Apple Podcasts search

Apple Podcasts search discovery

Keyword search is the lowest-friction way to find public shows in Apple Podcasts. Apple Podcasts Scraper (taroyamada/apple-podcast-scraper) uses the official iTunes Search API. No proxy is required. A public RSS feed does not search the Apple directory; search is for discovery when you have a topic, not a feed URL.

Try Input: search + limit 3 ≈ $0.0125 total (incl. Start $0.005). From $2.50/1k. No API key. CSV/JSON.

Try the cheapest first paid Apple Podcasts / iTunes search on Apify Input

Search versus charts, reviews, and RSS

Use this guide when the job is finding shows by keyword. Use chartRequests or Apple Podcasts Chart Scraper for storefront ranks. Use Apple Podcasts Reviews Scraper after you have collection IDs. Use RSS & Atom Feed Extractor when you already have publisher feed URLs.

	Search (`searchTerm`)	Charts	Reviews
You have	A topic	A storefront / market	Collection IDs
Primary actor	Apple Podcasts Scraper	Scraper `chartRequests` or Chart Scraper	Reviews Scraper
`rank`	Null on search rows	Set on chart rows	Not a rank tool

What a search row contains

Search results are source-linked dataset items. Sample rowType is podcast_search_result. Documented fields include:

collectionId — stable Apple Podcasts collection ID
showName, publisher, country
sourceUrl — Apple Podcasts page
fetchedAt — fetch timestamp
rank — null on search rows; rank belongs to chart requests

This Actor does not document genre filters, review text, or pagination beyond limit.

Search input

Set searchTerm. At least one of searchTerm, chartRequests, or lookupIds is required. country is the ISO storefront for the search (default us). limit is the maximum number of podcasts returned (1–200; live default and Store prefill 3). The cheapest useful first paid run uses limit 3. See the cheapest Apple Podcasts first paid run.

{
  "searchTerm": "technology",
  "country": "us",
  "limit": 3,
  "includeEpisodes": false
}

Set includeEpisodes true only when recent episode context materially helps the workflow. After a search run, pass collection IDs into a iTunes Lookup watchlist refresh for recurring lookups.

Run this search + limit 3 input on Apify

What does an Apple Podcasts search row contain?

Search results are source-linked dataset items. Sample rowType is podcast_search_result. Documented fields include collectionId, showName, publisher, country, sourceUrl, and fetchedAt. rank is null on search rows; rank belongs to chart requests.

Does keyword search return rank or reviews?

No. rank is null on search rows. This Actor does not document genre filters, review text, or pagination beyond limit. For official rankings use chartRequests or Apple Podcasts Chart Scraper. For public ratings on IDs you already have, use Apple Podcasts Reviews Scraper.

How do I search more than one country?

Search and lookup use a single default country per run (ISO storefront, default us). There is no country array on search. To compare markets, run once per storefront and keep country on the output rows. Charts can request several storefronts in one run because chartRequests is an array.

What should I do after I have collection IDs?

Pass collection IDs into a watchlist refresh (lookupIds) for recurring lookups. Use those IDs as podcastIds on Reviews Scraper if you need public ratings. A public RSS feed does not search the Apple directory; search is for discovery when you have a topic, not a feed URL.

What input does a search run need?

Set searchTerm. At least one of searchTerm, chartRequests, or lookupIds is required. country is the ISO storefront (default us). limit is the maximum number of podcasts returned (1–200; live default 3). Keep the first run small.

Is searchTerm an Apple Podcasts URL or a keyword?

Published searchTerm is a keyword for the iTunes Search API. Collection IDs belong on lookupIds. You can take an ID from an Apple Podcasts URL (id290783428 → 290783428) after you already know the show.

What is the maximum Apple Podcasts search limit?

limit is 1–200 (live default 3). Pagination beyond limit is not documented. Keep the first run small, then raise limit after the output is useful.

Can I combine searchTerm and chartRequests in one run?

Yes. Runtime requires at least one of searchTerm, chartRequests, or lookupIds, not exactly one. A run can search and snapshot charts together. Rank remains null on search rows; chart rows carry rank.

How is an Apple Podcasts keyword search priced?

Billing is pay-per-event. The live Store card is from $2.50 / 1,000 results. Published events are Actor Start at $0.005 and result at $0.0025 per default-dataset item ($2.50 per 1,000). If a search + limit 3 run writes 3 result rows and charges one Actor Start event, the estimate is $0.0125.

Does a search run accept a public RSS feed URL?

No. Published inputs are searchTerm, chartRequests, and lookupIds. A public RSS feed does not search the Apple directory. If you already have feed URLs, read them directly or use RSS & Atom Feed Extractor.

How to run it

Open taroyamada/apple-podcast-scraper Input.
Enter a searchTerm and a country. Use limit 3 on the first paid run (Store prefill).
Leave includeEpisodes false until the show list is useful. Leave chartRequests empty until search output is useful.
Review the default dataset. Use delivery: "webhook" and webhookUrl after the payload shape is approved (Slack, Discord, Zapier, or any HTTP endpoint). Use dryRun to test without dataset writes or webhooks.

Billing is pay-per-event: Actor start plus one result event per default-dataset item. The published Store price is $0.005 per Actor start and $2.50 per 1,000 dataset results ($0.0025 per row). Search + limit 3 ≈ $0.0125 if 3 rows and one Start event charge.

Try Input: search + limit 3 ≈ $0.0125 total (incl. Start $0.005). From $2.50/1k.

Run this search on Apify Input