# Podcast Scraper – Apple/iTunes, RSS, Reviews & Contacts (`ninhothedev/podcast-intelligence-scraper`) Actor

Scrape podcasts from Apple/iTunes + RSS feeds: shows, full episode lists, audio URLs, star ratings & reviews, Apple charts, and the show owner's contact email. AI-ready markdown + token counts. Free APIs, no proxy. 4 modes: search, RSS, lookup, charts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/ninhothedev/podcast-intelligence-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ninhothedev](https://apify.com/ninhothedev) (community)
- **Categories:** News, Social media
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 results

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/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

## Podcast Scraper – Apple/iTunes, RSS, Reviews & Contacts

**Turn the world's podcasts into structured data.** Search Apple Podcasts (or paste RSS feeds) and get every show's metadata, **full episode list with audio URLs**, **star ratings & written reviews**, **Apple chart rank**, and the **show owner's contact email** — as JSON, CSV or Excel. AI-ready markdown + token counts included. **Free APIs, no proxy needed.**

### 💵 Pricing
**Pay per result — from $0.01 per podcast** (1 dataset item = 1 podcast, with nested episodes & reviews). No subscription, no proxy cost. You only pay for the podcasts you actually scrape. New Apify accounts include free monthly usage credits, so you can test it for **$0**.

### 🎧 What can the Podcast Scraper extract?
- **Show data** — title, author, description (+ AI-ready markdown), artwork, genres, country, language, episode count.
- **📧 Owner contact email** — pulled from the RSS feed (`<itunes:owner>`). Perfect for sponsorship & ad outreach.
- **⭐ Ratings & reviews** — Apple Podcasts star ratings and full review text.
- **📈 Apple charts** — Top Podcasts by country & genre, with rank.
- **Episodes** — title, **audio file URL**, duration, publish date, episode/season numbers, GUID, image, Podcasting 2.0 transcript/chapters.

### 🚀 How do I use the Podcast Scraper?
1. Click **Try for free**.
2. Pick a **mode**: `search` (keyword), `rss` (feed URLs), `lookup` (iTunes IDs) or `charts`.
3. Enter your query (e.g. `true crime`) and optionally enable **ratings & reviews**.
4. Click **Start** → download results as JSON, CSV or Excel, or pull them via the API.

### ⚙️ Input example
```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "lex fridman",
  "maxResults": 20,
  "includeEpisodes": true,
  "includeReviews": true
}
````

### 📦 Output example

```json
{
  "title": "Lex Fridman Podcast",
  "author": "Lex Fridman",
  "primary_genre": "Technology",
  "owner_email": "lexfridman@gmail.com",
  "feed_url": "https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/",
  "episode_count": 498,
  "episodes": [
    { "title": "#400 – …", "audio_url": "https://…/ep.mp3", "duration_seconds": 10912, "token_count": 849 }
  ],
  "reviews": [
    { "author": "Algo Rhythm", "rating": 5, "title": "Amazing Podcast!", "text": "…" }
  ]
}
```

### 🎯 Use cases

- **Podcast ad & sponsorship sales** — build a contact database from owner emails + chart rank.
- **Market & competitor research** — track shows, genres, ratings and release cadence.
- **AI / RAG pipelines** — clean markdown show notes & episode text with token counts.
- **Media monitoring** — watch reviews and new episodes on a schedule.

### 💰 How much will it cost?

The data sources (Apple iTunes API + RSS) are **free and unmetered** — there is **no proxy cost**. You pay only the per-result price:
| Podcasts scraped | Approx. cost |
|---|---|
| 100 | ~$1 |
| 1,000 | ~$10 |
| 10,000 | ~$100 |
Episodes and reviews are nested inside each podcast item, so they **don't add extra billable results**.

### 🆚 Comparison

| | This actor | Typical podcast scraper |
|---|---|---|
| Owner contact email | ✅ | ❌ |
| Ratings + review text | ✅ | ❌ |
| Apple charts | ✅ | ❌ |
| AI markdown + token counts | ✅ | ❌ |
| Proxy required | ❌ none | sometimes |

### 🔗 Related actors

- [App Store Scraper](https://apify.com/ninhothedev/app-store-scraper) — apps, ratings & reviews
- [iTunes Store Scraper](https://apify.com/ninhothedev/itunes-store-scraper) — music, movies, ebooks
- [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/ninhothedev/youtube-transcript-scraper) — video captions
- [Newsletter Scraper](https://apify.com/ninhothedev/newsletter-scraper) — Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost

### ❓ FAQ

**Do I need a proxy or API key?** No. Apple's APIs and RSS feeds are open.
**Where does the owner email come from?** The public `<itunes:owner>` field in the RSS feed.
**Does it cover Spotify?** It uses Apple/iTunes + RSS — the universal source every podcast publishes to.

### 🛟 Support

Found an issue or need a field added? Open an issue on the actor and it'll be fixed quickly. Suggestions for new modes are welcome.

### Legal & privacy

Collects publicly available podcast data, including the public owner contact email published in RSS feeds. Use contact data in line with GDPR/CAN-SPAM and Apple's terms.

***

**Keywords:** podcast scraper, apple podcasts, itunes api, rss feed, podcast data, podcast reviews, podcast contacts, sponsorship, market intelligence, JSON CSV Excel.

