Google Images Scraper API: Image URLs, Sources & Filters

Turn any Google Images search into clean data: original image URL, Google thumbnail, title, source page, domain and position, up to 200 images per query, in 20 countries. Use Google's own size, color, type, file type, date and usage rights filters to get exactly the images you need.

It calls a commercial search data API instead of driving a browser: results in seconds, no proxies, no blocked runs. You only pay for images returned: queries with no result and duplicate images are free.

Typical uses

• Dataset building for machine learning: collect image URLs and their source pages per label (golden retriever, oak leaf), with Creative Commons or file type filters, then download them yourself under each license.
• Image SEO: see which pages and domains rank in Google Images for your keywords, and at which position; track your own images.
• Visual SERP tracking: schedule the same queries daily or weekly and compare positions and sources over time, per country.
• Content and design research: find reference images, transparent PNGs, SVG icons or Creative Commons photos for a topic, with the page to credit.
• Automations and AI agents: feed n8n, Make, Zapier, Google Sheets or an MCP client with structured JSON.

What you get for each image

Field	Description
position	Position in the Google Images results for your query (1 = first)
title	Image title / alt text shown by Google
imageUrl	Original image file on the source site (null when Google only embeds the image in the page)
thumbnailUrl	Google's thumbnail (encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com)
pageUrl, domain, sourceName	Page that hosts the image, its domain without www, and the site name Google shows (e.g. Walmart, Wikipedia)
searchQuery, searchCountry, languageCode, filters	The query, country, language and filters that found it
observedAt	When the data was fetched (UTC)

Missing values are always null, never guessed. Each image appears once per query. Image width and height are not included: the data source does not provide them.

Input

{
  "searchQueries": ["red bicycle", "vintage road bike"],
  "country": "US",
  "maxImagesPerQuery": 100,
  "imageSize": "large",
  "usageRights": "creativeCommons"
}

• searchQueries: up to 1,000 per run, up to 700 characters each.
• country: US, GB, CA, AU, IE, IN, DE, AT, CH, FR, BE, ES, MX, IT, NL, PT, BR, PL, SE, JP. languageCode (optional) sets the interface language; it defaults to the country's main language.
• maxImagesPerQuery: 1 to 200 (default 100).
• Filters (optional, all default to any, can be combined). They are Google's own filters, passed as is:
  • imageSize: large, medium, icon
  • imageColor: blackAndWhite, transparent, or a dominant color (red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, purple, pink, white, gray, black, brown)
  • imageType: photo, face, clipart, lineart, animated
  • fileType: jpg, png, gif, svg, webp
  • timePeriod: pastDay, pastWeek, pastMonth, pastYear
  • usageRights: creativeCommons, commercial

Google applies the filters; results are not checked image by image. In our tests, fileType: "svg" returned 99 SVG files out of 100 and fileType: "png" 83 PNG files out of 100.

Output example

Real row from a run on 2026-10-07 (query golden retriever puppy, US, no filter):

{
  "searchQuery": "golden retriever puppy",
  "found": true,
  "position": 1,
  "title": "How to Train a Golden Retriever Puppy: Growth & Training Timeline",
  "imageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn-origin-etr.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/09151754/Golden-Retriever-puppy-standing-outdoors.jpg",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUNLBzUGVp8D2IE6U-7oqMxVJ0xJaE1GFBpikkO40bOA&s=10",
  "pageUrl": "https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/golden-retriever-puppy-training-timeline/",
  "domain": "akc.org",
  "sourceName": "American Kennel Club",
  "searchCountry": "US",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "filters": null,
  "observedAt": "2026-10-07T13:19:02.980Z",
  "schemaVersion": "1.0"
}

Pricing

Pay per image returned, no subscription, no proxy costs. See the Pricing tab for current prices: one event per image found, cheaper on higher Apify plans (about $1 per 1,000 images on the Bronze plan), plus a small fee per search that returns images ($0.0022) and a tiny start fee per run ($0.001). Searches with no image are free. All filters are included in that price.

Queries with no result, duplicate images and input mistakes cost nothing beyond the start fee. The run never spends more than the maximum cost you set.

Free Apify plan: each run returns up to 20 images for up to 2 queries, so you can check the output. A paid Apify plan removes these limits.

Use it from code, automations or AI agents

API (one call, results returned directly):

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/plainrows~google-images-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"searchQueries": ["red bicycle"], "maxImagesPerQuery": 50, "usageRights": "creativeCommons"}'

n8n, Make, Zapier: use the Apify integration, pick plainrows/google-images-scraper, and send the dataset items to Google Sheets, Airtable, a database or your download script.

AI agents (MCP): add https://mcp.apify.com?tools=plainrows/google-images-scraper to Claude, Cursor or any MCP client. The agent gets a typed tool and pays per result.

What this is not

• Not an image downloader. It returns links only: images are never downloaded, stored or re-hosted. Images belong to their owners; check the license on the source page before you reuse one, even with the Creative Commons filter.
• No image width, height, file size or colors, and no reverse image search (Google Lens).
• No sponsored results, related searches or Google's suggestion chips: image results only.
• Not affiliated with Google.

Run summary

Each run stores a summary in the key-value store (OUTPUT): queries run, queries with no result, images billed, duplicate images and queries removed, invalid queries, filters used, and anything skipped because of the free-plan or budget limit.

FAQ

How do I get image URLs from Google Images? Enter your searches, one per line, and run: one row per image with the original image URL, thumbnail, title, source page and domain.

How many images per search? 1 to 200 (maxImagesPerQuery, default 100).

Can I filter by size, color, type or usage rights? Yes: Google's own filters for size, color, type, file type, date and usage rights can be combined.

Does it download the images? No: it returns links only. Images belong to their owners; check the license on the source page before reusing one.

Does it do reverse image search? No (no Google Lens): it searches Google Images by text.

More PlainRows tools

Same pay-per-result pricing, same clean JSON, built to chain together in n8n, Make, Zapier or AI agents.

• SEO and keywords: Keyword Search Volume, CPC & Difficulty · Keyword Ideas Generator · Google Autocomplete & People Also Ask · Google Trends Explorer · Website Organic Traffic & Top Keywords · Bulk Domain Authority Checker · Backlink Checker · Broken Link Checker · AI Search Visibility Tracker (ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode) · Google Maps Rank Tracker (Geo-Grid Local SEO)
• Leads and companies: Google Maps Scraper · Website Technology Checker · ATS Jobs Scraper (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby) · Google Jobs Scraper · Google Ads Scraper (Transparency Center) · Company Registry Lookup (SIRENE, LEI, Brreg) · Public Tenders Search (EU TED & UK)
• E-commerce and travel: Amazon Product Search Scraper · Google Shopping Prices Scraper · Google Hotels Prices Scraper · Tripadvisor Reviews Scraper
• Content and media: Google News Scraper · YouTube Search Scraper · YouTube Comments Scraper · Website Screenshot API · Google Maps Reviews Scraper · App Store & Google Play Reviews Scraper

Support

Missing a field or found a bug? Open an issue on this page. Issues are read and answered.