1. General & Platform
Q: What is AntsData? AntsData is a data collection and delivery platform. We discover, scrape, clean, structure, and deliver data from across the internet — through ready-to-use scraper APIs, custom datasets, and managed data feeds — built to power analytics, automation, and AI workflows.
Q: Is AntsData a self-serve tool or a managed service? Both, depending on your target. YouTube, X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and more are available now through self-serve APIs. For anything else — e-commerce, AI training data, custom platforms — our team builds the pipeline for you, so you don't need scraping expertise in-house.
Q: What if the platform I need isn't listed? That's the most common starting point for our customers. Tell us the source, the fields, and how often you need updates — we'll tell you if it's feasible and what it would take.
Q: What happens if the target site blocks the scraper? We monitor every request, automatically retry failed ones, and flag persistent blocks before they show up as gaps in your data — that monitoring is built into every delivery, not an extra add-on.
Q: Can we test this before committing? Yes. Most custom engagements start with a small proof-of-concept on a limited scope — a handful of SKUs, a sample of accounts, or a short date range — so you can validate accuracy before scaling up.
Q: Does AntsData support MCP / LLM agent integration? Yes. AntsData provides an MCP server and SDKs so AI agents and LLM applications (e.g. Claude, Cursor) can query live web data directly as part of their workflows.
Q: Is scraping web data legal? Scraping publicly accessible data is legal in most jurisdictions (refer to hiQ Labs v. LinkedIn). However:
- Do not infringe user privacy
- Do not violate platform Terms of Service
- Comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other data protection regulations
We recommend consulting legal counsel for your specific use case. AntsData only collects publicly available data and follows all applicable compliance frameworks.
Q: What is the difference between SERP, Scraper, and Unlocker API? SERP API returns search result data. Scraper API returns structured fields from supported sources. Unlocker API helps access pages that are blocked, dynamic, or hard to reach.
Q: Can I use AntsData outputs for AI or internal analytics? You may use AntsData outputs for your internal business purposes, analytics, automation, or AI workflows, subject to applicable laws, third-party rights, platform terms, and the applicable order terms.
Q: Can I resell AntsData data or API access? Resale, redistribution, sublicensing, or exposing AntsData services, API access, account balance, outputs, or datasets to third parties is not allowed unless expressly permitted in writing.
2. Unlock API
Q: What is the AntsData Unlock API? It is an enterprise-grade web access solution that automatically handles anti-bot bypass, browser fingerprinting, and CAPTCHA resolution. You simply send a target URL, and we return clean, unblocked HTML or structured data.
Q: How does the Unlock API handle anti-bot protections? We automatically handle IP rotation, cookie management, TLS fingerprinting, and common bot challenges (like CAPTCHAs and basic WAFs), returning a clean 200 OK response every time.
Q: Can the Unlock API handle JavaScript-rendered pages?
Yes. Set render: true in your request and we'll fully render JavaScript before returning the page content. This works for SPAs, dynamically loaded content, and infinite-scroll pages.
Q: What output formats does the Unlock API support? The API supports multiple output formats: raw HTML, clean Markdown, plain text, and structured JSON. You can also take page screenshots via a dedicated endpoint.
Q: Can I crawl an entire website, not just single pages? Yes. The Unlock API includes an async crawl job endpoint. Provide a seed URL, set max depth and page limits, define include/exclude path patterns, and the system will crawl the site and deliver results as a downloadable file.
3. Scraper API
Q: What platforms does the Scraper API cover? Our scraper APIs cover a wide range of platforms including:
- Social media — X (Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn
- E-commerce — Amazon, Walmart, AliExpress, and 30+ global marketplaces
- Recruitment — major job boards and company review platforms
- Custom targets — tell us your source and we build the scraper
Q: What data fields can I extract? Core fields vary by platform but generally include:
- Profile data — username, bio, followers, verification status
- Content — posts, videos, captions, hashtags, mentions, timestamps
- Engagement metrics — likes, comments, shares, views, retweets, bookmarks
- Media — HD image URLs, MP4 video direct links (no watermarks)
- Comments & replies — nested reply trees with full context
Q: Do I need to provide my own social media account or API key? Absolutely not. You don't need to provide any personal account credentials, passwords, or cookies. All underlying network scheduling, rate control, and compliance maintenance are handled automatically by our infrastructure.
