# Product Hunt Scraper for Launch & Maker Leads (`runtime/producthunt-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Product Hunt launches, makers, hunters, websites, social links, comments, reviews, upvotes, rankings, and startup lead signals.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/runtime/producthunt-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [scraping automation](https://apify.com/runtime) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Business, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 149 total users, 12 monthly users, 86.5% runs succeeded, 7 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $5.20 / 1,000 product launches

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Product Hunt Launch & Maker Lead Scraper

Extract Product Hunt launches, makers, hunters, websites, social links, upvotes,
comments, reviews, and lead scoring fields for startup research and outreach.

### Best for

- Sales teams looking for newly launched SaaS and AI startup leads
- Investors and scouts monitoring launch traction by day or category
- Market researchers comparing products, makers, comments, and launch history
- Newsletter or content teams building Product Hunt launch roundups

### Quick start

For a fast, low-risk daily leaderboard run:

```json
{
    "startUrls": "https://www.producthunt.com/leaderboard/daily/2025/1/15/all",
    "getDetails": false,
    "maxResults": 25,
    "timeoutSecs": 600,
    "useApifyProxy": true
}
```

For enriched lead generation, keep the volume smaller because detail pages add
maker, hunter, comment, review, website, and social extraction:

```json
{
    "startDate": "2025-01-15",
    "endDate": "2025-01-15",
    "getDetails": true,
    "maxResults": 5,
    "maxCommentPages": 1,
    "maxConcurrency": 2,
    "timeoutSecs": 900,
    "useApifyProxy": true
}
```

If `startUrls`, `startDate`, and `endDate` are empty, the Actor defaults to the
previous daily leaderboard.

### Common workflows

- **Daily startup lead list**: scrape yesterday's leaderboard, sort by
  `leadScore`, then export `companyWebsite`, `websiteDomain`, makers, and hunter.
- **Competitor launch tracking**: run date ranges and compare `upvotes`,
  `position`, comments, reviews, and categories.
- **Maker outreach**: enable `getDetails` to collect makers, hunter, social
  links, launch history, and discussion fields.
- **Traction scoring**: use `tractionScore`, `contactScore`, `qualityScore`, and
  `leadSignals` to prioritize records before CRM import.

### Useful input fields

| Field                  | Use                                                                    |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `startUrls`            | Product Hunt leaderboards or product pages.                            |
| `startDate`, `endDate` | Daily leaderboard range in `YYYY-MM-DD` format.                        |
| `getDetails`           | Opens product pages for maker, hunter, website, comments, and reviews. |
| `maxResults`           | Limit saved products; keep low for detailed runs.                      |
| `maxCommentPages`      | Add comment pages per product when details are enabled.                |
| `maxConcurrency`       | Lower values are slower but more stable.                               |
| `useApifyProxy`        | Recommended for cloud runs.                                            |

### Output fields

The dataset can include:

- `name`
- `tagline`
- `productHuntUrl`
- `companyWebsite`
- `websiteDomain`
- `upvotes`
- `position`
- `rank`
- `categories`
- `makerUsernames`
- `hunterUsername`
- `comments`
- `reviews`
- `leadScore`
- `contactScore`
- `tractionScore`
- `leadSignals`
- `outreachReady`
- `qualityWarnings`

### Dataset views

Use the built-in views for faster review:

- **Overview**: launch rank, product, upvotes, scores, and URLs.
- **Lead generation**: website, domain, maker, hunter, social, and outreach fields.
- **Traction**: upvotes, comments, reviews, launch count, and performance score.
- **Details**: enriched product page fields and quality warnings.

### Settings that convert best

- Use `getDetails: false` for broad monitoring.
- Use `getDetails: true` only for a small shortlist.
- Keep `maxCommentPages: 0` unless comments are part of the workflow.
- Start with one date, confirm the output, then expand the range.

