them one by one and learn about their features, pricing, pros and cons.

1. Lobstr.io

Established in 2019, this French data scraping and automation company excels in simplifying data extraction. For Yelp, Lobstr offers a tailor-made no-code scraper: The Yelp Search Export.

Ease of Use

Lobstr's beginner-friendly and minimalist user interface minimizes the learning curve. You can literally create an account and launch a scraper in less than 2 minutes.

To launch the Yelp scraper, you just need to search it, add tasks, tweak settings if you want to, and click Save and Extract. That’s it.

Next thing you see is the live console, a progress bar, and real-time results panel.

Cool features

1. 13 key Yelp data attributes, including phone numbers
2. 30+ results/minute
3. Download data as a csv file
4. Export to Google Sheets, Amazon S3, Webhook, and SFTP
5. Cloud-based, no system resources used
6. Schedule tasks for automated Yelp scraping
7. Free API access
8. Bypasses Yelp's anti-bot measures

Pricing

Lobstr offers a clear and transparent price range. You can opt for any of the following plans:

1. Free plan: 3,500 results per month
2. Premium plan: €0.30 per 1000 results
3. Business plan: €0.19 per 1000 results
4. Enterprise plan: approx €0.15 per 1000 results

Best For

Lobstr.io suits businesses of all sizes. It's perfect for you whether you're on a budget or need data at scale. Its versatility caters to diverse needs.

From large corporations to small businesses and freelancers, Lobstr.io provides robust support.

2. Octoparse

Octoparse is an American data automation company established in 2016. It offers a desktop-based visual scraping software with 100+ pre-built scraping templates.

Ease of Use

Octoparse is quite handy if you're using the pre-built Yelp scraper template. You don't have to do a lot. Just search Yelp and select Business details_Yelp template.

Next, enter URLs and launch the scraper. It'll do the rest for you.

If you love customizing the scraping process, you can also try visual scraper instead. This feature allows you to build your own bot for scraping Yelp data.

It sounds great but it does have a steep learning curve. It’s going to boil your brain 🤯 while using it for the first time. Plus it is stuck during collection. Honestly, don’t use it.

Cool features

1. 13 data attributes
2. 30 results/min
3. Supports cloud scraping
4. Available for Windows and Mac
5. Export Formats: CSV, JSON, XML, HTML, XLXS
6. Integrates with SqlServer, MySQL, Google Spreadsheets, Zapier
7. Supports scheduling
8. API Access available
9. IP Rotation and Captcha Solving for extra cost

Pricing

Octoparse's pricing is a little complicated. They charge extra for features like IP rotation, captcha bypass, and even templates. You can opt for:

1. Free plan: Visual scraper only
2. Standard plan: $90/month + $0.15 per 1000 results
3. Professional plan: $250/month + $0.15 per 1000 results

Both premium plans offer a 14-day free trial if you add credit card details. But you need to purchase credits to use the templates.

Best for

Octoparse is great for big companies with extra budget for advanced features. If you're a freelancer or a small business with a tight budget, it might not be the best fit for you.

3 Apify

Apify is a Czech-based data automation company founded in 2015. It’s also a marketplace hosting hundreds of scraping tools. One such no-code tool is the Yelp scraper by tri_angle.

Ease of use

While the first 2 scrapers supported URLs only, Apify allows you to add both URLs and keywords. But the versatility of the tool comes at the cost of user-experience.

You’ll get a messy, full of options user interface. Opposite to Lobstr’s minimalistic interface, Apify gives you a not-so-beginner-friendly interface like this:

It doesn’t support file upload. You’ll need to copy paste the links or keywords. Besides these 2 UI issues, this scraper is smooth. Once launched, you get this cool live console.

It’s useful if you’re a nerd, but for beginners, it also shows a live result collection below this console.

Cool features

1. 8 data attributes
2. 50+ results per minute
3. Supports both keyword and URL input
4. Can scrape Yelp reviews text
5. Cloud based scraper
6. Supports scheduling
7. Multiple 3rd party integrations
8. Multiple data export options
9. API access
10. Rotating proxies

Pricing

Apify has a pay-as-you-go pricing model. You pay for what you use. But it does have monthly subscription plans.

1. Free plan: $5 free credits per month
2. Premium plans: $5 per 1000 results

Best for

Due to its pay as you go model, it’s good for businesses who need 1000 results per month with no phone..

Who ever needs it?

For freelancers and small businesses, it’s too expensive due to the costly rate per mile.

4. Webautomation.io

Webautomation.io is a web scraping company, based in the UK, founded in 2020. It hosts almost 600 ready-made no-code scrapers. One of them is Yelp Business Directory Scraper.

Ease of use

This scraping tool is pretty easy to use with one painful exception. The process to launch the automation is not so straight-forward.

You’ll have to create an account, find the extractors page, then find the extractor. Then you’ll have to activate it which honestly takes time. It can be a few seconds or up to a minute.

Webautomation.io caters both nerds and non-techies. The scraper offers an easy mode, which is beginner friendly. You just have to enter a URL and click Run now.

You can also upload links in bulk. There’s no live console to monitor data collection. You can only see the collected data once the scraper stops.

Cool features

1. 12 data attributes, phone number included
2. Can scrape 15 results per minute
3. Download data as CSV, XML, Excel, and JSON
4. Export results to MySQL, S3, SFTP, and Dropbox
5. Cloud based
6. Offers schedule feature
7. Provides API access

Pricing

This pricing is only for Webautomation.io’s Yelp data scraper. You also get a 14-days free trial.

1. Project plan: $6.25 per 1000 results
2. Start-up plan: $4.17 per 1000 results
3. Business plan: $3.75 per 1000 results
4. Corporate plan: $2.08 per 1000 results

Best for

Webautomation.io is best for corporates and individuals looking for an easy to use solution. Its expensive pricing makes it less ideal for small businesses and freelancers.

5. Scrape-it

Scrape-it is a US-based web scraping company founded in 2021. It offers scraper APIs and no-code web scraping tools for popular platforms including Yelp.

Ease of use

Scrape-it’s no-code scrapers are super easy to use. You just sign up, choose the scraper, and it’s ready to use. To scrape Yelp, add keyword, location, and select Yelp domain.

It doesn’t support multiple keywords. You can add only one keyword at a time. Also you can’t add URLs. Plus there’s no live console to monitor extraction and results.

The best thing about this scraper is its simplicity. You can literally launch the scraper in seconds and collect 100 listings in less than 2 minutes.

Cool features

1. 9 Data attributes
2. Cloud based
3. 50+ results per minute
4. Download data as csv, json, xlxs
5. Range of APIs for programmers

Pricing

Scrape-it offers really simple and transparent pricing tiers. You also get a 30-days free trial.

1. Individual plan: $0.6 per 1000 results
2. Startup plan: $0.25 per 1000 results
3. Business plan: $0.1 per 1000 results

Best for

This no-code Yelp scrape is best for individual use. It’s not an ideal choice for data collection at scale because it doesn’t offer scheduling, large data collection, and 3rd party integrations.

Conclusion

That was our list of the 5 best Yelp scrapers. If I have to choose a winner 🏆, it’s definitely Lobstr.io. Sounds biased? Well, it’s the only tool with all 7 qualities I mentioned in the article.

But I leave the decision to you. Check all these scrapers, and choose the scraping solution that aligns with your needs. If I’ve missed any awesome scrapers, do let me know.

Happy scraping. 🦞