# Chrome Web Store Reviews Scraper with Review Themes (`tidydata-labs/chrome-web-store-reviews-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Chrome Web Store extension reviews (rating, text, date, extension version, language) and get an automatic report of top complaints and praise with counts and example quotes.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tidydata-labs/chrome-web-store-reviews-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Tidy Data Labs](https://apify.com/tidydata-labs) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.10 / 1,000 reviews

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/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

## Chrome Web Store Reviews Scraper with Review Themes

Scrape **Chrome Web Store** extension reviews: star rating, review text, date, last edit, the extension version reviewed and the language. Then get an automatic **review themes report**: what users complain about and praise most, with counts, share of reviews, example quotes, frequent phrases and rating by extension version.

**$0.10 per 1,000 reviews**, plus **$0.05 per extension** for the themes report (optional).

### What can you use it for?

- **Extension developers:** see which bugs and complaints spike after each version, and what users love.
- **Competitor research:** learn why users uninstall competing extensions and what they ask for.
- **Product and market research:** compare the reputation of extensions in a category.

It reads only public, logged-out data from the Chrome Web Store. It does **not** save reviewer names or profile pictures.

### What data does it extract?

| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| `extensionId`, `extensionName` | kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen, Grammarly: AI Writing Assistant… |
| `rating` | 1–5 |
| `text` | "Stopped working in Google Docs after the update" |
| `date`, `updatedDate` | 2026-10-03 |
| `extensionVersion` | 14.1334.0 |
| `reviewLanguage` | en |

The **themes report** for each extension is saved to the run's key-value store as `THEMES`. It includes the top complaint and praise themes with counts, share of reviews, average rating and example quotes, plus frequent phrases, the rating distribution, `ratingByExtensionVersion`, and the store's average rating, rating count and user count.

Example from Grammarly's 1★ reviews: **Pricing & subscription** came up in 125 of 400, **Crashes & bugs** in 74 and **Ads** in 58, with frequent phrases like "free version", "premium suggestions", "google docs" and "stopped working".

#### Optional AI summary with Claude

Turn on **Add AI summary with Claude** with your own Anthropic API key for a written overview, plain-language themes with quotes, feature requests and suggested fixes. It typically costs a few cents per extension on your Anthropic bill.

### How to use it

1. Paste Chrome Web Store URLs, or just the 32-letter extension IDs.
2. Choose the review language, max reviews and filters. Set **Maximum star rating** to 2 for complaints only; the lowest-rated reviews are fetched first, so it's fast.
3. Click **Start**, then download the reviews and open the `THEMES` record.

### How much does it cost?

- **$0.10 per 1,000 reviews**
- **$0.05 per extension themes report.** Turn it off if you only want raw reviews.

Platform usage is included. Example: 2,000 reviews for each of 2 extensions, with reports, costs $0.40 + $0.10 = **$0.50**.

### Guides

#### Guide 1: See what broke in the latest version of an extension

1. Paste the extension's Chrome Web Store URL.
2. Set **Maximum star rating** to `2` and **Reviews posted after** to the release date of the version you care about.
3. Click **Start** and open the `THEMES` record. Check `ratingByExtensionVersion` to see if the average rating dropped after the update. The complaint themes show what users are reporting.

```json
{
  "extensions": ["https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen"],
  "maxRating": 2,
  "reviewedAfter": "2026-09-01",
  "maxReviewsPerExtension": 500
}
```

#### Guide 2: Research competitors before building an extension

1. Paste 3 to 10 competing extensions (URLs or 32-letter IDs).
2. Set **Sort by** to `mostHelpful` and **Max reviews per extension** to `300`, so you get the reviews other users found most useful.
3. Compare the themes reports. Recurring complaints across competitors are features to build, and recurring praise is what users expect as a baseline.

#### Guide 3: Monitor reviews in other languages

Set **Review language** to a language code such as `de`, `fr`, `es` or `ja` to collect reviews written in that language. Run once per language and compare the themes.

#### Run it from code (API)

Replace `YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN` with your token from **Console > Settings > API & Integrations**. This call runs the actor and returns the results in one request:

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/tidydata-labs~chrome-web-store-reviews-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"extensions":["kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen"],"maxReviewsPerExtension":200,"maxRating":2}'
```

You can do the same with the `apify-client` package for Python or JavaScript, or connect the actor to Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets or a webhook from the **Integrations** tab.

### FAQ

**Do I need a Google account?** No. The actor reads public Chrome Web Store data without logging in.

**Where do I find an extension ID?** It's the 32-letter code at the end of the extension's Chrome Web Store URL.

**Does it collect reviewer names?** No. Names and profile pictures are left out.

**How many reviews can I get?** As many as the Chrome Web Store shows for that language. Popular extensions have thousands.

### Is it legal?

The actor collects only public reviews and leaves out reviewer names and pictures. Review text can still contain details people typed in, so make sure your use of the data complies with applicable laws and the Chrome Web Store's terms.

### Feedback

Missing a field or theme? Open an issue on the **Issues** tab. We usually reply within a day.

# Actor input Schema

## `extensions` (type: `array`):

Chrome Web Store URLs (https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/name/<id>) or 32-letter extension IDs.

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

Two-letter language code of the reviews to collect, e.g. en, es, de.

## `maxReviewsPerExtension` (type: `integer`):

Maximum reviews to save per item. You are charged per saved review.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

Which reviews to collect first.

## `minRating` (type: `integer`):

Only keep reviews with at least this many stars.

## `maxRating` (type: `integer`):

Only keep reviews with at most this many stars. Set to 2 to collect only complaints (fast: low-rated reviews are fetched directly).

## `reviewedAfter` (type: `string`):

Only keep reviews posted on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

## `skipEmptyReviews` (type: `boolean`):

Leave out reviews that have stars but no text.

## `generateThemesReport` (type: `boolean`):

Build a report per item with top complaint and praise themes, counts, share of reviews, example quotes, frequent phrases and rating by version. Saved to the key-value store as THEMES. Charged once per item.

## `useClaudeSummary` (type: `boolean`):

Also ask Claude to summarize themes, feature requests and suggested fixes. Requires your own Anthropic API key; typically a few cents per item on your Anthropic bill.

## `anthropicApiKey` (type: `string`):

Your Anthropic API key, used only for the AI summary. Stored encrypted.

## `claudeModel` (type: `string`):

Haiku is cheapest; Sonnet gives richer summaries.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "extensions": [
    "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/grammarly-ai-writing-assi/kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "maxReviewsPerExtension": 200,
  "sortBy": "newest",
  "minRating": 1,
  "maxRating": 5,
  "skipEmptyReviews": false,
  "generateThemesReport": true,
  "useClaudeSummary": false,
  "claudeModel": "claude-haiku-4-5"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `reviews` (type: `string`):

No description

## `themes` (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 = {
    "extensions": [
        "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/grammarly-ai-writing-assi/kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen"
    ],
    "maxReviewsPerExtension": 200
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tidydata-labs/chrome-web-store-reviews-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 = {
    "extensions": ["https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/grammarly-ai-writing-assi/kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen"],
    "maxReviewsPerExtension": 200,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tidydata-labs/chrome-web-store-reviews-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 '{
  "extensions": [
    "https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/grammarly-ai-writing-assi/kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen"
  ],
  "maxReviewsPerExtension": 200
}' |
apify call tidydata-labs/chrome-web-store-reviews-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tidydata-labs/chrome-web-store-reviews-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/YSn7wPe8Dno1A0uZ6/builds/YWg4ow4gz1L60uQh1/openapi.json