Build it in-house or buy it? The honest math on scraping public data yourself.
Most of our datasets started as something a client tried to scrape internally. Sometimes that is the right call. This is how we would think about it.
Comparisons reflect publicly described product positioning as of September 2026. Vendors change offerings often; verify details with them before deciding.
| Dimension | Building it in-house | CompCurve |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | Engineer time to find sources, handle anti-bot systems, parse formats, dedupe | A scoping conversation and a project fee |
| Ongoing | Sources change monthly; someone has to notice and fix it | We notice, because it is our only job, and validate every refresh live |
| Coverage | Usually one or two sources you know | Multiple sources per population, cross-validated |
| Verification | Rarely done; phones and emails unverified | Carrier and SMTP verification, measured rates |
| Compliance | Terms, robots and privacy law are your problem | We decline sources that are off limits and document what we used |
| Time to first file | Weeks to months | Days to weeks |
| When build wins | A single stable source, in your core domain, with an engineer who owns it | Everything else |
Pick Building it in-house when the data is core to your product, comes from one stable source, and you have an engineer who will own it for years.
Pick CompCurve when the data supports your business rather than being it, the sources are many or hostile, or you need it verified and refreshed without thinking about it.
Pick CompCurve when the data supports your business rather than being it, the sources are many or hostile, or you need it verified and refreshed without thinking about it.
We have replaced in-house and vendor scrapes many times, usually by running in tandem for a month, comparing field by field, and switching only when the client trusts the match.
Want both? That is common.
Many clients keep a platform subscription for lookups and use us for the bulk pulls, the append passes and the niches the platform will not stock.