# Chrome Web Store Extension Scraper (`automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper`) Actor 🧩 Scrape Chrome Web Store extension metadata from public search, category, and detail pages for market research and prospecting. - **URL**: https://apify.com/automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Stas Persiianenko](https://apify.com/automation-lab) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Chrome Web Store Extension Scraper Scrape public Chrome Web Store extension metadata from search pages, category pages, and extension detail pages. Use it to collect extension titles, IDs, URLs, publishers, ratings, user counts, categories, descriptions, images, website links, version information, and update dates. ### What does Chrome Web Store Extension Scraper do? This actor extracts public extension records from `chromewebstore.google.com`. It supports three discovery paths: - 🔎 Chrome Web Store search terms - 📂 Chrome Web Store category URLs - 🧩 Direct extension detail URLs or extension IDs The scraper saves one dataset row per extension. It can run in a fast search-only mode or open each detail page for richer metadata. ### Who is it for? SaaS marketers can find browser-extension companies in a niche. Extension founders can benchmark competing extensions. Security researchers can inventory extensions in a category. Growth teams can build prospecting lists from publisher websites. Product managers can monitor rating, user, and update signals. Investors and analysts can track browser-extension markets. ### Why use this actor? Chrome Web Store pages are public but inconvenient to copy at scale. This actor turns those pages into structured JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or API-ready data. It also preserves source URLs so every record can be verified. ### What data can I extract? | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | `extensionId` | Chrome extension ID | | `url` | Chrome Web Store detail URL | | `title` | Extension name | | `publisher` | Public publisher or offered-by name | | `publisherUrl` | Public publisher website when visible | | `rating` | Numeric rating | | `ratingsCount` | Number of public ratings when visible | | `usersCount` | Public user/install count when visible | | `category` | Chrome Web Store category | | `shortDescription` | Search-card or meta description | | `description` | Detail-page description when available | | `iconUrl` | Extension icon URL | | `screenshotUrls` | Public screenshot/image URLs | | `websiteUrl` | Website link when public | | `supportUrl` | Support link when public | | `version` | Version shown on the detail page | | `updatedDate` | Last updated date shown on the detail page | | `size` | Extension package size | | `languages` | Languages field | | `sourceType` | Search, category, detail, or extension ID | | `sourceUrl` | Input URL that produced the record | | `scrapedAt` | ISO timestamp | ### How much does it cost to scrape Chrome Web Store extensions? This Actor uses **pay-per-event** pricing. There is a $0.005 start event per run. Per-result prices use Apify tier discounts: | Tier | Price per extension | 1,000 extensions | | --- | ---: | ---: | | FREE | $0.000048725 | $0.0487 | | BRONZE | $0.00004237 | $0.0424 | | SILVER | $0.000033048 | $0.0330 | | GOLD | $0.000025422 | $0.0254 | | PLATINUM | $0.000016948 | $0.0169 | | DIAMOND | $0.000011863 | $0.0119 | A 100-result realistic cloud test cost about $0.006 in gross PPE charges including the start event. ### How to scrape Chrome Web Store search results 1. Open the actor input. 2. Add one or more `searchQueries` such as `adblock`, `seo`, or `crm`. 3. Set `maxItems` to the number of extensions you need. 4. Keep `includeDetails` enabled for richer detail fields. 5. Run the actor. 6. Export the dataset in your preferred format. ### How to scrape a Chrome Web Store category 1. Copy a category URL from Chrome Web Store. 2. Paste it into `startUrls`. 3. Set a result limit. 4. Run the actor. 5. Review the dataset for extension metadata. ### How to scrape specific extensions Use `extensionIds` when you already know the Chrome extension IDs. You can also paste full detail URLs into `startUrls`. Example extension ID: `cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm` ### Input example ```json { "searchQueries": ["adblock"], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" } ], "extensionIds": ["cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm"], "maxItems": 25, "includeDetails": true } ```` ### Output example ```json { "extensionId": "cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm", "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm", "title": "uBlock Origin", "publisher": "Raymond Hill (gorhill)", "rating": 4.7, "ratingsCount": 35500, "usersCount": 14000000, "category": "Privacy & Security", "shortDescription": "Finally, an efficient blocker. Easy on CPU and memory.", "sourceType": "detail" } ``` ### Tips for better results Use specific search queries for focused markets. Use category URLs for broader market maps. Enable detail pages when you need user counts, versions, update dates, or screenshots. Disable detail pages when you only need fast discovery from search cards. Set a small `maxItems` for the first run to validate your input. ### Integrations Send the dataset to Google Sheets for lead review. Export CSV for CRM upload. Use the Apify API to refresh extension lists daily or weekly. Connect the dataset to enrichment tools that visit publisher websites. Feed extension URLs into monitoring workflows. ### API usage with Node.js ```js import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN }); const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper').call({ searchQueries: ['adblock'], maxItems: 25, includeDetails: true }); console.log(run.defaultDatasetId); ``` ### API usage with Python ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient('YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN') run = client.actor('automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper').call(run_input={ 'searchQueries': ['adblock'], 'maxItems': 25, 'includeDetails': True, }) print(run['defaultDatasetId']) ``` ### API usage with cURL ```bash curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~chrome-web-store-extension-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -d '{"searchQueries":["adblock"],"maxItems":25,"includeDetails":true}' ``` ### MCP usage Use the actor from Claude Code or other MCP-compatible tools through Apify MCP. MCP URL: `https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper` Claude Code setup: ```bash claude mcp add apify-chrome-web-store --url "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper" ``` Generic MCP JSON config: ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify-chrome-web-store": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper" } } } ``` Example prompts: - "Find the top Chrome Web Store extensions for ad blocking and summarize publishers." - "Scrape Chrome Web Store SEO extensions and export user counts." - "Monitor these extension IDs and compare ratings week over week." ### Data quality notes All fields depend on what Chrome Web Store publicly displays. Some search cards expose fewer fields than detail pages. Some publishers do not show a public website or support link. Counts can be rounded by the source site. ### FAQ #### Why did I get fewer records than `maxItems`? Chrome Web Store search pages expose a limited initial result set per query. Add more queries or category URLs to collect more records. #### Why are version or updated-date fields empty? Enable `includeDetails` so the actor opens extension detail pages and extracts richer metadata. #### Can this actor extract emails? Not directly in this MVP. It returns public publisher and website links that you can use in a downstream enrichment workflow. ### Troubleshooting If you get fewer records than expected, increase `maxItems` or use a broader query. If fields like version or updated date are empty, enable `includeDetails`. If a query returns no records, test the same query in Chrome Web Store and try a simpler phrase. ### Legality This actor extracts publicly available Chrome Web Store information. Do not use the data for spam, harassment, credential attacks, or policy-violating automation. Check the source site's terms and your local laws before using scraped data commercially. ### Related scrapers Explore other actors from Automation Lab for app intelligence, reviews, product research, and lead generation. Use Chrome Web Store data together with company websites, app reviews, and social profiles for richer analysis. ### Changelog Initial version supports search URLs, category URLs, extension detail URLs, extension IDs, optional detail enrichment, and public extension metadata extraction. ### Support If the output looks wrong, provide the run ID and the input you used. We can inspect whether Chrome Web Store changed markup or whether a specific extension hides the field you expected. ### Limits The actor does not log in. The actor does not scrape private or account-only data. The actor does not guarantee email extraction. The actor does not scrape reviews in this MVP. ### Summary Chrome Web Store Extension Scraper turns public extension discovery pages into structured datasets. It is built for repeatable browser-extension market research and prospecting workflows. # Actor input Schema ## `searchQueries` (type: `array`): Chrome Web Store search terms to scrape, such as adblock, crm, seo, or productivity. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Chrome Web Store search, category, or extension detail URLs to process. ## `extensionIds` (type: `array`): Optional Chrome extension IDs to scrape directly. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of extension records to save. ## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`): Fetch each extension detail page for richer fields such as users, category, version, size, languages, updated date, screenshots, and longer descriptions. Turn off for faster search-only discovery. ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchQueries": [ "adblock" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/adblock" }, { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" } ], "extensionIds": [ "cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" ], "maxItems": 10, "includeDetails": true } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchQueries": [ "adblock" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/adblock" }, { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" } ], "extensionIds": [ "cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "searchQueries": ["adblock"], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/adblock" }, { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" }, ], "extensionIds": ["cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm"], } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "searchQueries": [ "adblock" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/adblock" }, { "url": "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" } ], "extensionIds": [ "cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm" ] }' | apify call automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/chrome-web-store-extension-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Chrome Web Store Extension Scraper", "description": "🧩 Scrape Chrome Web Store extension metadata from public search, category, and detail pages for market research and prospecting.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "LplxYZVQu2u709NwB" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/automation-lab~chrome-web-store-extension-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-automation-lab-chrome-web-store-extension-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~chrome-web-store-extension-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-automation-lab-chrome-web-store-extension-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~chrome-web-store-extension-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-automation-lab-chrome-web-store-extension-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "searchQueries": { "title": "Search queries", "type": "array", "description": "Chrome Web Store search terms to scrape, such as adblock, crm, seo, or productivity.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "startUrls": { "title": "Start URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Chrome Web Store search, category, or extension detail URLs to process.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "extensionIds": { "title": "Extension IDs", "type": "array", "description": "Optional Chrome extension IDs to scrape directly.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum extensions", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of extension records to save.", "default": 10 }, "includeDetails": { "title": "Open detail pages", "type": "boolean", "description": "Fetch each extension detail page for richer fields such as users, category, version, size, languages, updated date, screenshots, and longer descriptions. Turn off for faster search-only discovery.", "default": true } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```