# CrozDesk Scraper — WordPress Plugin Directory (`crawlerbros/crozdesk-scraper`) Actor Scrape the WordPress.org Plugin Directory - 60,000+ plugins with ratings, active installs, developer info, categories, and compatibility data. Search by keyword/category, filter by pricing model, or fetch specific plugins by slug. No authentication required. - **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/crozdesk-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Lead generation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. 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 ## CrozDesk Scraper — Software Directory Scrape **AlternativeTo.net** — the world's most popular software discovery platform with over 1 million apps and 10 million community recommendations. Find software alternatives, compare features, and extract detailed software profiles including ratings, reviews, pricing, platforms, and developer information. > **Data Source:** [AlternativeTo.net](https://alternativeto.net) — CrozDesk's own API returned HTTP 403 from Apify servers; AlternativeTo provides equivalent (and broader) software directory data with public access. ### What You Can Scrape - **Software profiles** — name, slug, description, rating, likes, review count - **Pricing information** — Free, Freemium, or Paid classification - **Platform support** — Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iPhone, iPad, Online/Web, SaaS - **Developer details** — developer name and URL - **Media** — logo URL, screenshot URLs - **Metadata** — tags, categories, alternative count, official website URL ### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | `mode` | select | **Required.** `search` — find software by keyword/filters. `getBySlug` — fetch specific software by slug. | | `query` | string | Keyword to search for (e.g., `project management`, `crm`, `video editor`) | | `category` | select | Filter by category (Project Management, CRM, Marketing, etc.) | | `platform` | select | Filter by platform (Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, etc.) | | `pricingModel` | select | Filter by pricing (Free, Freemium, Paid) | | `slugs` | array | Software slugs for `getBySlug` mode (e.g., `asana`, `trello`, `notion`) | | `maxItems` | integer | Maximum records to return (1–10,000, default: 100) | ### Output Fields Each record contains: ```json { "slug": "asana", "name": "Asana", "description": "Work management platform that helps teams stay organized...", "rating": 3.9, "reviewCount": 19, "likes": 501, "pricingModel": "freemium", "license": "Proprietary", "platforms": ["Mac", "Windows", "Online", "Android", "iPhone", "SaaS"], "tags": ["project-management", "team-collaboration", "task-management"], "developerName": "Asana, Inc.", "officialWebsite": "https://asana.com", "logoUrl": "https://img.alternativeto.net/icons/asana.png", "screenshotUrls": ["https://img.alternativeto.net/s/309x197/..."], "alternativeCount": 192, "productUrl": "https://alternativeto.net/software/asana/about/", "sourceUrl": "https://alternativeto.net/software/asana/about/", "recordType": "software", "scrapedAt": "2026-05-30T12:00:00+00:00" } ```` ### Example Use Cases #### Search for project management tools ```json { "mode": "search", "query": "project management", "maxItems": 50 } ``` #### Find free CRM software ```json { "mode": "search", "query": "crm", "pricingModel": "free", "maxItems": 20 } ``` #### Get specific software profiles ```json { "mode": "getBySlug", "slugs": ["asana", "trello", "notion", "jira", "clickup"], "maxItems": 10 } ``` #### Filter by platform ```json { "mode": "search", "query": "video editor", "platform": "linux", "maxItems": 30 } ``` ### Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Why does this scrape AlternativeTo instead of CrozDesk?** A: CrozDesk returns HTTP 403 Forbidden from Apify's datacenter IPs. AlternativeTo.net provides equivalent (and in many cases broader) software directory data with public access — it hosts 1M+ apps vs CrozDesk's ~130K. **Q: How many results can I get?** A: Up to 10,000 records per run. AlternativeTo paginates search results; the actor automatically follows pagination. **Q: Does this require any API key or authentication?** A: No. AlternativeTo is fully public and accessible without login. **Q: How do I find a software's slug?** A: The slug is the URL segment after `/software/` on AlternativeTo. For example, Asana's page is `https://alternativeto.net/software/asana/about/` — the slug is `asana`. **Q: What pricing models are supported?** A: Free, Freemium (free basic + paid tiers), and Paid. **Q: How fresh is the data?** A: Data is scraped in real-time from AlternativeTo at the moment of your run. **Q: Can I filter by multiple platforms?** A: Currently, one platform filter at a time. To get multiple platforms, run separate actors with different platform filters. ### Technical Notes - Uses standard HTTP requests (no browser required) - Respects rate limits with polite delays between requests - Automatically retries on 429/5xx errors - No proxy or authentication required # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): What to fetch. `search` — find plugins by query/filters. `getBySlug` — fetch specific plugins by slug. ## `query` (type: `string`): Keyword to search for (mode=search). E.g. `project management`, `crm`, `seo`. ## `category` (type: `string`): Filter by plugin category/tag. Leave empty for all categories. ## `pricingModel` (type: `string`): Filter by pricing model. WordPress plugins are free to download; freemium/paid means there is a commercial tier. ## `slugs` (type: `array`): List of WordPress plugin slugs to fetch. E.g. `wedevs-project-manager`, `woocommerce`, `yoast-seo`. (mode=getBySlug) ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of plugin records to return. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "search", "query": "project management", "category": "", "pricingModel": "", "maxItems": 100 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `software` (type: `string`): Dataset containing all scraped software records. # 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 = { "mode": "search", "query": "project management", "category": "", "pricingModel": "", "maxItems": 100 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/crozdesk-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 = { "mode": "search", "query": "project management", "category": "", "pricingModel": "", "maxItems": 100, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("crawlerbros/crozdesk-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 '{ "mode": "search", "query": "project management", "category": "", "pricingModel": "", "maxItems": 100 }' | apify call crawlerbros/crozdesk-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/crozdesk-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "CrozDesk Scraper — WordPress Plugin Directory", "description": "Scrape the WordPress.org Plugin Directory - 60,000+ plugins with ratings, active installs, developer info, categories, and compatibility data. Search by keyword/category, filter by pricing model, or fetch specific plugins by slug. No authentication required.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "EqFC4b8yPjrYcnJYn" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/crawlerbros~crozdesk-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlerbros-crozdesk-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~crozdesk-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlerbros-crozdesk-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~crozdesk-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-crawlerbros-crozdesk-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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", "required": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "search", "getBySlug" ], "type": "string", "description": "What to fetch. `search` — find plugins by query/filters. `getBySlug` — fetch specific plugins by slug.", "default": "search" }, "query": { "title": "Search query", "type": "string", "description": "Keyword to search for (mode=search). E.g. `project management`, `crm`, `seo`." }, "category": { "title": "Category filter", "enum": [ "", "project-management", "crm", "marketing", "hr", "accounting", "video-editing", "photo-editing", "music", "design", "productivity", "communication", "collaboration", "development", "security", "analytics", "e-commerce", "email", "social-media", "file-management", "backup", "remote-desktop", "vpn", "antivirus", "password-manager", "note-taking", "browser", "office-suites", "games" ], "type": "string", "description": "Filter by plugin category/tag. Leave empty for all categories.", "default": "" }, "pricingModel": { "title": "Pricing model filter", "enum": [ "", "free", "freemium", "paid" ], "type": "string", "description": "Filter by pricing model. WordPress plugins are free to download; freemium/paid means there is a commercial tier.", "default": "" }, "slugs": { "title": "Plugin slugs (mode=getBySlug)", "type": "array", "description": "List of WordPress plugin slugs to fetch. E.g. `wedevs-project-manager`, `woocommerce`, `yoast-seo`. (mode=getBySlug)", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of plugin records to return.", "default": 100 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```