Import.io gives you the ability to generate custom data through web scraping. Trying to do this with open source tools is possible, but not easy. Import.io makes it much easier if you're not a programmer or sysadmin, and the pricing is reasonable.

Some workflows could have better UI: sometimes there can be a lot of clicking for repetitive and simple tasks, especially on websites with many pages.

Import.io is great app for data extracting, you can turn web page into data within minute and very simple to learn no need to go anywhere when using import.io

The reporting tool and the dashboard which gives you an overview.

It's extremely expensive compared to their competitors and their client service is -from my experience- bad. Also the way they try to extend a contract is not very 'client-friendly.'

I first discovered and used Import.io back when they had a free desktop browser - this led me to working with Import.io across a number of projects, something that I wouldn't have been able to do without the free browser. It's a shame that this has gone, but I still can't fault the value behind the product these days.

- Powerful - there's more to just extraction these days, with manipulation and reporting - SO easy to get started with, with smart data extraction, there's a lot that can be done without REGEX or XPath - Scalable - Great support

- It's not affordable for the single user anymore

We found this to be a great tool for data mining and parsing specific information from websites. There's definitely a bit of a learning curve, but it got us exactly the info we needed in the format we wanted. We primarily used import.io in conjunction with a Twitter search engine app to compile structured data for searches based on specific hashtags, keywords, and usernames. It did a fine job. We did not have to contact customer support, but I did find online discussions to be useful enough to get what we needed.