LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a very popular tool used by sales and marketing professionals to identify, connect with, and manage sales prospects on LinkedIn. One of the key features of Sales Navigator is its advanced search and filtering capabilities, which allow users to find prospects matching very specific criteria. However, Sales Navigator limits users to searching only one criteria at a time and caps daily search results at 300 profiles. This is where web scraping comes in handy. Web scrapers can extract data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator at scale, allowing users to search for and extract data on thousands of prospects every day based on multiple complex filters. So which scraper is the best for extracting data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator? Here we will compare the top options based on key criteria like features, pricing, support, and more.
Key Scraping Capabilities
When evaluating scrapers for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, some of the key capabilities to look for include:
- Able to bypass LinkedIn search limits and extract data on thousands of prospects per day
- Supports searching and filtering based on multiple criteria like company, job title, location, skills, interests, etc.
- Extracts key prospect data fields like name, job title, company, location, skills, education, contact info, etc.
- Can extract data from prospect profiles as well as Company Pages
- Allows scheduled and automated data extraction
- Provides extracted data in a structured format like CSV or Excel
- Offers data verification tools to maintain high data accuracy
- Complies with LinkedIn’s terms of service and access policies
The scraper used should have strong capabilities in all of these areas to effectively leverage the data in LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
Top Scrapers for LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Based on popular usage and reviews, some of the top web scraping tools used for LinkedIn Sales Navigator include:
| Scraper | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Octopus | Powerful visual scraper interface, schedules/automates scraping, fast extraction speeds, great for non-technical users |
| ParseHub | Intuitive visual editing, machine learning for adaptable data models, good for beginners |
| ScrapeStorm | Advanced filters and scripts, handles large data volumes, fast extraction speeds |
| Dexi.io | Pre-built LinkedIn scrapers, affordable pricing plans |
| SerpApi | Suits automation needs, extracts via LinkedIn API, fair usage limits |
Let’s look at some of the features and tradeoffs of these popular options in more detail:
Octopus
Octopus is one of the leading web scraping tools used today with LinkedIn Sales Navigator due to its combination of power and ease-of-use. Key features include:
- Intuitive visual interface – No coding needed to set up and run scrapers.
- Automation – Scrapers can run on schedules and autopilot.
- Speed – Extracts data rapidly with support for parallel threading.
- Scalability – Can extract large volumes of data across thousands of prospects.
- Data formatting – Provides output as structured CSV/Excel.
Octopus also handles proxy rotation, CAPTCHAs, and compliance well. Pricing starts at $399/month for their Sales Navigator scraper. The top-notch visual interface makes Octopus a great choice even for non-technical users.
ParseHub
ParseHub is another visual web scraping tool like Octopus, also making it beginner-friendly. Advantages include:
- Easy visual editor – Drag and drop to set up scrapers.
- Smart data models – Machine learning improves data extraction accuracy.
- Cloud-based – Run scrapers on ParseHub’s cloud infrastructure.
- Affordable pricing – Starts at $199/month.
ParseHub can handle complex sites and dynamic data well. Users also benefit from hands-off automation and collaboration features. However, ParseHub may not be as fast or scalable as some advanced tools. But for those new to web scraping, ParseHub is a great starting point.
ScrapeStorm
ScrapeStorm is a more heavy-duty web scraping solution suited for large scale automation. Key features:
- Advanced targeting – Support for JS rendering, reCAPTCHA, etc.
- Custom scripts – For complex scraping logic.
- Speed and scalability – Extracts high volumes of data.
- Custom outputs – Integrates scraped data with databases, APIs, etc.
So ScrapeStorm is a top choice for large, complex scraping projects and integration needs. But it requires more technical expertise compared to visual tools like Octopus and ParseHub. Pricing starts at $500/month.
Dexi.io
Dexi.io offers pre-built scrapers for major platforms like LinkedIn that can offer a quick and affordable starting point:
- Pre-built scraper – Just connect your LinkedIn account.
- Low cost – Starts at $99/month.
- Simplicity – Easy for non-technical users.
However, Dexi.io scrapers are less customizable compared to tools like Octopus and ScrapeStorm. But the low barrier to entry makes Dexi.io worth considering, especially for basic LinkedIn scraping needs.
SerpApi
SerpApi takes an API-based approach to scraping LinkedIn. Benefits include:
- Automation-ready – Integrates smoothly into scripts and apps.
- Compliant scraping – Follows LinkedIn’s guidelines.
- Developer-friendly – Made for programmers.
But SerpApi has fair usage limits and cannot scale extraction as widely as some other tools. Pricing starts at $49/month. So SerpApi works best for developers looking for an automated LinkedIn API substitute.
Conclusion
When selecting a web scraping tool for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, key factors to weigh include your budget, technical expertise, data needs, and desired ease-of-use. Octopus is a leading choice for power combined with simplicity. ParseHub also offers strong visual tools for beginners. ScrapeStorm provides more advanced capabilities for large scale automation, while Dexi.io offers pre-built scrapers to get started quickly. And SerpApi suits developers needing API-based extraction. Any of these tools can be viable options that outperform LinkedIn Sales Navigator alone by allowing you to extract more data with custom filters at greater scale. As your needs grow, you may also want to look at combining multiple web scrapers to maximize the data and insights mined from LinkedIn.
