Apple App Store Search Scraper

The fastest way to scrape Apple App Store search results for ASO research, app discovery, and AI agents.

Search any keyword in the App Store and get back rich, structured app data: titles, ratings, developer info, prices, screenshots, genres, versions, and bundle IDs. Works across 50+ country stores and 40+ languages. Built for App Store Optimization (ASO), competitor tracking, market research, and AI agent workflows.

This actor is fully MCP (Model Context Protocol) ready, with one click setup for Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and Claude.ai Chat.

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AI Agent and MCP Integration

The fastest path to use this actor is through the Apify MCP server. Once connected, Claude (or any MCP-compatible AI agent) can discover and invoke this actor directly from a natural language prompt. No glue code, no client SDK, no manual REST calls.

The Apify MCP server hosts three discovery tools (search-actors, fetch-actor-details, add-actor) that let agents find and register this actor on the fly. Pick the setup that matches your Claude surface.

Option 1: Claude Code (terminal CLI)

The single-command setup. Open your terminal and run:

$claude mcp add apify -- npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server

Then add your Apify API token (one time):

$claude mcp add apify -e APIFY_TOKEN=your_apify_token_here -- npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server

Get your token at https://console.apify.com/account/integrations.

Prefer to edit config by hand? Open ~/.claude.json and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@apify/actors-mcp-server"],
      "env": { "APIFY_TOKEN": "your_apify_token_here" }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code, then try a prompt like:

Find the top 50 meditation apps in the US App Store with their ratings and prices.

Claude will discover this actor via search-actors, register it as a tool, and run it.

Option 2: Claude Cowork (web)

Claude Cowork uses the hosted Apify MCP endpoint over HTTP. No local install required.

1. Open Cowork.
2. Go to Settings > Connectors > Add custom connector.
3. Fill in:
   • Name: Apify
   • Remote MCP URL: https://mcp.apify.com
   • Authentication: Bearer token (paste your Apify API token).
4. Save and enable the connector.

Once connected, the Apify tools appear in the tool drawer. Try a prompt:

Use Apify to scrape Apple App Store search results for "budget tracker" in the UK store and tell me which apps have the most ratings.

Cowork supports dynamic tool discovery, so once Claude finds this actor in a session, it stays registered as a named tool for the rest of the conversation. Subsequent prompts reuse it without re-discovery.

Option 3: Claude.ai Chat (Connectors)

Same hosted MCP endpoint, configured through the standard Claude.ai UI.

1. Open https://claude.ai.
2. Click your profile, then Settings > Connectors > Add custom connector.
3. Fill in:
   • Name: Apify
   • Remote MCP URL: https://mcp.apify.com
   • Authentication: Bearer token (your Apify API token).
4. Save. Toggle the connector on at the start of any chat where you want App Store data.

Then prompt as normal:

Search the App Store for "language learning" apps using Apify. Show me ratings and developers.

Option 4: ChatGPT, n8n, Zapier, custom GPTs (direct REST)

Skip MCP entirely with a single REST call. Useful for custom GPTs, Zapier flows, n8n pipelines, or any HTTP client.

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/YOUR_USERNAME~apple-app-store-search/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"term": "meditation", "country": "us", "num": 50}'

For ChatGPT custom GPT Actions, import the Apify OpenAPI spec as a custom action. Once added, ChatGPT can call this actor as a function from any custom GPT.

Full Apify MCP documentation

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The Apple App Store API Family

This actor is the search link in a three-API family, all keyed on the same app_id:

API	Purpose	Input	Output
Apple App Store Search API (this actor)	Find apps by keyword.	Search term + country	Many apps (search results).
Apple App Store Product API	Get full details for one app: description, version history, screenshots, IAPs, privacy cards, sample reviews.	One or more App Store IDs + country	One full product record per ID.
Apple App Store Reviews API (coming soon)	Get paginated reviews for one app.	App Store ID + country + sort	Many reviews per app.

