# Apple Podcasts Search, Episodes and Reviews Scraper (`brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews`) Actor

Podcast researchers and media analysts get show metadata, episode lists and listener reviews from Apple Podcasts in one Actor instead of three separate lookups.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews.md
- **Developed by:** [Nick Randall](https://apify.com/brightpath-data) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 show, episode or review records

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 Search, Episodes and Reviews Scraper

Podcast researchers and media analysts get show metadata, episode lists and listener reviews from Apple Podcasts in one Actor instead of three separate lookups. Search by name, pull a show's full episode history, or export its reviews, all with the same clean schema.

Get structured podcast data from Apple's public iTunes API as JSON, CSV or Excel, or call it as a tool from Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT or any MCP client. Built on the same public JSON endpoints that power Apple Podcasts search and the App Store review feeds, so no browser or login is needed. Pay only for the results you receive.

### What you get

Three modes, one Actor:

- **Search**: find podcast shows by keyword, with show name, publisher (`artistName`), feed URL, episode count, genres, artwork and Apple Podcasts link.
- **Episodes**: list a show's episodes, with title, release date, duration, description and episode link.
- **Reviews**: pull a show's listener reviews, with title, text, star rating, app version and review date. Reviewer names are never collected.

Every result is a flat record tagged with `mode` and `podcastId`, so search, episode and review rows from the same run drop straight into one table, spreadsheet or database.

### Why use this instead of the app

- One Actor covers discovery (search), content (episodes) and sentiment (reviews)
- Pagination and rate-limit pacing handled for you, with automatic retries
- Results in JSON, CSV, Excel or via API, or piped into Zapier, Make, n8n and Google Sheets
- Works as an MCP tool, so AI agents can look up podcast data on demand
- No browser, no proxies, no personal data: fast runs and a tiny cost per result

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Meaning |
|-------|------|---------|---------|
| `mode` | string | `search` | `search`, `episodes` or `reviews` |
| `searchTerm` | string | | Keyword to search podcast shows for (mode `search`) |
| `podcastIds` | array | | Numeric Apple Podcasts show IDs, e.g. `1200361736` (modes `episodes` and `reviews`) |
| `country` | string | `us` | Two-letter iTunes storefront country code |
| `maxResults` | integer | 100 | Cap on results saved. You are charged per result, so this caps your cost. |

Example input:

```json
{
  "mode": "reviews",
  "podcastIds": ["1200361736"],
  "country": "us",
  "maxResults": 100
}
```

### Output

Sample rows from a live run:

| podcast | artist | genre | episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NPR News Now | NPR | Daily News | 4 |
| Apple News Today | Apple News | Daily News | 1652 |
| Global News Podcast | BBC World Service | Daily News | 2949 |

Example results (one of each mode, shortened):

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "podcastId": 1200361736,
  "collectionName": "The Daily",
  "artistName": "The New York Times",
  "feedUrl": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/54nAGcIl",
  "trackCount": 2719,
  "releaseDate": "2026-09-01T10:00:00Z",
  "primaryGenreName": "Daily News",
  "genres": ["Daily News", "Podcasts", "News"],
  "collectionViewUrl": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736",
  "artworkUrl600": "https://example.com/art600.jpg",
  "country": "USA",
  "contentAdvisoryRating": "Clean"
}
```

```json
{
  "mode": "episodes",
  "podcastId": "1200361736",
  "trackId": 1000700000000,
  "trackName": "An Episode Title",
  "releaseDate": "2026-09-10T10:00:00Z",
  "trackTimeMillis": 1800000,
  "description": "Episode description.",
  "episodeUrl": "https://example.com/episode.mp3",
  "episodeGuid": "guid-123",
  "collectionId": 1200361736,
  "collectionName": "The Daily"
}
```