Q: Can I automate recurring data collection? Yes. Set up scheduled tasks for periodic data collection via API. We also offer Webhook push mode — register monitoring rules and the system proactively pushes new data to your server. Direct integration with n8n, Make.com, and Zapier is also supported.
Q: How fast is the API response? Standard endpoints average under 500ms response time. Batch endpoints typically return within 2–10 seconds depending on data volume. Deep reply chain scraping takes 1–5 seconds. All endpoints support async mode (submit task → callback notification).
Q: What data formats and delivery methods are supported? We support structured JSON, NDJSON, and CSV formats. You can retrieve data via RESTful API in real-time, or configure Webhooks to auto-push data to AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Snowflake, or SFTP.
Q: Is scraping social media data legal and compliant? Yes. Our services strictly follow GDPR, CCPA, and international data privacy regulations. We only collect publicly available data — never DMs or protected private content. We recommend using data responsibly and consulting legal counsel for your specific use case.
Q: How to extract structured data from job listing pages? Modern job sites often embed data in JavaScript-rendered markup, making CSS selectors brittle when layouts change. Our Extraction API uses an AI engine to pull structured fields from raw HTML using natural language prompts or JSON Schema — even when the site redesigns its layout.
4. Google SERP API
Q: Does the SERP API support more than just web search? Yes. Beyond standard Google Search results, it covers:
- Maps — Business listings, reviews, and POI data
- Shopping — Product listings, pricing, seller info
- News — Article headlines, publishers, timestamps
- Ads — Paid search placements, ad copy, competitor PPC strategies
All with native support for location, language, and device targeting.
Q: What types of Google search results can I extract? You can extract all major SERP features, including organic results, paid ads, featured snippets, knowledge panels, local packs, "People also ask", AI Overviews, image carousels, and shopping results — all in a single structured JSON response.
Q: Can I target specific countries, languages, or devices?
Yes. The API supports Google's native parameters including gl (country), hl (language), device (desktop/mobile/tablet), and GPS coordinate-based location targeting.
5. App Store Datasets
Q: What is the AntsData Dataset Marketplace? The AntsData Dataset Marketplace is a validated collection of high-quality datasets covering Apple App Store and Google Play data across various topics — cleaned, structured, and ready to deliver valuable business insights.
Q: What types of datasets does AntsData offer? We offer app rankings, downloads, revenue estimates, active users, reviews, ASA ad data, ASO optimization data, keyword data, and more. Datasets cover both Apple App Store and Google Play across all major markets.
Q: Are the datasets customizable? Yes. We support customization by country/region, time range, specific data fields, and more — ensuring data perfectly fits your needs. Contact our sales team for custom dataset requirements.
Q: Is AntsData's data ethically sourced? AntsData strictly complies with relevant regulations and data protection policies. All data is obtained through legal and compliant channels, ensuring data security and privacy.
Q: Can I trust the quality of AntsData datasets? Every dataset undergoes rigorous QA processes to ensure accuracy, reliability, and relevance. We continuously update datasets to reflect the latest information.
Q: What data formats and delivery methods are supported for datasets? Data formats include JSON, CSV, and Parquet. Delivery methods include API, S3, Webhook, SFTP, and more. On-demand data retrieval through API is also available.
Q: Are there subscription options for regular data delivery? Yes. Subscribe to any dataset and receive fresh data on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis — delivered directly to your storage.
6. Billing & Pricing
6.1 Plans & Payment
Q: How does billing work? Is there a free trial? We use a transparent "pay only for successful delivery" model — you're only charged for valid data records returned; failed requests are never billed. New users automatically receive 5,000 free requests per month with no credit card required, so you can fully test data quality and API stability at zero risk.
