Widest official SDK coverage across ten languages (Ruby, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, Java, Rust, .NET, Swift, C++) — works out of the box
Each query consumes one search credit — cost scales linearly with volume at large scale
Sign up at serpapi.com for a free account to get your api_key. Send GET https://serpapi.com/search?engine=google_play&q=<app_name>&api_key=<your_key> and receive structured JSON immediately.
Uptime · 30-day window
About this API
SerpApi is a SERP proxy service exposing structured results from 100+ search engines through a unified REST interface. The Google Play integration uses the engine=google_play parameter and supports three query modes: Query Search (q parameter for keyword search), Category Search (apps_category parameter for category browsing), and Plain Search. Additional parameters include store_device (device type filter), age (children's content age gate), chart (Top Charts), next_page_token, section_page_token, and see_more_token (pagination tokens). Response fields cover app titles, links, ratings, author/developer, category, download counts, prices, descriptions, thumbnails, images, videos, and feature images. Result types returned include Organic Results, Top Charts, Chart Options, Items Highlights, App Highlights, and Related Searches. Pricing: Free plan at $0/month includes 250 searches/month with 50/hour throughput; Starter is $25/month; higher tiers were not fully listed on the pricing page. Official SDKs in ten languages (Ruby, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, Java, Rust, .NET, Swift, C++) give SerpApi the widest SDK coverage of the three vendors.
What you can build
- 1Google Play search result scraping: use engine=google_play with Query Search, Category Search, or Plain Search modes
- 2App chart monitoring: use the chart and apps_category parameters to track Top Charts and category leaderboard movements
- 3Multi-engine search aggregation: SerpApi covers 100+ search engines; the same API key switches between Google, Amazon, Bing, and more
Strengths & limitations
Strengths
- Widest official SDK coverage across ten languages (Ruby, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, Java, Rust, .NET, Swift, C++) — works out of the box
- Free plan provides 250 searches/month with no credit card; Starter plan is $25/month — lowest entry cost of the three
- Endpoint returns structured JSON: app titles, links, ratings, author, category, download counts, prices, descriptions, thumbnails, images, videos, feature images
Limitations
- Each query consumes one search credit — cost scales linearly with volume at large scale
- The Google Play endpoint (engine=google_play) covers search results only; it does not support reviews, changelog history, or download estimates
- Fundamentally a SERP proxy — the data schema follows Google Play page changes, making field stability lower than a native app store API
Official quickstart
Read the official quickstart at serpapi.com.
Getting started
Sign up at serpapi.com for a free account to get your api_key. Send GET https://serpapi.com/search?engine=google_play&q=<app_name>&api_key=<your_key> and receive structured JSON immediately.
FAQ
How is SerpApi Google Play billed?+
Free plan is $0/month with 250 searches/month and 50/hour throughput, no credit card required. Starter is $25/month. Each query consumes one search credit. Full pricing for higher tiers was not listed publicly.
Can SerpApi retrieve app reviews?+
No. The engine=google_play endpoint only covers search results page data (titles, ratings, download counts, etc.) — it does not support reviews, changelogs, or download estimates.
What is the fundamental difference between SerpApi and AppTweak or 42matters?+
SerpApi is a SERP proxy — data comes from parsing Google Play search result pages, giving low entry cost but limited depth. AppTweak and 42matters are native app store data services offering download estimates, keyword difficulty, review analysis, and other fields unavailable via SERP scraping, at higher price points with no genuine free tier.
Technical details
- Auth type
- api_key
- Pricing
- freemium
- Rate limit
- Free: 50 searches/hour throughput; Starter $25/month
- Free tier quota
- Free plan: $0/month, 250 searches/month, 50/hour throughput; no credit card required
- Protocols
- REST
- SDKs
- Ruby, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, Java, Rust, .NET, Swift, C++