---
title: How to Choose the Best Way to Access TheirStack Data
description: Guidance to help you choose the most suitable way to access TheirStack data (App, API, Webhooks, or Datasets) for your use case, scale, and freshness needs—without prescribing a single path.
url: https://theirstack.com/en/docs/guides/how-to-choose-best-way-to-access-theirstack-data
---

## TL;DR

-   If you're not a developer, use the [App](/en/docs/app).
-   If you need more than 1M records / month, use [Datasets](/en/docs/datasets).
-   If you want to get notified when (1) new jobs are posted or (2) new companies start using a new technology, use [Webhooks](/en/docs/webhooks).
-   If you want to enrich an external system on demand, use the [API](/en/docs/api-reference).
-   If you want your AI assistant to query TheirStack data directly, use the [MCP server](/en/docs/mcp).

## Basics

-   **Same data for all methods**: Every delivery method accesses the same underlying dataset and quality.
-   **Filtering**: All filters are available in the App, API, and Webhooks. Datasets are exported as flat files (CSV/Parquet) without server-side filtering.

## Estimate your monthly volume first

Most of the decisions below — Webhooks vs Datasets, which plan, what it costs — depend on a single number: **how many jobs per month** your use case actually needs. The fastest way to find out is to let the data tell you, before you talk to us or pick a plan:

1.  Open [Job Search](https://app.theirstack.com/search/jobs/new).
2.  Add the exact filters you'll use in production — **job titles**, **countries / markets**, and any **industry**, **technology**, or **seniority** filter that defines your niche. The more precise your filters, the more accurate (and cheaper) your estimate.
3.  Set **Date posted** to **last 30 days**.
4.  Read the **total results count** at the top of the results. That number is a close approximation of the jobs you'd ingest per month with those filters.

Repeat with a few filter variations to see how volume changes — for example, adding a second country or a broader title list. This gives you a realistic min/max range to plan around.

Use that number to choose your path:

-   **Under ~1M records/month → [Webhooks](#webhooks-real-time).** The right fit for the large majority of use cases (job boards, niche feeds, lead generation). You pay only for the filtered slice you care about.
-   **Over ~1M records/month → [Datasets](#datasets-bulk--historical).** Above that volume, flat-rate bulk delivery is more cost-efficient than per-record credits. [Contact us](https://theirstack.com/contact) with your monthly volume, markets, and job titles for a tailored quote.

## Delivery methods

### App (UI)

Use the App when you want to explore, iterate, and export data without writing code.

-   What it’s best for
    -   [Target companies with active job openings](/en/docs/guides/how-to-outreach-on-autopilot-to-companies-actively-hiring)
    -   [Find companies by tech stack](/en/docs/guides/how-to-find-companies-by-technology-stack) or [discover a company’s tech stack](/en/docs/guides/how-to-discover-tech-stack-of-any-company)
    -   [Source candidates with niche technology experience](/en/docs/guides/how-to-find-hidden-candidates-niche-technology)
    -   Ad-hoc searches, validating data quality, and exporting to CSV/Excel
-   Pricing
    -   Uses [company credits](/en/docs/pricing/credits)
-   [Learn more](/en/docs/app)

### Datasets (bulk + historical)

Use Datasets when you need large-scale access for warehouses, analytics, or ML.

-   What it’s best for
    -   [Expand your job board with fresh listings (backfilling)](/en/docs/guides/backfill-job-board)
    -   [Power sales intelligence platforms](/en/docs/guides/sales-software-integration-guide) at scale
    -   [Convert competitors’ paying advertisers into your customers](/en/docs/guides/how-to-find-promoted-jobs)
    -   Loading into a data warehouse or data lake (S3, BigQuery, Snowflake, etc.)
    -   Historical analysis, model training, and high-volume consumption (>1M records/month)
-   Pricing
    -   Flat subscription; more cost‑efficient above ~1M records/month
-   Learn more
    -   Overview: [Datasets](/en/docs/datasets)
    -   Jobs schema and coverage: [Job data](/en/docs/data/job)
    -   Access steps: [Obtaining access to your datasets](/en/docs/datasets/accessing-datasets)

### Webhooks (real-time)

Use Webhooks when you need to ingest fresh data continuously without polling.

-   What it’s best for
    -   [Monitor past customers that are hiring again](/en/docs/guides/monitoring-open-jobs-from-current-and-past-customers)
    -   [Spot your competitors’ next moves](/en/docs/guides/how-to-spot-your-competitors-next-moves)
    -   [Expand your job board with fresh listings (backfilling)](/en/docs/guides/backfill-job-board)
    -   [Match job seekers with relevant opportunities](/en/docs/data/job/use-cases) (academies, bootcamps, career services)
    -   Triggering workflows in Zapier, Make, n8n, or your own services via [saved searches](/en/docs/app/saved-searches)
-   Pricing
    -   Consumes [API credits](/en/docs/pricing/credits); pay per record returned
-   Learn more
    -   [How to set up a webhook](/en/docs/webhooks/how-to-set-up-a-webhook)
    -   [Monitor your webhooks](/en/docs/webhooks/monitor-your-webhooks)

### API (on-demand)

Use the API when you need programmatic, on-demand access for enrichment or user-triggered actions.

-   What it’s best for
    -   [Enrich companies with technographic data](/en/docs/guides/how-to-enrich-companies-with-technographic-data) on demand (CRM, product records)
    -   [Power sales intelligence platforms](/en/docs/guides/sales-software-integration-guide) with server-to-server lookups
    -   [Identify companies with problems your software solves](/en/docs/guides/how-to-identify-companies-with-problems-your-software-solves)
    -   Synchronous product features that fetch data on demand
-   Pricing
    -   Consumes [API credits](/en/docs/pricing/credits); pay per record returned
-   When not to use
    -   If you’re polling or batching requests on a schedule, prefer Webhooks for push delivery, retries, and lower operational overhead
-   [Learn more](/en/docs/api-reference)

### MCP (AI assistants)

Use the MCP server when you want your AI assistant to search TheirStack data conversationally.

-   What it's best for
    -   Asking natural-language questions about jobs, companies, and tech stacks from Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, or any MCP client
    -   Quick ad-hoc research without writing code or learning the API
    -   [Create niche job newsletters](/en/docs/guides/how-to-create-niche-job-newsletter-with-mcp) with AI-assisted curation
-   Pricing
    -   Consumes [API credits](/en/docs/pricing/credits) at the same rate as the REST API
-   [Learn more](/en/docs/mcp)

## Examples

-   Sales or RevOps team wants to test a new ICP and export a CSV for outreach → App (UI)
-   Product team needs new US tech jobs streamed into an internal DB every hour → Webhooks
-   Data team wants multi-year job postings for trend analysis and modeling → Datasets