DuckDuckGo Search Results Scraper

Export ranked DuckDuckGo organic search results for one keyword or a batch. Get titles, destination URLs, snippets and positions for SEO research, market discovery and regional search-result comparisons—not ads, images, news results or the full text of destination pages.

Quick start

Enter a query, choose a small result limit, and start the Actor. Open its dataset to inspect results or export JSON, CSV or Excel.

{
  "query": "apify web scraping",
  "maxResults": 5,
  "region": "us-en",
  "safeSearch": "moderate",
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false }
}

This requests up to five organic results. Availability and ordering depend on DuckDuckGo. A requested limit is not a guarantee of that many rows.

Prefer a video guide? This short Apify walkthrough shows you how to set up and run an Actor. It uses a different Actor, but the setup steps are the same.

Ready-to-run examples

These small, existing public examples each request up to five results for each of two queries:

• US keyword ranking snapshot — Inspect organic positions for a small US keyword set.
• UK keyword ranking snapshot — Compare keyword results using the UK region setting.
• German market research — Discover organic search destinations using the German region setting.

Each run is a snapshot, not a built-in tracker or alert service.

What you get

• Organic search snapshots: Collect ranked titles, destination URLs and available snippets.
• Keyword batches: Search one phrase or a list with a separate result limit for each.
• Regional comparisons: Request a supported DuckDuckGo region and compare snapshots in your own workflow.

Who is it for?

• SEO researchers: Review which pages appear for a keyword set.
• Market researchers: Discover relevant websites in different regions.
• Automation builders: Retrieve structured search rows for spreadsheets or downstream analysis.

Practical workflows

Compare a small search snapshot

Choose two or three exact phrases, set maxResults to 5 per query and send the intended region and safeSearch explicitly. Export query, rank, url, domain and scrapedAt to a spreadsheet. Keep the settings with each export and compare later snapshots in your own workflow. Rankings and source coverage can change, so a missing row is not proof that a page disappeared.

Input settings

Supply query, queries, or both. When both are present, their nonblank values are combined and duplicate queries are removed.

Setting	API key	Behavior
Single query	query	One search phrase. Provide this or a nonempty query list.
Query list	queries	Additional phrases, processed in input order.
Result limit	maxResults	Per-query limit, 1–300. Runtime default 10.
Region	region	DuckDuckGo code such as us-en, uk-en, de-de or wt-wt.
Safe Search	safeSearch	strict, moderate or off.
Connection	proxyConfiguration	Existing Apify Proxy control. Explicit useApifyProxy: false selects direct access. See field help for supported settings.

The form defaults to us-en, moderate and Apify Proxy enabled. API callers should send their intended region and Safe Search values explicitly. These values are not added automatically when absent. Proxy access does not guarantee that DuckDuckGo will return results.

For a batch, replace query with "queries": ["web scraping tools", "search data API"]. The result limit applies separately to each phrase, not to the whole run.

Output data

One dataset row represents one organic search result. This synthetic example illustrates the shape only. It is not an observed search result:

{
  "query": "example query",
  "rank": 1,
  "resultTitle": "Example page",
  "title": "Example page",
  "url": "https://example.com/",
  "domain": "example.com",
  "displayUrl": "example.com",
  "snippet": null,
  "redirectUrl": null,
  "region": "us-en",
  "page": 1,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-24T00:00:00.000Z"
}

Fields	Meaning
query, rank	Search phrase and saved organic position within that query.
resultTitle, title	Result title and its compatibility alias.
url, domain	Destination URL and derived hostname. Domain can be null.
displayUrl, snippet, redirectUrl	Displayed URL text, description and DuckDuckGo redirect link when available, otherwise null.
region, page, scrapedAt	Requested region (null if absent), result page and extraction timestamp.

Results retain the returned order. There is no sorting option or date filter. The Actor does not produce a separate run-summary file.

