# Google Play Search Scraper — Ranked App Results (`thenetaji/google-play-search-scraper`) Actor

Search Google Play by keyword and export the ranked app list. Every row includes its package ID, title, developer, rating, install range, category, description, icon, and the query that produced it.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/thenetaji/google-play-search-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [The Netaji](https://apify.com/thenetaji) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Marketing, Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.20 / 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.
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

## Google Play Search Scraper

Search Google Play by keyword and export the ranked app cards as structured rows. Each result keeps the `search_query` that produced it, so several searches can share one dataset without losing their source.

```json
{
  "queries": ["spotify", "weather radar"],
  "language": "en_US",
  "country": "US",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

The Actor searches each entry in `queries` separately. `maxItems` caps the total rows saved across the run; `0` removes that Actor-side cap. Google Play still decides how many apps appear on a ranked search page, so raising the cap does not manufacture deeper results when the store stops listing them.

### Output

Every row can include:

- `search_query`, `package_id`, and `title`
- `developer_name`, `rating`, and `installs`
- `category`, `description`, and `icon_url`

For example, a Spotify result is shaped like this:

```json
{
  "search_query": "spotify",
  "package_id": "com.spotify.music",
  "title": "Spotify: Music and Podcasts",
  "developer_name": "Spotify AB",
  "rating": 4.314022,
  "installs": "1,000,000,000+"
}
```

Country and language matter. The same query can return a different order or different membership in another market. Run each locale separately when rank comparison is the goal.

Search rows are deliberately compact. Once you have the IDs, the [google-play-scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/google-play-scraper) (`appDetail` mode) adds screenshots, release dates, rating counts, content rating, and monetization labels. To compare everything one publisher currently lists, use the [google-play-scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/google-play-scraper) (`developerApps` mode).

# Actor input Schema

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Keywords or phrases to search for. Each query is searched separately.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Locale used for app text and reviews, such as en\_US or de\_DE.

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

Two-letter country code used for availability and review locale.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum records to save across the run. Set 0 for no limit.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "weather radar",
    "photo editor"
  ],
  "language": "en_US",
  "country": "US",
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

All records scraped by this run

# 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 = {
    "queries": [
        "weather radar"
    ],
    "language": "en_US",
    "country": "US",
    "maxItems": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("thenetaji/google-play-search-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 = {
    "queries": ["weather radar"],
    "language": "en_US",
    "country": "US",
    "maxItems": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("thenetaji/google-play-search-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 '{
  "queries": [
    "weather radar"
  ],
  "language": "en_US",
  "country": "US",
  "maxItems": 20
}' |
apify call thenetaji/google-play-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,thenetaji/google-play-search-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/8lRFZ4zMpWHwulZGG/builds/7bL6Zig7yqYGA5BQ9/openapi.json