# Actor input Schema

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

How to find podcasts: search (by keyword), rss (paste feed URLs), lookup (by iTunes ID), or charts (Apple Top Podcasts).

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Keyword(s) to search Apple Podcasts (mode = search). E.g. 'true crime' or 'lex fridman'.

## `feedUrls` (type: `array`):

Podcast RSS feed URLs to parse directly (mode = rss).

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

Apple/iTunes collection IDs (mode = lookup). E.g. 1434243584.

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

Apple storefront country (affects search, charts, reviews). ISO-2, e.g. us, de, gb.

## `genreId` (type: `string`):

Optional Apple Podcasts genre ID to filter search/charts (e.g. 1488 = News, 1489 = Technology, 1301 = Arts).

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

Maximum podcasts to return (search/charts). Apple caps search at 200.

## `includeEpisodes` (type: `boolean`):

Parse the full episode list from each podcast's RSS feed (audio URLs, durations, descriptions).

## `maxEpisodesPerPodcast` (type: `integer`):

Cap episodes parsed per show (newest first).

## `includeReviews` (type: `boolean`):

Also fetch Apple Podcasts star ratings and written reviews for each show (needs an iTunes ID, so search/lookup/charts modes).

## `maxReviews` (type: `integer`):

Cap reviews fetched per show.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Not needed — Apple's APIs and RSS feeds are open. Add a proxy only if a specific feed host blocks you.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "lex fridman",
  "feedUrls": [],
  "podcastIds": [],
  "country": "us",
  "maxResults": 50,
  "includeEpisodes": true,
  "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 50,
  "includeReviews": false,
  "maxReviews": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `podcasts` (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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQuery": "lex fridman",
    "maxResults": 50,
    "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 50,
    "maxReviews": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("ninhothedev/podcast-intelligence-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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQuery": "lex fridman",
    "maxResults": 50,
    "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 50,
    "maxReviews": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("ninhothedev/podcast-intelligence-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 '{
  "searchQuery": "lex fridman",
  "maxResults": 50,
  "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 50,
  "maxReviews": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call ninhothedev/podcast-intelligence-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=ninhothedev/podcast-intelligence-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Podcast Scraper – Apple/iTunes, RSS, Reviews & Contacts",
        "description": "Scrape podcasts from Apple/iTunes + RSS feeds: shows, full episode lists, audio URLs, star ratings & reviews, Apple charts, and the show owner's contact email. AI-ready markdown + token counts. Free APIs, no proxy. 4 modes: search, RSS, lookup, charts.",
        "version": "1.0",
        "x-build-id": "IJeHrCtawhqCxRyVl"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/ninhothedev~podcast-intelligence-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-ninhothedev-podcast-intelligence-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": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/ninhothedev~podcast-intelligence-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-ninhothedev-podcast-intelligence-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/ninhothedev~podcast-intelligence-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-ninhothedev-podcast-intelligence-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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",
                "properties": {
                    "mode": {
                        "title": "Mode",
                        "enum": [
                            "search",
                            "rss",
                            "lookup",
                            "charts"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "How to find podcasts: search (by keyword), rss (paste feed URLs), lookup (by iTunes ID), or charts (Apple Top Podcasts).",
                        "default": "search"
                    },
                    "searchQuery": {
                        "title": "Search query",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Keyword(s) to search Apple Podcasts (mode = search). E.g. 'true crime' or 'lex fridman'."
                    },
                    "feedUrls": {
                        "title": "RSS feed URLs",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Podcast RSS feed URLs to parse directly (mode = rss).",
                        "default": [],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "podcastIds": {
                        "title": "iTunes podcast IDs",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Apple/iTunes collection IDs (mode = lookup). E.g. 1434243584.",
                        "default": [],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "country": {
                        "title": "Country",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Apple storefront country (affects search, charts, reviews). ISO-2, e.g. us, de, gb.",
                        "default": "us"
                    },
                    "genreId": {
                        "title": "Genre ID",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Optional Apple Podcasts genre ID to filter search/charts (e.g. 1488 = News, 1489 = Technology, 1301 = Arts)."
                    },
                    "maxResults": {
                        "title": "Max podcasts",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 200,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum podcasts to return (search/charts). Apple caps search at 200.",
                        "default": 50
                    },
                    "includeEpisodes": {
                        "title": "Include episodes",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Parse the full episode list from each podcast's RSS feed (audio URLs, durations, descriptions).",
                        "default": true
                    },
                    "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": {
                        "title": "Max episodes per podcast",
                        "minimum": 0,
                        "maximum": 2000,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Cap episodes parsed per show (newest first).",
                        "default": 50
                    },
                    "includeReviews": {
                        "title": "Include ratings & reviews",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Also fetch Apple Podcasts star ratings and written reviews for each show (needs an iTunes ID, so search/lookup/charts modes).",
                        "default": false
                    },
                    "maxReviews": {
                        "title": "Max reviews per podcast",
                        "minimum": 0,
                        "maximum": 500,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Cap reviews fetched per show.",
                        "default": 50
                    },
                    "proxyConfiguration": {
                        "title": "Proxy",
                        "type": "object",
                        "description": "Not needed — Apple's APIs and RSS feeds are open. Add a proxy only if a specific feed host blocks you.",
                        "default": {
                            "useApifyProxy": false
                        }
                    }
                }
            },
            "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
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```