Download your results

Open your run's dataset, choose Export and select JSON, CSV or Excel. JSON keeps nested fields together. CSV and Excel are useful when you want to review the records in a spreadsheet.

See Apify's download and export guide for the available formats and field options.

Pricing

The start event is charged when a run begins, including runs that later fail.

The result event is charged per organic result saved to the dataset.

See the live Pricing tab for current rates and discounts.

Tips for best results

• Start with a small search. Use a few queries and a low maxResults to inspect relevance before expanding.
• Choose your region. Send the intended region explicitly when comparing markets.
• Keep snapshots comparable. Use the same phrases and settings when comparing results over time.
• Check the run status. Previously saved rows can remain available even if a later request fails.

Limits and caveats

Each query can request at most 300 rows, but DuckDuckGo may return fewer, omit snippets or stop supplying additional pages. Rankings vary with time, region and source availability. This is not an official DuckDuckGo API.

Already saved rows remain available if a later request fails, but the run can still fail and later queries may not complete. A run with no saved results currently fails. Inspect the run status rather than treating every empty dataset as proof that no matching pages exist.

This Actor returns organic web results only. It does not extract ads, images, news results or destination-page text. It has no sorting option, date filter or separate run-summary file.

Automation and integrations

Save your settings for next time

Once you have an input that works for you, save it as an Apify task. This keeps your settings together so you can use them again without filling in the form from scratch.

Run on a schedule

Need fresh results regularly? You can schedule the Actor or a saved task to run at a time that suits you.

Each scheduled run collects the data again. If you want to compare results or highlight changes, add that step in your own workflow.

Send results to your other tools

Use n8n, Make or Zapier to connect this scraper to the rest of your workflow. For example, you could pass its results to an AI assistant or add records to a spreadsheet. Follow the Apify integration guides for your chosen tool.

For a custom connection, an Apify webhook can notify your app when a run finishes or fails. Your app can then fetch the results or handle the failure.

API usage

Want to collect this data from your own app or automation? The examples below send input to the scraper and show how to collect its results.

The Node.js and Python examples wait for the run to finish before reading its results. The cURL example starts the run and returns its details. Wait for that run to finish, then use its defaultDatasetId to fetch the results.

For setup instructions, see Apify's JavaScript client guide, Python client guide and Actor runs API reference.

cURL

curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~duckduckgo-search-results-scraper/runs' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"query":"apify web scraping","maxResults":5,"region":"us-en","safeSearch":"moderate","proxyConfiguration":{"useApifyProxy":false}}'

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/duckduckgo-search-results-scraper').call({
  query: 'apify web scraping', maxResults: 5, region: 'us-en',
  safeSearch: 'moderate', proxyConfiguration: { useApifyProxy: false },
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/duckduckgo-search-results-scraper').call(run_input={
    'query': 'apify web scraping', 'maxResults': 5, 'region': 'us-en',
    'safeSearch': 'moderate', 'proxyConfiguration': {'useApifyProxy': False},
})
for item in client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).iterate_items():
    print(item)

MCP and AI agents

You can ask your AI assistant to collect data with DuckDuckGo Search Results Scraper and help you work with the results. The scraper returns the data, and your assistant can then summarize it, compare records or prepare notes.

Connect your assistant through the Apify MCP server. MCP gives your assistant a way to find this scraper, run it and read the results. Follow the official setup and sign-in guide for your app.

Easier setup with an Apify plugin

If you use a supported coding assistant, the official Apify plugin can set up the connection for you. It connects your assistant to Apify and includes instructions for common tasks. Follow the guide for your particular app.

Use Apify AI in Console

Prefer to keep everything in Apify? Open Apify AI in Console and ask it to find Fetch Cat's DuckDuckGo Search Results Scraper. You can describe the data you want and ask questions about the results.

Apify AI is currently in beta. It asks for confirmation before starting an Actor, and normal run charges apply.

