The three approaches
All three tools solve the same problem — turn a live website into files on your disk — but they differ fundamentally in where the work happens and who is expected to operate them.
wget: the scriptable classic
wget ships with virtually every Linux distribution and is available for macOS and Windows. A full site mirror looks like this:
wget --mirror --convert-links --adjust-extension --page-requisites --no-parent https://example.comStrengths: free, scriptable (cron jobs, CI pipelines), resumable, battle-tested for 25+ years.
Weaknesses: terminal-only, cryptic flags, easy to get wrong (missing assets, infinite loops on calendars), your machine runs the whole time, and the raw mirror often needs manual fixing before it works offline.
Best for: developers automating recurring backups.
HTTrack: the desktop veteran
HTTrack adds a graphical interface on top of the same idea: define a project, set mirror rules, crawl.
Strengths: free and open source, no terminal needed, fine-grained include/exclude rules, works fully offline.
Weaknesses: dated interface, installation required, configuration overwhelm, struggles with some modern sites, computer must stay on.
Best for: power users who mirror large sites regularly and want control without a terminal. More in our
HTTrack alternative guide.
Online website downloader: the no-setup approach
A browser-based tool like
Website Downloader runs the crawl on its own servers and hands you a ZIP.
Strengths: nothing to install, works on any device, crawl continues when your laptop sleeps, results stored for 30 days (free account), live progress display.
Weaknesses: free tier is capped at 100 subpages (larger sites: 7.99 € one-time or a plan); like all copiers, heavily JavaScript-rendered apps and login-protected areas may come out incomplete.
Best for: everyone who wants a working offline copy in minutes without touching configuration.
Head-to-head
- Setup time: online: none · HTTrack: minutes · wget: minutes to hours (learning curve)
- Skill required: online: none · HTTrack: medium · wget: high
- Cost: wget/HTTrack: free unlimited · online: free to 100 subpages, paid beyond
- Runs while your PC is off: only the online tool
- Automation: wget wins clearly
- Cross-platform incl. tablets: only the online tool
The wget flags, decoded
If you do go the wget route, this is what the standard mirror command actually does:
- --mirror: shorthand for recursive download with infinite depth plus timestamping — the core of the operation.
- --convert-links: rewrites links inside the downloaded HTML so they work offline. Without it, clicking a link sends you back to the live site.
- --adjust-extension: saves pages as .html files so browsers open them correctly.
- --page-requisites: also fetches CSS, images and scripts each page needs — otherwise you get bare text.
- --no-parent: stops wget from wandering above your start folder and downloading half the internet.
Classic pitfalls with self-hosted mirroring
- Calendar traps: event calendars with endless \"next month\" links can keep a crawler busy forever — set depth limits or exclude those paths.
- Rate limits: hammering a server with parallel requests gets your IP blocked; use delays (--wait) and be polite.
- Session URLs: sites that append session IDs produce infinite \"new\" URLs — exclude the parameter or the mirror never finishes.
- Disk usage: a large site mirrors gigabytes onto your own disk; an online downloader keeps it off your machine until you fetch the ZIP.
Verdict
There is no single winner — there are three different users. If you script backups: wget. If you mirror big sites monthly and enjoy control: HTTrack. If you want a website as a ZIP right now, on any device, with zero setup:
try the online downloader — the free 100-subpage tier answers the question faster than any comparison article can.