Google Ads Transparency Center data API: the official API or an Apify Actor?
Google Ads Transparency Center has no official API for this data. 3 Apify Actors in this catalogue return Google Ads Transparency Center data over HTTP too: send the input to Apify's run-sync endpoint with your token and get the records back as JSON, from $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results at Store prices (plus platform usage).
Side by side
| No public ad-library API | Apify Actors (3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | No official API for this data | Apify API token (any account) |
| What you get | Google publishes the Ads Transparency Center as a public research surface but does not document a general public API for it. | Rows defined by each Actor's published schema; up to 38 fields per record |
| Price | Not applicable. | From $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results (Store price, Free plan), plus platform usage |
| Limits | Subject to Google's terms and public access controls. | Synchronous calls wait up to 300 s; longer runs go asynchronous |
| Docs | No public ad-library API | Apify API: run-sync |
Official API facts checked 2026-11-09. Transparency data for research; not legal advice.
Which Actor for which job
All of them list $0.99 per 1,000 results on the Store, plus a start fee per run.
| Actor | Returns | Fields include | Call it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads Advertiser Creative History Scraper | Per-advertiser Google Ads Transparency Center creatives with ad format, preview media, and first/last shown dates. | advertiserId, advertiserName, advertiserCountry | run-sync · Apify |
| Google Ads Transparency Creative Lookup by Domain | Ad creatives and advertiser summaries from Google Ads Transparency Center: identity, formats, run dates, variants, per-country… | advertiserName, format, firstShownAt | run-sync · Apify |
| YouTube Ad Creative & Advertiser Tracker | Dataset with one record per YouTube ad creative plus advertiser diagnostics and a run summary. Ad records include advertiser… | adId, advertiserId, advertiserName | run-sync · Apify |
Call Google Ads Transparency Creative Lookup by Domain
The call waits for the run and returns the records as JSON. Swap the Actor ID for any Actor in the table. Set APIFY_TOKEN first; runs bill to that account.
curl
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/vexaloom-labs~google-ads-transparency-creative-lookup-by-domain/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"mode":"search","searchTerms":["nike.com"],"region":"US","adFormat":"ALL","platform":"ALL","maxItems":3,"maxItemsPerTerm":0,"includeDetails":false}' Install: pip install "apify-client>=3"
Python
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run_input = {
"mode": "search",
"searchTerms": [
"nike.com",
],
"region": "US",
"adFormat": "ALL",
"platform": "ALL",
"maxItems": 3,
"maxItemsPerTerm": 0,
"includeDetails": False,
}
run = client.actor("vexaloom-labs/google-ads-transparency-creative-lookup-by-domain").call(run_input=run_input)
if run is None:
raise RuntimeError("The Actor run could not be started")
print(run.status, "dataset", run.default_dataset_id)
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
print(item) Install: npm install apify-client
JavaScript
import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const input = {
"mode": "search",
"searchTerms": [
"nike.com"
],
"region": "US",
"adFormat": "ALL",
"platform": "ALL",
"maxItems": 3,
"maxItemsPerTerm": 0,
"includeDetails": false
};
const run = await client.actor("vexaloom-labs/google-ads-transparency-creative-lookup-by-domain").call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items.length, items[0]); Generated from the Actor's published schema and checked, not executed.
Same data, other routes
- Google Ads Transparency Center MCP server: these Actors as tools in Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.
- Google Ads Transparency to Google Sheets: an n8n workflow you can import.
- Every Actor with a one-request API
When a call fails
Why does the workflow or script stop with HTTP 408?
The synchronous endpoint waits at most 300 seconds. After that it answers 408 while the run keeps going in Apify. Lower the result limit, or start the run asynchronously, wait for it to finish and then read its dataset.
Source: Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items
What do 400, 401, 402 and 403 from the Apify API mean?
Read error.type in the response body. 400 is invalid Actor input. 401 (user-or-token-not-found) means a token reached Apify but it is wrong or revoked. 402 with x402-payment-required means no token reached Apify at all: the n8n credential or the Authorization: Bearer header is missing, and Apify is offering its pay-per-run x402 route for agents instead; any other 402 is an exhausted usage limit on the account that pays for the run. 403 is a token without permission for that Actor or storage.
Source: Apify API: authentication; Apify documentation: agentic payments with x402; Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items
Why does starting an Actor through the API return run information instead of scraped results?
The Run Actor endpoint starts the Actor and immediately returns a Run object without waiting for completion. For results stored in the default dataset, pass the response's defaultDatasetId to Get dataset items; to wait and receive output directly, use the synchronous endpoint for dataset items or a key-value store record.
Source: Apify Run Actor API
Why are rows and hidden fields missing from my Apify dataset export?
The clean parameter enables both skipEmpty and skipHidden, removing empty items and fields whose names begin with #. This can produce fewer items than the requested limit; to retain those rows and fields, disable clean and ensure skipEmpty and skipHidden are also disabled.
Source: Apify Get dataset items API
Questions
Is there an official Google Ads Transparency Center API?
Google publishes the Ads Transparency Center as a public research surface but does not document a general public API for it. Not applicable.
How much does Google Ads Transparency Center data cost through an Apify Actor?
The Actors listed here charge from $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results on the Apify Store (Free plan), checked 2026-11-12, billed to the Apify account whose token makes the call. Actor start events and platform usage can add to that.
Can I get Google Ads Transparency Center data as JSON in one HTTP request?
Yes, through Apify's run-sync-get-dataset-items endpoint: POST the Actor input with your token and the response is the dataset as JSON. It waits up to 300 seconds; longer runs need the asynchronous run endpoint.
Can an AI agent use the same Google Ads Transparency Center data?
Yes. The Google Ads Transparency Center MCP page bundles these Actors into one Apify MCP URL for Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.
Is it allowed to collect Google Ads Transparency Center data?
Transparency data for research; not legal advice. Read Google Ads Transparency Center's terms before you build on the data.
Sources
- No public ad-library API documentation, checked 2026-11-09
- Apify API: run Actor synchronously, checked 2026-11-11
- Google Ads Transparency Center terms