Choose your assistant

• Claude and Claude Code (Anthropic): Apify setup guide.
• ChatGPT and Codex (OpenAI): Apify setup guides.
• Grok Bot (xAI): Apify plugin guide.
• Gemini CLI (Google): MCP server setup guide. Use the server URL below with the HTTP configuration supported by Gemini CLI.

Connect just this scraper

To keep your setup focused on this scraper, add this server configuration to a compatible MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/duckduckgo-search-results-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Sign in to Apify when your client asks. If your client uses a Bearer token instead, follow its setup guide and keep the token in its secure configuration. Configuration formats vary by app, so use the linked guide if your client needs a different format.

Use Apify's general server

Already connected to the general Apify MCP server at https://mcp.apify.com? You can use it to find this scraper without adding another server. Ask your assistant to use DuckDuckGo Search Results Scraper by Fetch Cat, or give it the identifier fetch_cat/duckduckgo-search-results-scraper.

Your assistant can check the available settings and retrieve the results from the returned run. If the run is still working, it should follow that run rather than start it again. Both connection options use Apify's hosted service.

Example requests

• “Find up to five organic results for web scraping tools in the US and list their titles and destination URLs.”
• “Search for electric bike reviews in the UK and Germany, then compare the websites in the returned results.”
• “Collect up to ten results each for privacy search engines and browser privacy tools, then group the returned domains in a table.”

Normal Apify charges apply. Check the live Pricing tab before asking your assistant to run a larger batch.

Pay with x402

If your AI agent has a funded wallet, it can pay for Apify usage through x402. This experimental option lets an agent use Apify without a conventional account.

Apify AGI provides a prepaid API token with a spending cap after payment. Your agent can use that token to run this scraper through the Apify API or an authenticated MCP connection.

Some MCP setups also support paying for each request directly. That is a different payment option, so check the official guide for its availability.

Follow the official guide for wallet setup, supported payment options and current terms. Apify handles the payments. Keep wallet keys and payment tokens in your agent's secure configuration.

Other ways for agents to pay

Apify also supports MPP for prepaid access through AGI and Skyfire for eligible Actors. If your agent already uses one of these, see the agentic payment guide to choose the right setup.

FAQ

Can I use this as a DuckDuckGo search API?

You can call it through the Apify API or MCP to obtain structured organic-result snapshots. It is not affiliated with DuckDuckGo and does not provide an official or guaranteed-complete search API.

Why are results missing or different from Google?

DuckDuckGo has its own result selection and regional behavior. It may return fewer matches or restrict automated access. Lower the query volume, confirm the region and inspect the run status. Missing rows alone do not establish a genuine no-match search.

Does this monitor keyword rankings automatically?

No. A run captures a snapshot. Compare saved datasets in your own reporting workflow to study changes over time.

Can I extract news, images or destination-page text?

No. This Actor returns organic web-result rows only. Use a product suited to those other sources instead.

Related Actors

• Google News Scraper — Research news coverage alongside organic search snapshots.
• Google Trends Scraper — Collect current country-level Trending Now topics and available traffic labels as separate context, rather than historical interest for a chosen keyword.
• Google Keyword Research Scraper — Discover related keyword ideas.
• Sitemap URL Extractor — Collect a site's sitemap URLs for comparison with search visibility.
• YouTube Search Results Scraper — Research video-search results separately.

Support and feedback

For custom additions or integrations, email hello@fetchcat.dev.

Found an error or have a feature request? Open an issue with the run URL, a non-sensitive input example and what you expected.

Need help sharing it? See Apify’s guide to sharing a run when reporting an issue. Sharing a run can give the developer access to its input, logs and results, so use a run that contains no sensitive data. Please leave out API tokens, passwords, cookies, private documents and personal data. Use a public sample URL or a redacted example instead.

Tried this scraper? We'd love to hear how it worked for you. Leave a review to help others choose the right tool and help us improve it. Your feedback means a lot to us.

Made with care for curious people, AI agents and the possibilities in data. ♥