# UK Companies House Scraper - Company Search (`goat255/companies-house-scraper`) Actor Search the public UK company register and get one clean row per company: number, name, previous names, incorporation or dissolution date, registered address and postcode. No sign-in and no API key. - **URL**: https://apify.com/goat255/companies-house-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Goutam Soni](https://apify.com/goat255) (community) - **Categories:** Business, Lead generation, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $2.00 / 1,000 company scrapeds This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. 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/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.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/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 ## UK Companies House Scraper Search the public UK company register and get one clean row per company. Company number, name, previous names, status, incorporation or dissolution date, registered address and postcode. No sign-in and no API key. ### What it does - **Search by name or keyword.** One search per term, and results are deduplicated across all your terms, so a company matching two terms is delivered once and charged once. - **Dates as real dates.** "27 November 1947" is returned as `1947-11-27`, so you can sort and filter instead of parsing text. - **Previous names** where the register records them, which is how you follow a company through a rebrand. - **Postcode split out** from the registered address, ready to join against other datasets. - **Status only when the register states it.** See the note below, it matters. Common uses: building company lists, sales and lead research, due diligence, checking a supplier or counterparty, corporate structure mapping, and keeping a company dataset current. ### Input | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `searchTerms` | array | Company names, partial names or keywords. One search per entry. | | `maxResultsPerTerm` | integer | Cap per term. Default 100. | | `proxyConfiguration` | object | Optional. Enable to spread requests across IPs. | #### Example input ```json { "searchTerms": ["acme trading", "example holdings"], "maxResultsPerTerm": 300 } ```` ### Output Each item is one company. ```json { "companyNumber": "00000001", "name": "ACME TRADING LIMITED", "previousNames": ["ACME SUPPLIES LIMITED"], "status": null, "statusLabel": "Incorporated on 27 November 1947", "incorporatedOn": "1947-11-27", "openedOn": null, "dissolvedOn": null, "registeredAddress": "1 Example Street, Example Town, EX1 2AB", "postcode": "EX1 2AB", "url": "https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00000001", "searchTerm": "acme trading" } ``` ### Notes - **An active company is never labelled active.** The search listing states an incorporation date, or that a company was dissolved or closed, but it does not say "active". So `status` is filled in only when the register actually says so (`dissolved` or `closed`) and is `null` otherwise. The exact wording is always passed through in `statusLabel`. A `null` status means the register did not state one, not that the company is confirmed trading. - **Overseas companies and UK establishments** are not incorporated in the UK, they open an establishment. That date is returned in `openedOn` rather than being passed off as an incorporation date. - A small number of entries on the register carry only a company number, with no status wording and no address. Those rows keep their number, name and link, and return `null` for the rest rather than a guess. - `postcode` is only filled when the registered address contains a UK postcode. Overseas registered addresses return `null`. - Dissolved companies do not show an incorporation date in the search listing, so `incorporatedOn` is `null` for them while `dissolvedOn` is filled. # Actor input Schema ## `searchTerms` (type: `array`): Company names, partial names or keywords. One search per entry. ## `maxResultsPerTerm` (type: `integer`): Cap per search term. Results are deduplicated across terms. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Optional. Enable to spread requests across IPs. ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchTerms": [ "holdings limited" ], "maxResultsPerTerm": 100 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `records` (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 = { "searchTerms": [ "holdings limited" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("goat255/companies-house-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 = { "searchTerms": ["holdings limited"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("goat255/companies-house-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 '{ "searchTerms": [ "holdings limited" ] }' | apify call goat255/companies-house-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=goat255/companies-house-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "UK Companies House Scraper - Company Search", "description": "Search the public UK company register and get one clean row per company: number, name, previous names, incorporation or dissolution date, registered address and postcode. No sign-in and no API key.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "myvgtDKUCUsaTaR4t" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/goat255~companies-house-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-goat255-companies-house-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/goat255~companies-house-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-goat255-companies-house-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/goat255~companies-house-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-goat255-companies-house-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": [ "searchTerms" ], "properties": { "searchTerms": { "title": "Search terms", "type": "array", "description": "Company names, partial names or keywords. One search per entry.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxResultsPerTerm": { "title": "Max companies per term", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Cap per search term. Results are deduplicated across terms.", "default": 100 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional. Enable to spread requests across IPs." } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```