# Apple Podcasts Scraper: Charts, Search & Episodes (`betteratoms/apple-podcasts-intelligence`) Actor

Search Apple Podcasts shows by keyword, genre and country, pull top charts for any genre and storefront, and list episodes from public RSS. Official iTunes API and Apple feeds only. Show and publisher metadata, no personal data.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/betteratoms/apple-podcasts-intelligence.md
- **Developed by:** [Better Atoms Technologies LLP](https://apify.com/betteratoms) (community)
- **Categories:** Marketing, Social media, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 result rows

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Apple Podcasts Scraper: Top Charts, Show Search & Episodes (Official API)

Export **Apple Podcasts top charts** for any genre and country, **search podcasts** by keyword, genre and storefront, and list **episodes from a show's public RSS feed**, as clean JSON, CSV or Excel. You don't need an API key, a login or a browser.

The actor uses **only official, public Apple sources**:

- the **iTunes Search API** and **iTunes Lookup API** (`itunes.apple.com/search`, `/lookup`)
- Apple's public **Apple Podcasts top charts feeds** (`itunes.apple.com/{country}/rss/toppodcasts/...`)
- each show's own **public RSS feed**, at the `feedUrl` Apple publishes for the show

It does **not** crawl the Apple Podcasts website. It returns show, publisher and episode metadata only. It collects **no personal data** (no listener, reviewer or contact data).

### Use cases

- **Podcast sponsorship and ad sales:** list the top 200 Business, Technology or True Crime shows in the US, UK, India or any other storefront, with each show's episode count, latest release date and RSS feed.
- **Guest booking and PR outreach:** find active shows on your topic (`activeWithinDays`, `minEpisodeCount`) and see their publishers and genres.
- **Chart tracking:** schedule a daily charts run and store rank history in a dataset, Google Sheets or your warehouse.
- **Podcast tools and AI agents:** pull episode titles, publish dates, durations, audio URLs and plain-text descriptions from RSS for search, transcription or summarisation pipelines.
- **Market research:** compare which shows chart in each genre across countries.

### Modes

| Mode | What you get | Main inputs |
|---|---|---|
| `search` | Shows that match your keywords, optionally limited to one genre, for one or more storefronts | `searchTerms`, `genreId`, `countries`, `resultsPerSearch`, `minEpisodeCount`, `activeWithinDays` |
| `charts` | Apple Podcasts top shows (up to 200) per country, for all podcasts or one genre, with rank. Optionally enriched with RSS feed URL, episode count and genres | `genreId`, `countries`, `chartLimit`, `enrichChartShows` |
| `episodes` | Episodes for each show, read from its public RSS feed | `shows` (Apple Podcasts URL, Apple ID or RSS URL), `maxEpisodesPerShow`, `episodesPublishedAfter` |

`maxItems` caps the total number of rows (and so your cost) in every mode.

Genres: Arts, Business, Comedy, Education, Fiction, Government, Health & Fitness, History, Kids & Family, Leisure, Music, News, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports, TV & Film, Technology and True Crime.

#### Example: top 50 Business podcasts in the UK and India

```json
{ "mode": "charts", "genreId": "1321", "countries": ["gb", "in"], "chartLimit": 50, "maxItems": 100 }
```

#### Example: active AI podcasts with at least 20 episodes

```json
{ "mode": "search", "searchTerms": ["artificial intelligence", "machine learning"], "genreId": "1318",
  "countries": ["us"], "minEpisodeCount": 20, "activeWithinDays": 30, "maxItems": 200 }
```

#### Example: the latest 10 episodes of two shows

```json
{ "mode": "episodes", "shows": ["https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736", "1322200189"],
  "maxEpisodesPerShow": 10 }
```

### Sample output

A chart row (from the local test run on 23 Oct 2026, summary shortened):

```json
{
  "type": "chartEntry",
  "source": "Apple Podcasts top charts feed",
  "chartCountry": "gb", "chartGenreId": "1321", "chartGenre": "Business",
  "chartUpdated": "2026-10-22T21:11:20-07:00",
  "rank": 1,
  "showId": "1291423644",
  "showName": "The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett",
  "publisher": "DOAC",
  "appleUrl": "https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-with-steven-bartlett/id1291423644",
  "primaryGenre": "Business",
  "summary": "Welcome to The Diary Of A CEO where you'll find raw, human conversations …",
  "feedUrl": "https://rss2.flightcast.com/xmsftuzjjykcmqwolaqn6mdn",
  "genres": ["Business", "Society & Culture"], "genreIds": ["1321", "1324"],
  "episodeCount": 906,
  "latestReleaseDate": "2026-10-22T05:00:00Z",
  "explicit": false, "contentAdvisoryRating": "Clean",
  "artworkUrl": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/…/600x600bb.jpg",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-23T04:11:23.605119Z"
}
```

An episode row:

```json
{
  "type": "episode", "source": "Show's public RSS feed",
  "showId": "1200361736", "showName": "The Daily", "publisher": "The New York Times",
  "feedUrl": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/Sl5CSM3S",
  "episodeTitle": "The Election That Will Define Israel’s Future",
  "episodeGuid": "f2d5e37f-dc9e-4f9f-bb99-cc20088a43e9",
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-22T09:45:00Z",
  "durationSeconds": 2032, "episodeType": "full", "explicit": false,
  "audioUrl": "https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/…/default.mp3",
  "audioType": "audio/mpeg", "audioBytes": 32514044,
  "description": "Israelis on both sides of the political spectrum see next week’s vote as the most consequential in their country’s history."
}
```

`sample_output.json` holds more real rows from the local test run. Search rows have the same show fields as chart rows, plus `searchTerm`, `searchCountry` and `searchRank`.

