PyPI Scraper

PyPI Scraper

Search Python packages on PyPI and get metadata, download stats, classifiers, and release history for each one. Feed it a keyword like 'web scraping' or 'django' and collect up to a million packages per run. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

PyPI's JSON API is rate-limited and returns one package at a time. This Actor searches the Python Package Index by keyword, reads the public package pages, and returns every match in a flat row. No API key, no registration, no per-package lookups.

Who uses it	What they scrape PyPI for
Python developers	Find the most popular and well-maintained packages for a specific task before adding a dependency.
DevOps engineers	Audit package download trends and release frequency to decide which libraries to standardize on.
Security researchers	Collect package metadata and release histories to spot abandoned or rarely-updated dependencies in a supply chain.
Data analysts	Gather download counts and classifier distributions to report on Python ecosystem trends.

What it does

This Actor searches PyPI for Python packages by keyword and returns each package as a flat row with its metadata, download statistics, classifiers, and release information.

• 🔍 Keyword search: enter any term, from 'web scraping' to 'pytorch', and collect every matching package.
• 📊 Download statistics: recent download counts are included so you can gauge real-world usage.
• 🏷️ Classifiers and metadata: each row carries the full set of PyPI trove classifiers, license, author, and maintainer info.
• 📦 Release history: version strings and release dates let you see how actively a package is maintained.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with PyPI data

📈 Compare package popularity.

A data analyst searches 'data visualization' and collects download counts for the top 200 packages to recommend the most-used library to their team.

🔒 Audit dependency health.

A security engineer searches for packages their company uses, collects release dates, and flags any that have not been updated in over two years.

🏷️ Map the Python ecosystem.

A researcher searches broad terms like 'machine learning' and 'web framework', collects classifiers, and maps which categories are growing fastest.

📦 Find the right tool for a job.

A developer searches 'pdf generation', collects the top 50 results with their descriptions and Python version classifiers, and picks the best fit.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key required	Reads public PyPI pages directly, no registration or token management.
Flat row per package	Every package lands in your dataset as one row, ready for CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML export.
Up to a million packages	The maxItems limit lets you collect a handful of results or a full category sweep in one run.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets PyPI the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	PyPI Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When PyPI changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with a single search keyword and cap the number of packages returned with the maxItems limit. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "search": "web scraping",
  "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
  "search": "web scraping",
  "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.021 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$2.10
1,000 results	$21.00
10,000 results	$210.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the PyPI Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to PyPI through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/pypi-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your search keyword for typos. Try a broader term. PyPI search matches package names, summaries, and descriptions, so a very specific phrase may return nothing.

Why did the run stop before reaching my maxItems limit?

PyPI returned fewer total matches than your limit. The Actor collects every package that matches your keyword. If only 47 packages match, the run stops at 47.

Why are download counts different from what I see on pypi.org?

Download counts are cached and updated periodically. A small discrepancy between the Actor's result and the live page is normal and resolves within a day.

Why is the run taking a long time?

Collecting tens of thousands of packages requires many page reads. Increase your Actor's memory or reduce maxItems if you need faster results.

Why are some fields empty for certain packages?

Not every package maintainer fills in all metadata. Fields like author email or homepage are optional on PyPI and will be blank when the maintainer left them empty.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Can I scrape a specific package by name instead of searching?	Yes. Enter the exact package name as the search keyword. The Actor will return that package if it exists on PyPI.
What download stats are included?	The Actor collects recent download counts as displayed on the public PyPI package pages. These are the same numbers you see on pypi.org.
Does this Actor need a PyPI account or API token?	No. It reads the public package index pages directly. You do not need a PyPI account, an API key, or any registration.
How many packages can I collect in one run?	You set the limit with the maxItems field, up to one million packages per run. The Actor stops when it reaches that number or when PyPI has no more matches.
What output formats are supported?	Your dataset can be exported to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform.
Can I filter by Python version or license?	The Actor returns the full set of classifiers for each package. You can filter the resulting dataset in your own code or spreadsheet by the classifier fields.
Does it return release history?	Yes. Each row includes version strings and release dates so you can see the full release timeline for a package.
Is the search case-sensitive?	No. PyPI search is case-insensitive. Searching 'Django' and 'django' return the same results.
Can I schedule this Actor to run weekly?	Yes. Use Apify's scheduler to run the Actor on a recurring basis and track how package stats change over time.
What happens if my search keyword returns no results?	The run completes with an empty dataset. Try a broader or different keyword.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Python Software Foundation. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.