Short answer: the code for many scrapers is often free and open-source, but running a scraper usually isn’t completely free. This repo — https://github.com/maivyly52-gif/amazon-data-scraper — is a great example: you can clone and use the code at no cost (per its license), yet real-world usage may involve a few paid pieces.
What “free” really means
You can download and experiment with the code in this GitHub repository without paying. https://github.com/maivyly52-gif/amazon-data-scraper However, scraping responsibly and at scale often needs:
Proxies or residential IPs: to avoid rate limits and CAPTCHAs
Captcha solving or headless browsers: sometimes paid add-ons
Server/hosting time: if you deploy the scraper 24/7
Storage/DB: to keep product and price history
If you’re just learning or running small tests, the sample scripts in amazon-data-scraper may be all you need at zero cost. https://github.com/maivyly52-gif/amazon-data-scraper
When you might pay
As your workload grows, costs can appear:
Frequent requests → proxy plans
Heavy rendering → browser automation infra
Historical analytics → databases / cloud storage
You can still keep costs low by batching requests and caching results, using the patterns shown in this repo.
https://github.com/maivyly52-gif/amazon-data-scraper
Compliance & ethics
Always follow Amazon’s terms, robots guidelines, and local laws. Use delays, identify your purpose, and respect data ownership. The examples in amazon-data-scraper
are for educational and research use; adapt them responsibly. https://github.com/maivyly52-gif/amazon-data-scraper
Bottom line
Yes, the scraper code can be free (open-source).
Operating at scale may not be free (proxies, compute, storage).
Start small with amazon-data-scraper, then add paid pieces only if you need them.
Ready to try it? Explore the code, run a quick test, and extend it for your use case here: https://github.com/maivyly52-gif/amazon-data-scraper
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