What is LinkedIn Scraping and What is it Used For

What is LinkedIn Scraping?

LinkedIn Scraping refers to the extraction of data from a LinkedIn profile or search results. A user scrapes data from LinkedIn with a LinkedIn scraping tool for lead generation, marketing, and freelancing projects.
Although LinkedIn Scraping can be done manually, in most cases, LinkedIn automation tools are preferred when scraping LinkedIn data as they can be less costly and work at a faster rate.
But in most cases, LinkedIn Scraping is not a simple task. LinkedIn profiles come in many shapes and forms, as a result, LinkedIn Scrapers vary in functionality and features.

Is LinkedIn Scraping Legal?

In short, the action of LinkedIn Scraping isn't illegal. However, some rules need to be followed by LinkedIn. LinkedIn Scraping becomes illegal when non-publicly available data becomes extracted
This comes as no surprise given the growth of LinkedIn Scraping and many recent legal cases related to web scraping.

How Do LinkedIn Scrapers Work?

So, how do LinkedIn Scrapers work? Automated LinkedIn Crawlers work in a rather simple but also complex way. After all, LinkedIn is built for humans to understand, not machines.
First, the LinkedIn Scraper will be given one or more URLs to load before scraping. The LinkedIn data scraper then loads the entire HTML code for the page in question. More advanced LinkedIn scraping tools will render the entire LinkedIn website, including CSS and JavaScript elements.
Then the LinkedIn web scraper will either extract all the data on the LinkedIn profile or specific data selected by the user before the project is run.
Ideally, the user will go through the process of selecting the specific data they want from the LinkedIn profile. For example, you might want to scrape a LinkedIn profile for emails and phone numbers but are not necessarily interested in product experience and other contact details.
Lastly, the LinkedIn Scraper will output all the data that has been collected into an Excel or CSV format that is more useful to the user.
Most LinkedIn Scrapers will output data to a CSV or Excel spreadsheet, while more advanced LinkedIn email scrapers will support other formats such as JSON which can be used for an API.

What Kind of LinkedIn Scrapers are There?

LinkedIn Scrapers can drastically differ from each other on a case-by-case basis.
For simplicity’s sake, we will break down some of these aspects into 4 categories. Of course, there are more intricacies at play when comparing LinkedIn Scrapers.

1. Self-Built Or Pre-Built
2. Browser Extension Vs Software
3. User Interface
4. Cloud Vs Local

1. Self-built or Pre-built

Just like how anyone can build a website, anyone can build their own LinkedIn Scraper. However, the tools available to build your own LinkedIn Scraper still require some advanced programming knowledge. The scope of this knowledge also increases with the number of features you’d like your LinkedIn Extractor to have.
On the other hand, there are numerous pre-built LinkedIn data extractors that you can download and run right away. Some of these will also have advanced options added such as scrape scheduling, email scraping from LinkedIn, data exports, and more.

• 2. Browser Extension Vs Software

In general terms, LinkedIn Scrapers come in two forms: browser extensions or computer software.
Browser extensions are app-like programs that can be added to your browsers such as Google Chrome or Firefox. Some popular browser LinkedIn scraping extensions include themes, ad blockers, messaging extensions, and more. LinkedIn Scraping extensions have the benefit of being simpler to run and being integrated right into your browser.
However, these extensions are usually limited by living in your browser. Meaning that any advanced features that would have to occur outside of the browser would be impossible to implement. For example, IP Rotations would not be possible in this kind of LinkedIn scraping extension.
On the other hand, you will have actual LinkedIn Scraping software that can be downloaded and installed on your computer. While these LinkedIn Lead Generation tools are a bit less convenient than browser extensions, they make up for it in advanced features that are not limited by what your browser can and cannot do.

• 3. User Interface

The user interface between LinkedIn Scrapers can vary quite extremely. For example, some LinkedIn Scraping tools will run with a minimal UI and a command line. Some users might find this unintuitive or confusing.
On the other hand, some LinkedIn Contact Extractors will have a full-fledged UI where the LinkedIn website is fully rendered for the user to just click on the data they want to scrape. These LinkedIn Lead Extractors are usually easier to work with for most people with limited technical knowledge.
Some LinkedIn email scraping tools will go as far as integrating help tips and suggestions through their UI to make sure the user understands each feature that the software offers.

• 4. Cloud vs Local

From where does your LinkedIn Scraper actually do its job? Local LinkedIn Scrapers will run on your computer using its resources and internet connection. This means that if your LinkedIn Scraper has a high usage of CPU or RAM, your computer might become quite slow while your scrape runs. With long LinkedIn data scraping tasks, this could put your computer out of commission for hours.
Additionally, if your LinkedIn Profile Scraper is set to run on a large number of URLs (such as user emails), it can have an impact on your ISP’s data caps. Cloud-based LinkedIn Scrapers run on an off-site server which is usually provided by the company that developed the scraper itself. This means that your computer’s resources are freed up while your LinkedIn Grabberruns and gathers data. You can then work on other tasks and be notified later once your scraped data is ready to be exported.
This also allows for very easy integration of advanced features such as IP rotation, which can prevent your LinkedIn data scraper from getting blocked from LinkedIn due to their scraping activity.

What Is The Best LinkedIn Scraper?

So, now that you know the basics of LinkedIn data scraping, you’re probably wondering what is the best LinkedIn Scraper for you. The obvious answer is that it depends on your needs.
The more you know about your LinkedIn scraping needs, the better an idea you will have about what’s the best LinkedIn Scraper for you. However, that did not stop us from writing our guide on what makes the Best LinkedIn Scraper.
Of course, we would always recommend LinkedIn Lead Extractor. You can download LinkedIn Lead Extractor free and can extract data from LinkedIn free but can't export data in the free version. You have to buy the license of the LinkedIn Profile Extractor for 3 months for just $59.99.
Want to extract data from LinkedIn to Excel with 100% accuracy in the shortest time? Use our LinkedIn Lead Extractor software Now for data extraction from LinkedIn.
If you are interested in getting the LinkedIn data you want right away without having to learn, we offer LinkedIn Lead Extractor. You can find data on LinkedIn by the name of the person, profile URL, job title, and company name. LinkedIn Lead Extractor will extract email, phone number, connections, skills, experience, job title, previous job history, and much more from a LinkedIn profile. You