> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.octoparse.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is Octoparse?

> Octoparse is a no-code web data platform: run ready-made scrapers, build your own with AI Assistant or Octoparse Desktop, and run them on Octoparse Cloud.

Octoparse is a web data platform that turns websites into clean, structured data, so no one has to copy and paste it by hand. Run one of 600+ ready-made scrapers from the Template Gallery, describe the data you need to AI Assistant, or build your own by clicking the data in Octoparse Desktop, all with no code. Octoparse Cloud runs them reliably at scale, and the Open Platform connects them to your own code and AI agents.

These are parts of one platform, not separate tools: one account, one task list, and the same scrapers wherever you run them.

## Where to start

Octoparse answers five questions:

| Question | Answer |
| - | - |
| Does a ready-made scraper already exist? | Start with the [Template Gallery](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/templates/overview.md): 600+ scrapers for popular sites, built and maintained by Octoparse. |
| If not, how do I build one? | Describe it in your own words, in any language, to [AI Assistant](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/ai-assistant/index.md), or click the fields you want in [Octoparse Desktop](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/desktop/index.md). |
| How do I run it reliably, at volume? | Run it on [Octoparse Cloud](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/cloud/cloud-extraction.md): on a schedule, with your computer off, many jobs at once. |
| How do I reach it from where I already work? | Use the Open Platform: the [MCP server](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/mcp.md) for AI agents, the [API](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/api-reference.md) and the [CLI](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/cli.md) for your own code. |
| What if I'd rather not build at all? | Get data on demand from [Data Hub](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/datahub/index.md), or have our team build and deliver it with [Data Service](https://www.octoparse.com/data-service). |

## Built once, runs the same way every time

A scraper you build in Octoparse is a fixed set of rules. Every run opens, navigates, and extracts the site the same way, so you get the same fields each time, and nothing rereads the page with AI on each run.

Reusable scrapers are built in AI Assistant or Octoparse Desktop, or come ready-made from the Template Gallery. The Open Platform runs, schedules, and retrieves them.

## How it works

**1. Get a scraper**

Pick a template, describe the data to AI Assistant, or open the site in Octoparse Desktop and click the data you want.

**2. Run it**

Run it on your computer or on Octoparse Cloud, once or on a schedule.

**3. Export the data**

Send the data to files, spreadsheets, databases, cloud storage, or your own systems.

## What Octoparse is good for

Octoparse is useful when data is on websites but not available in a convenient structured format, especially when getting to it takes clicks, scrolling, detail pages, or a sign-in. Common uses include:

* Price monitoring
* Lead generation
* Market research
* Product and review extraction
* Directory and listing collection
* Real estate, job, ecommerce, and social data collection
* Recurring data collection for operations or reporting

To see how to ask AI Assistant for data like this, see the [example requests](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/ai-assistant/use-cases.md).

## What Octoparse is not

| Octoparse is | Octoparse is not |
| - | - |
| A web data platform that turns websites into structured data | A BI, analytics, or reporting tool |
| A way to build reusable scrapers that follow the same rules on every run | An AI tool that rereads the page on every request |
| A no-code way to build, run, schedule, and export | A generic RPA platform for all desktop actions |

Analysis, modeling, and reporting usually happen in other tools, using the data you export from Octoparse.

## Where to go next

> [card] [Core concepts](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/core-concepts.md)
>
> Tasks, templates, routes, runs, and exports, and how they fit together.

> [card] [Your Octoparse account](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/account.md)
>
> One account for every product, and how to sign in.

> [card] [AI Assistant](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/ai-assistant/index.md)
>
> Describe the data you need and get a task you can run again.

> [card] [Template Gallery](https://www.octoparse.com/docs/en/templates/overview.md)
>
> Start from a ready-made scraper for a popular site.


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