The Apple App Store Search API turns App Store keyword search into structured JSON. Send a term and a country, and it returns the ranked list of apps for that keyword, with position, app and bundle IDs, developer, ratings, price, version, genres, and the search context on every row.

It exists because there is no real search-ranking API from Apple. The old media search endpoint returns a different order than what users see, with no device targeting and no ASO fields. So App Store tracking in practice runs on a scraper consumed like an API: keyword in, the ranked result list out.

Who uses it: ASO and mobile growth teams tracking keyword rankings over time, app developers watching competitor portfolios, market researchers comparing 50-plus country storefronts, and agent builders who want grounded answers about iOS apps.

How it runs: from the Apify Console, over REST, or from Python. It is also MCP-ready, so Claude, Claude Code, and Cursor can search the store mid-conversation as a callable tool. Set property to developer to search developer names, or category_id to filter to one App Store category, and num and max_pages cap the spend.

Pricing is pay per event: a small setup fee per run plus a per-app fee, so a quick keyword check is a few cents and a wide scan is a few dimes.

Part of a family: pair it with the Apple App Store Product API for one app's full record and the Apple App Store Reviews API for review data. The intended pattern is search here, then fan out by app_id.

Links: Store listing | Track keyword rankings task | Free ASO research task | Search from Claude via MCP