### Pricing

Pay per result: **$2 per 1,000 rows** ($0.002 per row). Every show, chart entry or episode is one row. There's no start fee, and you never pay for rows you don't get. Use `maxItems` to cap spend, for example `maxItems: 200` costs at most $0.40.

### FAQ

**Is this allowed? Does it scrape Apple Podcasts?**
It calls Apple's public iTunes Search and Lookup APIs and the public charts feeds, and reads the RSS feeds that podcasters publish for distribution. It doesn't crawl the podcasts.apple.com website. Please respect Apple's and each podcaster's terms when you reuse the data.

**Does it collect reviews or personal data?**
No. Rows contain show, publisher and episode metadata only.

**How fresh are the charts?**
Each run reads the live feed. The `chartUpdated` field shows when Apple last refreshed the chart.

**Why do some rows have no `feedUrl` or episode count?**
A few shows don't publish a feed through the Lookup API, or the Lookup API returned no record for that storefront. Those fields are `null` rather than guessed.

**How fast is it?**
Apple asks clients to keep the iTunes Search API to about 20 requests per minute, so the actor waits about 3 seconds between Apple requests and retries 403/429/5xx responses with backoff. A 200-show chart with enrichment needs 3 requests. A search costs 1 request per term and country.

**Can I monitor new episodes?**
Yes. Schedule `episodes` mode with `episodesPublishedAfter`, or use `maxEpisodesPerShow: 1` to see each show's newest episode.

### Notes and limits

- The iTunes Search API returns at most 200 shows per term and country. Use more specific terms or several terms for broader coverage.
- Charts are limited to the 200 positions Apple publishes per storefront and genre.
- This actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. Apple Podcasts is a trademark of Apple Inc.

### Local development

```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
## edit storage/key_value_stores/default/INPUT.json, then:
python -m src
## end-to-end test (4 runs against the live Apple APIs, with assertions):
python tests/run_local_test.py
```

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

search = find shows by keyword (and optional genre/country). charts = Apple Podcasts top shows by genre and country. episodes = episodes of given shows from their public RSS feeds.

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

Keywords to search Apple Podcasts for, e.g. 'AI startups' or 'real estate investing'. One search per term and country.

## `genreId` (type: `string`):

Restrict search results or the chart to one Apple Podcasts genre. Leave empty for all genres.

## `countries` (type: `array`):

Two-letter Apple storefront codes, e.g. us, gb, in, ca, au, de. Search and charts run once per country; episodes mode uses the first country for Apple ID lookups.

## `resultsPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

How many shows to request from the iTunes Search API per term and country (Apple's maximum is 200).

## `minEpisodeCount` (type: `integer`):

Skip shows with fewer episodes than this. 0 = no filter.

## `activeWithinDays` (type: `integer`):

Keep only shows whose latest episode is at most this many days old. 0 = no filter.

## `chartLimit` (type: `integer`):

How many top shows to fetch per country (Apple's feed returns up to 200).

## `enrichChartShows` (type: `boolean`):

Looks up each charted show with the official iTunes Lookup API (one extra request per 150 shows).

## `shows` (type: `array`):

Apple Podcasts show URLs (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/.../id1200361736), bare Apple IDs (1200361736) or RSS feed URLs.

## `maxEpisodesPerShow` (type: `integer`):

Newest episodes first, as ordered in the feed. 0 = no per-show limit (maxItems still applies).

## `episodesPublishedAfter` (type: `string`):

Only return episodes published on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

## `descriptionMaxChars` (type: `integer`):

Episode descriptions are converted to plain text and truncated to this length. 0 = no limit.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of rows to return in total. Each row is one billable result.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchTerms": [
    "artificial intelligence"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "us"
  ],
  "resultsPerSearch": 50,
  "minEpisodeCount": 0,
  "activeWithinDays": 0,
  "chartLimit": 100,
  "enrichChartShows": true,
  "shows": [
    "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736"
  ],
  "maxEpisodesPerShow": 50,
  "descriptionMaxChars": 500,
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all output rows

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

RUN_SUMMARY record with counts and timing for this run

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchTerms": [
        "artificial intelligence"
    ],
    "shows": [
        "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("betteratoms/apple-podcasts-intelligence").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchTerms": ["artificial intelligence"],
    "shows": ["https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("betteratoms/apple-podcasts-intelligence").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchTerms": [
    "artificial intelligence"
  ],
  "shows": [
    "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736"
  ]
}' |
apify call betteratoms/apple-podcasts-intelligence --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,betteratoms/apple-podcasts-intelligence"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/hZ1IiwgBI4dSWYjhg/builds/gSe1fJIoGuzfqdCCu/openapi.json