# Apple Podcasts Scraper — Shows & Episodes (`hipersoft/apple-podcasts-scraper`) Actor

Search Apple Podcasts and scrape shows (name, host, RSS feed, genre, episode count, artwork) and their episodes (title, release date, duration, audio URL, description). Fast clean HTTP via the iTunes API, no key. For podcast research, discovery and lead generation.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/hipersoft/apple-podcasts-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [hiper soft](https://apify.com/hipersoft) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.002 / item scraped

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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Apple Podcasts Scraper — Shows & Episodes

Search Apple Podcasts and pull clean, structured JSON for shows (name, host, RSS feed, genre, episode count, artwork) and, optionally, their recent episodes (title, release date, duration, audio URL, description). It runs over Apple's public iTunes Search API, so it's fast and needs **no account and no API key**. Great for podcast research, discovery and lead generation across any Apple storefront country.

### Features

- 🎙️ **Show search** — query any topic in `searches`; returns matching podcasts with full metadata.
- 📻 **Episode data** — turn on `includeEpisodes` to also pull each show's recent episodes with audio URLs.
- 🔗 **RSS feeds included** — every show record carries `feedUrl`, ideal for downstream feed processing or outreach.
- 🆔 **Target specific shows** — pass show IDs or `podcasts.apple.com` URLs in `podcastIds`.
- 🌍 **Storefront control** — set `country` (e.g. `us`, `gb`, `de`) to search a specific Apple market.
- 🎚️ **Volume control** — `maxPodcastsPerSearch` (1–200) and `maxEpisodesPerPodcast` (1–200) cap output precisely.
- 🧱 **Flat, normalized JSON** — clean, consistent fields for shows and episodes.

### What you get

One flat JSON record per item. Example show:

```json
{
  "type": "podcast",
  "id": 1200361736,
  "name": "The Daily Tech",
  "artist": "Example Media",
  "feedUrl": "https://feeds.example.com/thedailytech",
  "genre": "Technology",
  "genres": ["Technology", "News"],
  "trackCount": 412,
  "latestRelease": "2026-07-20T09:00:00Z",
  "explicit": false,
  "country": "USA",
  "contentRating": null,
  "artwork": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/....600x600.jpg",
  "url": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1200361736"
}
```

### Input

```json
{
  "searches": ["startups", "true crime"],
  "podcastIds": [],
  "includeEpisodes": true,
  "maxPodcastsPerSearch": 50,
  "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 20,
  "country": "us"
}
```

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `searches` | Keywords or topics to search on Apple Podcasts, one per line. |
| `podcastIds` | Specific show IDs or `podcasts.apple.com` URLs (optional). |
| `includeEpisodes` | Also fetch each show's recent episodes. |
| `maxPodcastsPerSearch` | Shows to return per search term (1–200). |
| `maxEpisodesPerPodcast` | Recent episodes per show when episodes are included (1–200). |
| `country` | Apple storefront country code (e.g. `us`, `gb`, `de`). |

### Use cases

- Build a podcast directory with RSS feeds, genres and episode counts.
- Generate outreach lists for sponsorship or guest pitching via `feedUrl` and host name.
- Track a show's publishing cadence with `latestRelease` and episode dates.
- Analyze episodes (titles, durations, descriptions) for content research.

### Pricing

Pay-per-event: you're billed a small amount per run and per item scraped — you only pay for what you get. See the **Pricing** tab for current rates.

### FAQ

**Do I need an Apple account or API key?**
No. The Actor runs over [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com)' public iTunes Search API, so there's no account and no API key to set up.

**How many podcasts and episodes can I get per run?**
Set `maxPodcastsPerSearch` (1–200) for shows per search term, and `maxEpisodesPerPodcast` (1–200) for recent episodes per show when `includeEpisodes` is on.

**Can I download podcast audio?**
No. The Actor returns public metadata only. The `audioUrl` and `feedUrl` fields are the show's own publicly listed URLs — no audio files are downloaded.

**What's the output format?**
Flat, normalized JSON with one record per show or episode and consistent fields. Export as JSON, CSV or Excel.

**Can I target a specific show or country storefront?**
Yes. Pass show IDs or `podcasts.apple.com` URLs in `podcastIds`, and set `country` (e.g. `us`, `gb`, `de`) to search a specific Apple market.

### Related Actors

Building a media or audio dataset? Pair this with our other music and media scrapers:

- [Spotify Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/spotify-scraper) — tracks, artists, albums and playlists with no login or API key.
- [SoundCloud Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/soundcloud-scraper) — tracks, artists and playlists with play counts, likes and followers.
- [Deezer Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/deezer-scraper) — tracks, artists, albums, playlists and global top charts.
- [YouTube Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/youtube-scraper) — video metadata, transcripts, comments and channel profiles.

### Notes

This Actor uses Apple's public iTunes Search API and returns public metadata only — the `audioUrl` and `feedUrl` fields are the show's own publicly listed URLs; no audio files are downloaded. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Apple; all trademarks belong to their respective owners.

# Actor input Schema

## `searches` (type: `array`):

Keywords or topics to search on Apple Podcasts (e.g. "true crime", "startups", "marketing"), one per line.

## `podcastIds` (type: `array`):

Specific Apple Podcasts show IDs or URLs (e.g. 1235836821 or an podcasts.apple.com/...id1235836821 URL). Combine with "Include episodes".

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

Also fetch each show's recent episodes (title, date, duration, audio URL, description).

## `maxPodcastsPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

Shows to return per search term (max 200).

## `maxEpisodesPerPodcast` (type: `integer`):

Recent episodes per show when "Include episodes" is on.

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

Apple storefront country code (e.g. us, gb, de).

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

Optional. The iTunes API works without a proxy.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searches": [
    "technology"
  ],
  "podcastIds": [],
  "includeEpisodes": false,
  "maxPodcastsPerSearch": 50,
  "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 20,
  "country": "us",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# 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 = {
    "searches": [
        "technology"
    ],
    "podcastIds": []
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("hipersoft/apple-podcasts-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 = {
    "searches": ["technology"],
    "podcastIds": [],
}

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

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

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

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searches": [
    "technology"
  ],
  "podcastIds": []
}' |
apify call hipersoft/apple-podcasts-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=hipersoft/apple-podcasts-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/sveSDMbSxef1UYaNv/builds/KM41war6fxEXqq9FH/openapi.json