### Notes

- Product Hunt pages are dynamic and can be slow.
- Detail extraction is best effort; Product Hunt may hide or delay maker,
  comment, review, website, or social fields.
- Use source URLs, dates, and quality warnings when sending records to CRM or AI
  workflows.

### Support

If a run returns unexpected data, open an issue from the Actor page with the
input used, the run ID, and the result you expected.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `string`):

Product Hunt URLs to start from, one per line. Supports daily leaderboards and product pages. If Start Date is provided, this field is ignored.

## `startDate` (type: `string`):

Start date for daily leaderboard scraping (YYYY-MM-DD format). If provided, Start URLs will be ignored. Leave empty to use Start URLs instead.

## `endDate` (type: `string`):

End date for daily leaderboard scraping (YYYY-MM-DD format). If not provided, defaults to yesterday. Only used when Start Date is provided.

## `getDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Visit each product page to enrich leaderboard rows with makers, hunters, websites, social links, comments, reviews, launches, built-with tools, and lead signals. Disable for faster daily monitoring.

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

Maximum number of products to save. Lower values reduce timeout risk. Recommended: 25 for fast leaderboard monitoring, 5-10 with detail enrichment enabled.

## `timeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum runtime before the Actor stops. Increase for large scraping jobs. Recommended: 900s for ~10 products with details, 1800s for ~25 products.

## `maxRequestRetries` (type: `integer`):

Maximum retries for failed requests. Higher values improve reliability but may slow down scraping.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Number of pages to process simultaneously. Lower values (1-3) are more stable, higher values (5-10) are faster but may hit rate limits.

## `maxRequestsPerCrawl` (type: `integer`):

Total number of pages to crawl. Increase for large date ranges (e.g., 200+ for multi-day leaderboard scraping with details).

## `useApifyProxy` (type: `boolean`):

Enable Apify Proxy for improved reliability and to avoid rate limiting. Highly recommended for production use.

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

Advanced proxy settings. Choose Apify Proxy groups, custom proxy URLs, or no proxy. Leave empty to use the 'Use Apify Proxy' checkbox above.

## `maxCommentPages` (type: `integer`):

Number of comment pages to scrape per product (0-10). Each page adds runtime. Set to 0 for faster lead enrichment without comments. Only applies when Get Product Details is enabled.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": "https://www.producthunt.com/\nhttps://www.producthunt.com/leaderboard/daily/2025/1/15/all",
  "startDate": "2026-01-01",
  "endDate": "2026-01-21",
  "getDetails": false,
  "maxResults": 10,
  "timeoutSecs": 900,
  "maxRequestRetries": 5,
  "maxConcurrency": 3,
  "maxRequestsPerCrawl": 200,
  "useApifyProxy": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": []
  },
  "maxCommentPages": 0
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `productCount` (type: `string`):

Number of product records saved to the default dataset.

## `datasetItemsUrl` (type: `string`):

Direct API URL for the default dataset items.

## `datasetId` (type: `string`):

Default dataset ID used by this run.

## `getDetails` (type: `string`):

Whether product detail pages were visited.

## `maxResults` (type: `string`):

Configured maximum number of products.

## `startDate` (type: `string`):

Start date used for leaderboard scraping, when provided.

## `endDate` (type: `string`):

End date used for leaderboard scraping, when provided.

## `sourceCount` (type: `string`):

Number of Product Hunt source URLs processed.

## `scrapedAt` (type: `string`):

ISO timestamp when the run summary was created.

# 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 = {
    "getDetails": false,
    "maxResults": 10,
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": []
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("runtime/producthunt-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 = {
    "getDetails": False,
    "maxResults": 10,
    "useApifyProxy": True,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("runtime/producthunt-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "getDetails": false,
  "maxResults": 10,
  "useApifyProxy": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": []
  }
}' |
apify call runtime/producthunt-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,runtime/producthunt-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/13oWgD2UCqH7mXrGI/builds/PUO4GFh88dsHBjysY/openapi.json