```json
{
  "mode": "reviews",
  "podcastId": "1200361736",
  "reviewId": "10001",
  "title": "Great show",
  "content": "I listen every day.",
  "rating": 5,
  "appVersion": "2.1",
  "updated": "2026-09-01T00:00:00-07:00"
}
```

Field reference by mode:

- `search`: `mode`, `podcastId`, `collectionName`, `artistName`, `feedUrl`, `trackCount`, `releaseDate`, `primaryGenreName`, `genres[]`, `collectionViewUrl`, `artworkUrl600`, `country`, `contentAdvisoryRating`
- `episodes`: `mode`, `podcastId`, `trackId`, `trackName`, `releaseDate`, `trackTimeMillis`, `description`, `episodeUrl`, `episodeGuid`, `collectionId`, `collectionName`
- `reviews`: `mode`, `podcastId`, `reviewId`, `title`, `content`, `rating` (1 to 5), `appVersion`, `updated`

### Pricing

Pay per event. You are charged **$2.00 per 1,000 results** saved to the dataset, plus a fraction of a cent per run start. Nothing is charged for results you do not receive. Set "Max total charge per run" in the run options to cap spending on any run. When a run reaches your cap it stops cleanly and keeps everything it already saved.

Rough guide: 1,000 results cost $2.00 and take about 30 seconds.

### Use it from an AI agent (MCP)

This Actor is available as an MCP tool through the Apify MCP server. Add it to your client, then ask the agent for the data in plain language.

Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor (`mcp.json` / `claude_desktop_config.json`):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?actors=brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}
```

ChatGPT and other clients that support remote MCP servers: add `https://mcp.apify.com/?actors=brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews` as a connector with your Apify token.

Example prompt once connected: "Search Apple Podcasts for true crime shows, then pull the 50 most recent reviews for the top result."

### Use it from code

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/brightpath-data~apple-podcasts-search-reviews/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"reviews","podcastIds":["1200361736"],"maxResults":100}'
```

Python:

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews").call(run_input={"mode": "reviews", "podcastIds": ["1200361736"], "maxResults": 100})
items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items
```

### Limits and fair use

- Up to 10,000 results per run. For larger reviews exports, split by podcast ID or run again for new reviews.
- The iTunes search endpoint has no offset pagination, so search mode returns at most 200 shows per run regardless of `maxResults`.
- The reviews feed serves at most 10 pages (about 500 reviews) per podcast ID; run again later for newer reviews.
- All requests are paced at 1.5 seconds apart. The search/lookup API has an informal limit of about 20 requests per minute; this pacing keeps mixed usage well under it. Large reviews-only runs across many podcast IDs will take longer as a result.
- Reviewer names are never collected, only review text, title, rating, app version and date.

### Data source and legal

Data comes from Apple's public iTunes Search and Lookup API and the public customer-reviews RSS-to-JSON feed, both served without authentication at `itunes.apple.com`. This Actor collects public, non-personal data only: reviewer names are dropped, and review content remains the property of its authors. Use results for analysis, monitoring and research. This Actor does not bypass logins, paywalls or access controls. You are responsible for how you use the data.

### Support

Found a problem or need a field added? Open an issue on the Actor's Issues tab. Fixes for broken runs are prioritized.

# Actor input Schema

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

search: find podcast shows by keyword. episodes: list a show's episodes. reviews: pull a show's listener reviews.

## `searchTerm` (type: `string`):

Keyword to search podcast shows for. Used when Mode is "search".

## `podcastIds` (type: `array`):

Numeric Apple Podcasts show IDs (the collectionId from search results, e.g. 1200361736). Used when Mode is "episodes" or "reviews".

## `country` (type: `string`):

Two-letter iTunes storefront country code.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of shows, episodes or reviews to save. You are charged per result saved, so this also caps the cost of a run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchTerm": "news",
  "country": "us",
  "maxResults": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

The dataset with one flat record per result. Append ?format=csv or ?format=xlsx to the URL for other formats.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

OUTPUT record in the key-value store: counts of results pushed and charged, requests, retries and duration.

# 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 = {
    "searchTerm": "news"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews").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 = { "searchTerm": "news" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews").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 '{
  "searchTerm": "news"
}' |
apify call brightpath-data/apple-podcasts-search-reviews --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/wLngKacTe5V2aIuXm/builds/LNrXyWO2bvlCy5qlV/openapi.json