Q: What are the pricing plans? We offer flexible plans:
- Free Tier — 5,000 requests/month, no credit card
- Pay as you go — $1.5 per 1,000 records, set monthly spend limits
- Scale — $499/month starting, includes 384,000 records
- Enterprise — volume discounts, account manager, premium SLA
Q: Can I set a monthly spending limit? Yes. You can set a monthly spend cap in your dashboard. Once reached, no further charges will be incurred until the next billing cycle or until you raise the limit.
Q: What payment methods are accepted? We accept major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and wire transfers for Enterprise plans. Contact our sales team for custom payment arrangements.
Q: What happens if I exceed my plan limits? For pay-as-you-go users, you'll simply be charged at the per-record rate. If you've set a spending cap, requests will pause until the next cycle or until you raise the limit — we never charge over your cap without permission.
Q: Is AntsData pricing subscription-based? No. AntsData uses prepaid top-ups. You add balance when needed, and usage is deducted based on the product and meter you use.
**Q: How is account balance deducted?**Usage is deducted based on the product, meter, and rate you use. API usage may be deducted by successful searches, successful results, successful responses, or other product-specific meters. Datasets and custom data delivery are quote-based.
Q: How do top-up bonuses work? Top-up bonuses are added as extra account balance based on the paid amount shown at checkout. The final bonus and balance amount will be shown before payment.
Q: Are effective costs actual billing rates? No. Effective costs are estimates after top-up bonus is included. Actual usage is deducted based on the product, meter, and rate you use.
Q: What is included in the free trial balance? Free trial balance lets you try AntsData before topping up. Product, usage, or account-level limits may apply and will be shown in the dashboard or offer terms.
Q: Can I use one balance across supported products? Yes. Your account balance may be used across supported AntsData products, including eligible API usage, datasets, and custom data delivery, subject to product availability and order terms.
Q: Are datasets billed by API rates? No. Datasets and custom data delivery are quote-based. Pricing may depend on sources, fields, countries, volume, time range, update frequency, processing requirements, and delivery format.
Q: Does failed usage count? For eligible API products, failed, timed-out, or system-error requests are not charged. Exact billing definitions may vary by product and endpoint.
Q: Do top-ups expire? Paid balance does not expire monthly while your account remains active, unless otherwise stated. Bonus or promotional balance may have separate validity periods.
Q: Can I get custom pricing? Yes. Custom pricing is available for high-volume usage, hard-to-reach sources, custom fields, advanced delivery requirements, SLA, managed delivery, and enterprise billing needs.
Q: What is the refund policy? Eligible first self-service paid top-ups may be refundable within 7 days if refund conditions are met. Balance that has been used, committed, reserved, or applied to any service or order is not refundable. Dataset orders, custom delivery, enterprise orders, invoice orders, and crypto payments may not be covered by the self-service refund policy.
Q: Is trial or bonus balance refundable? Trial balance, bonus balance, and promotional balance are not refundable, withdrawable, or exchangeable for cash. Refund eligibility applies only to eligible paid top-ups and is subject to the applicable refund policy.
6.2 Rates & Technical Details
Q: Why do rates vary by product? Different products use different resources and meters. SERP API is typically billed by successful searches, Scraper API by successful structured results, and Unlocker API by successful responses. Rendering, proxy type, target difficulty, and delivery requirements may affect pricing.
Q: Do I need to manage proxies myself? For standard API usage, AntsData handles the access infrastructure. Premium proxy, geo-specific access, hard targets, or advanced rendering may require custom pricing.
Q: Is rate limit the same as concurrency? No. Rate limit controls how fast requests can be submitted. Actual concurrency depends on response time, endpoint type, rendering mode, target complexity, and account configuration.
Q: What may require custom pricing? Custom pricing may apply to high-volume usage, hard-to-reach sources, advanced rendering, premium proxy requirements, custom fields, large datasets, managed delivery, SLA, invoice billing, or enterprise support.
*This FAQ was compiled by merging AntsData's website FAQ content with additional pricing/billing and product-comparison Q&As.