# Podcast Search & New Episode Monitor (Apple Podcasts + RSS) (`yiafirm/podcast-monitor`) Actor

Search Apple Podcasts, pull top charts by genre, read each show's RSS feed for publishing stats and episodes, and get only new episodes on every scheduled run. No API key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/yiafirm/podcast-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [Yia LLC](https://apify.com/yiafirm) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.20 / 1,000 podcasts

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

### What does Podcast Search & New Episode Monitor do?

This Actor finds podcasts on **[Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com)** by keyword, by link or from the **Apple top charts** (overall or by genre), then reads each show's own **RSS feed** to add what the directory doesn't show: website, language, first and latest episode dates, **how often it publishes**, whether it's still **active**, and the **episodes** themselves with audio links and durations.

Turn on **monitor mode** and every scheduled run returns **only new episodes**. It works as an **Apple Podcasts API alternative** that needs no API key.

### Why use it?

- 🎙️ **Podcast guest booking and PR.** Build a list of active shows in your niche, with publishing frequency so you skip dead podcasts.
- 📈 **Market and chart research.** Track who ranks in Business, Technology or any genre, by country.
- 🔔 **New-episode alerts.** Feed new episodes into Slack, a spreadsheet, a transcription pipeline or an AI summary workflow.
- 🗂️ **Directories and apps.** Get clean show and episode data for your own catalog.

### What data can it extract?

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `title`, `publisher`, `primaryGenre`, `genres` | Show basics from Apple Podcasts |
| `appleUrl`, `feedUrl`, `website` | Where to find the show |
| `latestEpisodeAt`, `firstEpisodeAt`, `avgDaysBetweenEpisodes`, `isActive` | Publishing activity from the RSS feed |
| `feedEpisodeCount`, `appleEpisodeCount` | Episode counts |
| `chartRank`, `chartGenreId` | Position in the Apple top chart |
| Episode rows: `title`, `publishedAt`, `durationSeconds`, `audioUrl`, `episodeNumber`, `season`, `link`, `description` | One row per episode |

Rows have `type` = `podcast` or `episode`, so you can split them in any spreadsheet. The Output tab has a **Podcasts** view and an **Episodes** view.

### How to scrape Apple Podcasts

1. Add **search terms**, paste **Apple Podcasts links or RSS feeds**, or turn on the **top chart** (add a genre ID such as 1321 for Business or 1318 for Technology).
2. Choose how many **episodes per show** you want, or turn episodes off.
3. Click **Start**. Download results as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML.
4. For alerts, turn on **Only new shows and episodes since last run** and add a **Schedule**.

### How much does it cost?

Pay per event: **$1.20 per 1,000 podcasts** and **$0.40 per 1,000 episodes**. No start fee. Example: tracking 50 shows daily for new episodes (about 200 new episodes a month) costs roughly **$0.08 a month**. A one-off list of 200 shows with their 10 latest episodes costs about **$1.04**. Apify's free plan includes monthly credits you can use to try it.

### Input

See the **Input** tab for all options. Use any of: search terms, specific podcasts, or the top chart. With none of them, the Actor returns the current top 10 Apple Podcasts chart. Apple limits its directory API to about 20 calls a minute, so the Actor paces those calls; RSS feeds are read in parallel.

### Output

You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel.

```json
[
  {
    "type": "podcast",
    "appleId": "1000000001",
    "title": "The Example Show",
    "publisher": "Example Media",
    "primaryGenre": "Technology",
    "website": "https://example.com",
    "latestEpisodeAt": "2026-01-14T08:00:00.000Z",
    "avgDaysBetweenEpisodes": 7,
    "isActive": true,
    "chartRank": 3,
    "feedUrl": "https://feeds.example.com/show.xml"
  },
  {
    "type": "episode",
    "appleId": "1000000001",
    "podcastTitle": "The Example Show",
    "title": "Episode 42: An example conversation",
    "publishedAt": "2026-01-14T08:00:00.000Z",
    "durationSeconds": 3120,
    "audioUrl": "https://cdn.example.com/episode-0001.mp3"
  }
]
```

### Tips

- Set **Episodes per show** to 0 (or turn episodes off) for show lists only.
- Use **Episodes published after** for backfills of a date range.
- Use one **monitor name** per watch list.

### FAQ, disclaimers and support

**Do you collect host emails?** No. Feed owner names and emails are deliberately skipped. Data comes from Apple's public directory API and the shows' public RSS feeds, which publishers create so their shows can be distributed.

> Our Actors are ethical and do not extract any private user data, such as email addresses, gender, or location. They only extract what the user has chosen to share publicly. We therefore believe that our Actors, when used for ethical purposes by Apify users, are safe. However, you should be aware that your results could contain personal data. Personal data is protected by the GDPR in the European Union and by other regulations around the world. You should not scrape personal data unless you have a legitimate reason to do so. If you're unsure whether your reason is legitimate, consult your lawyers.

**A feed failed.** Some publishers block or move feeds. Failed feeds are listed in `RUN_SUMMARY` and the show row is still saved with Apple's data.

Questions or requests: use the **Issues** tab. For programmatic access, see the **API** tab.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

Find shows on Apple Podcasts by keyword, for example "venture capital" or "homeschool".

## `maxShowsPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

How many shows to keep for each search term (Apple returns up to 200).

## `podcasts` (type: `array`):

Apple Podcasts links (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/name/id123456789), Apple IDs, or RSS feed URLs.

## `includeTopChart` (type: `boolean`):

Add the current Apple Podcasts top chart, with each show's rank.

## `chartGenreId` (type: `string`):

Optional Apple genre ID, for example 1321 (Business), 1318 (Technology), 1489 (News), 1304 (Education), 1303 (Comedy). Leave empty for the overall chart.

## `chartLimit` (type: `integer`):

How many chart positions to read.

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

Two-letter Apple storefront country for search and charts, for example US, GB, CA, DE.

## `includeEpisodes` (type: `boolean`):

Add episode rows from each show's RSS feed.

## `maxEpisodesPerShow` (type: `integer`):

Newest episodes to keep per show. Use a high number for a full archive.

## `episodesPublishedAfter` (type: `string`):

Only episodes on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

## `enrichFromFeed` (type: `boolean`):

Read each show's RSS feed for website, language, first and latest episode date, publishing frequency and active status. Always on when episodes are included.

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

Stop after saving this many rows (shows plus episodes).

## `onlyNewEpisodes` (type: `boolean`):

Remember what was already returned and output only new shows and episodes on later runs. Pair with a schedule for new-episode alerts. The first run returns everything that matches.

## `monitorName` (type: `string`):

Use a different name for each separate watch list so their memories don't mix.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchTerms": [
    "artificial intelligence"
  ],
  "maxShowsPerSearch": 25,
  "includeTopChart": false,
  "chartLimit": 50,
  "country": "US",
  "includeEpisodes": true,
  "maxEpisodesPerShow": 20,
  "enrichFromFeed": true,
  "maxResults": 2000,
  "onlyNewEpisodes": false,
  "monitorName": "default"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Dataset of podcast and episode rows

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Per-input counts, errors and why the run stopped

# 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 = {
    "searchTerms": [
        "artificial intelligence"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("yiafirm/podcast-monitor").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 = { "searchTerms": ["artificial intelligence"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("yiafirm/podcast-monitor").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 '{
  "searchTerms": [
    "artificial intelligence"
  ]
}' |
apify call yiafirm/podcast-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/X54QcrVFN0Q02xadb/builds/rMWEqMUigEgo4y2jD/openapi.json