Google Search data API: the official API or an Apify Actor?

Google Search has an official API with limited access. 4 Apify Actors in this catalogue return Google Search 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

Programmable Search Engine JSON APIApify Actors (4)
AccessLimited accessApify API token (any account)
What you getGoogle's programmable search API returns results for a configured search engine. It is not a general replacement for the live Google results page.Rows defined by each Actor's published schema; up to 29 fields per record
PriceFree allowance plus per-query pricing is published; check the official overview for current rates and caps.From $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results (Store price, Free plan), plus platform usage
LimitsDaily query caps apply. The API requires a search engine ID and API key.Synchronous calls wait up to 300 s; longer runs go asynchronous
DocsProgrammable Search Engine JSON APIApify API: run-sync

Official API facts checked 2026-11-09. Search results are subject to Google's terms. Ranking data should be collected from public pages only; 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.

ActorReturnsFields includeCall it
Google Autocomplete Keyword Expansion Scraper Keyword suggestions with seed, expansion type, position, locale, source URL, Google relevance and optional recursion depth. seed, locale, relevance run-sync · Apify
Google Image Search Results & Metadata Scraper One dataset row per image with original/thumbnail provenance, dimensions when stated, source page metadata, stable image ID and… page, engine, retrievalMethod run-sync · Apify
Google Search Results Scraper: Organic & SERP Boxes One record per search query/page with web organic results, news cards, images, videos, AI Overview, People Also Ask, local pack… resultsTotal, hasNextPage, organicResults run-sync · Apify
Search & URL Markdown Extractor for LLMs One record per search result or fetched page with clean Markdown/text/HTML, links, page metadata for citations, optional… title, description, wordCount run-sync · Apify

Call Google Image Search Results & Metadata Scraper

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

Actor on Apify
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/nimbryxo-studio~google-image-search-results-and-metadata-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries":["Alfons Mucha"],"maxResults":3,"minWidth":0,"minHeight":0,"country":"US","language":"en","safeSearch":"active","googleOnly":false,"enableFallback":true}'

Generated from the Actor's published schema and checked, not executed.

Same data, other routes

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 Search API?

Google's programmable search API returns results for a configured search engine. It is not a general replacement for the live Google results page. Free allowance plus per-query pricing is published; check the official overview for current rates and caps.

How much does Google Search 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 Search 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 Search data?

Yes. The Google Search MCP page bundles these Actors into one Apify MCP URL for Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.

Is it allowed to collect Google Search data?

Search results are subject to Google's terms. Ranking data should be collected from public pages only; not legal advice. Read Google Search's terms before you build on the data.