Search API ──► app_id ──► Product API ──► full product details
                     └──► Reviews API ──► paginated reviews

Agents typically chain them: search here for candidates, pick the IDs they care about, then fan out to the Product API and the Reviews API. Each API is pay-per-record across the family, so you only pay for what you actually fetch.

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What You Can Extract

Field	Description
App title	Official name shown on the App Store
App ID and bundle ID	Stable identifiers for cross-referencing
Developer info	Name, developer ID, and link to the developer page
Ratings	Average rating (0 to 5) and total rating count
Price	Type (Free, Paid, Free Trial), amount, currency, and symbol
Description and release notes	Full app description and latest version notes
Screenshots	URLs and sizes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other device classes
Logos	Multiple resolutions (60x60, 100x100, 512x512)
Genres	Primary and secondary App Store categories with IDs
Version info	Current version, release date, and latest version release date
Compatibility	Minimum OS version, supported devices, and supported languages
Age rating and advisories	Content rating plus any content warnings
Search context	The originating query, country store, language, and ranking position

Every dataset item is one app, flat and ready for analysis. Each row also carries the search query and country code, so multi-keyword runs stay self-contained.

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Use Cases

• App Store Optimization (ASO): Track keyword rankings, monitor competitor apps, and benchmark category leaders.
• App discovery and market research: Identify trending apps in any country store or category.
• Competitor tracking: Watch a rival developer's portfolio, version history, and ratings over time.
• Pricing and price-tier analysis: Compare paid vs free vs freemium distribution in a category.
• AI agent context: Feed real App Store data into LLM prompts for grounded answers about iOS apps.
• Trend monitoring: Detect new entrants and rapid risers in specific genres.
• Multi-country comparison: Run the same query across US, UK, JP, DE, and BR to compare regional app catalogs.

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
term	string	yes	(none)	Search query, e.g. coffee, fitness tracker, meditation.
country	string	no	us	Two-letter country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2, lowercase). 50+ stores supported.
lang	string	no	en-us	Language code in xx-yy form (e.g. en-us, fr-fr, ja-jp).
num	integer	no	10	Apps per page, 1 to 200. Default 10 keeps first runs cheap; raise to scan more apps per page.
device	string	no	desktop	Device class to emulate: desktop, tablet, or mobile.
disallow_explicit	boolean	no	false	Set true to filter out apps flagged as explicit.
property	string	no	""	"" for app-name search (default) or developer to search developer names.
category_id	integer	no	(none)	Filter by App Store category ID. Examples: 6014 Games, 6017 Education, 6005 Social Networking, 6013 Health and Fitness.
max_pages	integer	no	1	Maximum pages to fetch. Set to 0 for unlimited.
output_file	string	no	auto	Optional local JSON filename. Useful for local testing only.

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Example Inputs

Basic search

{
  "term": "coffee",
  "max_pages": 1
}

Localized search (UK store, English)

{
  "term": "budget tracker",
  "country": "gb",
  "lang": "en-gb",
  "num": 50,
  "max_pages": 1
}

Filtered by category (Games only, family safe)

{
  "term": "puzzle",
  "country": "us",
  "category_id": 6014,
  "disallow_explicit": true,
  "num": 100,
  "max_pages": 2
}

Developer portfolio search

{
  "term": "King",
  "property": "developer",
  "country": "us",
  "max_pages": 1
}

International store (Japan)

{
  "term": "manga",
  "country": "jp",
  "lang": "ja-jp",
  "num": 100,
  "max_pages": 1
}

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Example Output

Each dataset item is one app:

{
  "position": 1,
  "app_id": 1429637763,
  "title": "Calm",
  "bundle_id": "com.calm.app",
  "developer_name": "Calm.com, Inc.",
  "developer_id": 469307675,
  "developer_link": "https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/calm-com-inc/id469307675",
  "version": "8.21",
  "age_rating": "4+",
  "release_date": "2015-08-27T07:00:00Z",
  "latest_version_release_date": "2026-04-30T10:14:21Z",
  "price_type": "Free",
  "price_amount": null,
  "price_currency": "USD",
  "price_symbol": "$",
  "rating_average": 4.8,
  "rating_count": 1814237,
  "genres": [
    {"name": "Health & Fitness", "id": 6013, "primary": true},
    {"name": "Lifestyle", "id": 6012, "primary": false}
  ],
  "size_in_bytes": 312456789,
  "minimum_os_version": "15.0",
  "description_text": "Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation...",
  "release_notes": "We update Calm every two weeks with new content and improvements.",
  "screenshots": [
    {"link": "https://...screen1.png", "size": "1284x2778", "device": "iphone"},
    {"link": "https://...screen2.png", "size": "1284x2778", "device": "iphone"},
    {"link": "https://...ipad1.png", "size": "2048x2732", "device": "ipad"}
  ],
  "logos": [
    {"size": "60x60", "link": "https://...60x60.png"},
    {"size": "512x512", "link": "https://...512x512.png"}
  ],
  "supported_languages": ["en-US", "es-MX", "fr-FR", "de-DE", "ja-JP", "ko-KR"],
  "supported_devices": ["iPhone5s-iPhone5s", "iPadAir-iPadAir", "..."],
  "features": ["iosUniversal"],
  "advisories": [],
  "link": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calm/id1429637763",
  "game_center_enabled": false,
  "search_term": "meditation",
  "search_country": "us",
  "search_lang": "en-us",
  "search_page": 1,
  "search_position_global": 1,
  "search_timestamp": "2026-05-11T10:30:00"
}

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Pricing

Transparent pay-per-event pricing. You only pay for what you get.

Event	Cost	When charged
setup	$0.02	Once at the start of each run.
result	$0.0015	Per app returned in the dataset.

Cost estimates

Use case	Apps returned	Approx. cost
Quick keyword check (1 page, 10 apps)	10	$0.035
Standard keyword scan (1 page, 200 apps)	200	$0.32
Deep keyword crawl (5 pages, 200 each)	1,000	$1.52
Bulk ASO sweep (50 keywords, 200 apps each)	10,000	$15.02 (one run per keyword)

No monthly subscription. No hidden fees. Stop the run at any time and pay only for what was already returned.

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How to Get Started

1. Create an Apify account at https://apify.com if you do not have one.
2. Open the actor page in the Apify store and click Try for free.
3. Set the input (only term is required) and click Start.
4. Watch the run live in the Apify console, then download results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or RSS once it finishes.
5. Optional: connect via MCP (see top of this README) to call the actor directly from Claude or any AI agent.

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FAQ

Q: Why am I getting 0 apps? A: Check that the term is spelled correctly and matches keywords actual users would type. Try removing filters like category_id or disallow_explicit. If country is unusual, also confirm that store has apps matching the query.

Q: How many apps does one page return? A: Up to 200. Set num to control this. The actor charges per app actually returned, not per page, so picking a high num is the most efficient way to scan a keyword.

Q: Can I get full app details or reviews with this actor? A: Not directly. This actor focuses on search and discovery. For full per-app details (description, version history, screenshots, in-app purchases, privacy cards, sample reviews) use the companion Apple App Store Product API. For paginated reviews, use the dedicated Apple App Store Reviews API (coming soon). All three actors share the same App Store app_id, so you can chain them: search this actor for candidates, then fan out to the Product API and Reviews API for the IDs you care about.

Q: Can I search by developer name instead of app name? A: Yes. Set property to developer and put the developer name in term.

Q: Which country stores are supported? A: 50+ stores including US, UK, CA, AU, DE, FR, JP, KR, BR, MX, IN, and more. See the country parameter dropdown for the full list.

Q: Does this work with AI agents and MCP? A: Yes. Setup instructions for Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and Claude.ai Chat are at the top of this README.

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Last Updated: 2026.05.11