[WebToSpark](/)/Export field guide

Export field guide

# JSON vs CSV vs Markdown: choose a web export format

Use JSON for nested records, CSV for spreadsheet comparisons, and Markdown for reading. Compare what each WebToSpark export preserves before saving.

Updated 2026-10-18v1.2.0[Read this page as Markdown ↗](/docs/export-formats/index.md)

On this page

[The quick answer](#section-1)[JSON vs CSV: trees and rows](#section-2)[Is this a JSON to CSV converter?](#section-3)[A practical research workflow](#section-4)

[Get WebToSpark](/download/)

## The quick answer

Choose Markdown when you want to read and annotate sources. Choose JSON when you need structured documents and nested replies. Choose CSV when you want to filter records in a spreadsheet. File format changes the representation, not how much of the page was loaded.

Format

Best starting point

What to check

Markdown

Reading, notes and source material for your chosen AI tool

Readable structure and source context; not every structured field is rendered.

JSON

Programs, nested comment trees and record processing

Document schema, optional fields and batch envelope.

CSV

Excel, filtering and comparing rows

Record types, identifiers and JSON text in nested columns.

## JSON vs CSV: trees and rows

JSON can represent objects, arrays, numbers, strings, booleans and null. In WebToSpark it can keep a comments array with nested replies. CSV represents a table: the header names columns, and each subsequent record supplies cells. Nested structures need an explicit mapping to rows or cell text.

WebToSpark CSV uses record\_type to distinguish document, primary, item and comment rows. For comments, record\_id, parent\_id and depth help relate rows. Columns such as metrics\_json and links\_json contain JSON text rather than separate spreadsheet columns. Empty fields can mean the page or record type did not provide that value.

[JSON format: RFC 8259 ↗](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8259.html)[CSV format: RFC 4180 ↗](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4180.html)

## Is this a JSON to CSV converter?

WebToSpark exports extracted page records directly to either format. It does not offer arbitrary JSON upload and conversion, and renaming .json to .csv will not transform the contents. For a nested JSON file, a separate conversion tool needs rules for which arrays become rows and which fields become columns.

If the source is already saved, request the missing format from the extension. This makes another representation of the available extracted source; it does not reconstruct comments that were never captured.

[Saved history and missing formats ↗](/docs/export-history/)

## A practical research workflow

The website homepage offers fictional example downloads so you can compare the three formats. They illustrate format differences and are not a full production export schema. Free includes all three ordinary export formats within the local allowance.

1.  Open the source and load the material you need. Review the extension preview and warnings.
2.  Save JSON if downstream processing needs the structure, or CSV if your first task is filtering records.
3.  Use Markdown for reading or prepare a local Pro research packet when that capability is available to you.
4.  Check the output against the source. Keep capture context alongside any conclusions.

[Try the illustrative example ↗](/)[Free allowance rules ↗](/docs/free-allowance/)

FAQ

## A few things worth knowing.

[Frequently asked questions](/faq/)

Does CSV preserve a Reddit comment tree?+

CSV is flat. WebToSpark comment rows include identifiers, parent identifiers and depth where captured; JSON preserves nested replies more directly. Neither format guarantees a complete live thread.

Will JSON improve an AI answer automatically?+

No. A file supplies material; answer quality depends on source coverage, tool limits and your evaluation. Ordinary export does not run AI analysis.

## Keep exploring

[Export Reddit comments](/supported-sites/reddit/)[Choose an export format](/docs/export-formats/)[Open CSV in Excel](/docs/open-csv-in-excel/)[Open JSON files](/docs/open-json-files/)

A small tool for your next big question.

## Your next idea is already  
somewhere in your tabs.

Keep the context. Follow the spark.

[Start collecting](/download/) Free local download. No account needed.

✳

Canonical: https://webtospark.com/docs/export-formats/
Updated: 2026-10-18