# Google Play Data API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/google_play)

> Google Play API: 9 endpoints for app search, app detail by package name, user reviews with developer replies, top charts, and a paginated listings database. Core endpoints cost 5 credits, the listings database 10, reference lookups 1 — 100 free credits on signup, no card. Full app metadata and reviews without device farms or Play Store emulators.

TL;DR: SocialCrawl's Google Play API exposes 9 endpoints, 1 to 10 credits per call, all returning one unified JSON schema with AI-enriched fields. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Endpoints

| Endpoint | Method | Path | Credits | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| App Search | GET | `/v1/google_play/app-search` | 5 | Search Google Play apps by keyword |
| Search Suggestions | GET | `/v1/google_play/search-suggestions` | 1 | Get Google Play search suggestions |
| App Info | GET | `/v1/google_play/app-info` | 5 | Get full Google Play app details |
| App Reviews | GET | `/v1/google_play/app-reviews` | 5 | Get Google Play reviews for an app |
| App List | GET | `/v1/google_play/app-list` | 5 | Get a Google Play store chart |
| App Listings Search | GET | `/v1/google_play/app-listings-search` | 10 | Search the Google Play listings database (paginated) |
| Categories | GET | `/v1/google_play/categories` | 1 | List Google Play app categories |
| Locations | GET | `/v1/google_play/locations` | 1 | List supported Google Play storefront locations |
| Languages | GET | `/v1/google_play/languages` | 1 | List supported Google Play languages |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/google_play/app-search?query=photo%20editor" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Every response shares one JSON envelope: `{ success, platform, endpoint, data, credits_used, credits_remaining }`.

## SocialCrawl vs google-play-scraper (DIY)

| Feature | SocialCrawl | google-play-scraper (DIY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Authentication | One x-api-key header — the same key you use on 43 other platforms | None — the library scrapes anonymously until Google throttles your IP |
| Setup | One GET request from any language; no library to install | Node.js (or Python port) dependency you install, host, and keep updated |
| Rate limits | Flat credit pricing with upstream block handling | Unofficial scraping — aggressive crawls get throttled or blocked by Google |
| Response schema | Canonical App schema shared with the Apple App Store | Library-specific shape that differs from every iOS scraper you pair it with |
| Pricing | 5 credits per app call, 10 for the listings database; 100 free credits to start | Free library, but you pay in hosting, proxies, and maintenance time |
| Maintenance | Schema stays stable when the Play Store changes its markup | Breaks when Google updates the Play Store; you wait for a library patch |

## FAQ

### Does Google Play have an API for app data?

Google's own APIs are scoped to apps you publish, but SocialCrawl's Google Play API reads any public listing. 9 endpoints cover app search, full app detail, reviews, store charts, a paginated listings database, and category, location, and language references.

### What can the SocialCrawl Google Play API do?

It searches Google Play by keyword, returns full detail for any package name, pulls user reviews with developer replies, ranks store charts (top free, paid, grossing), queries a paginated listings database, and lists supported categories, locations, and languages.

### How do I reference an app in the Google Play API?

Apps are addressed by their package name — the app_id like com.spotify.music. Run app-search or app-listings-search to find package names by keyword, then pass app_id to app-info or app-reviews for the detail you need.

### How much does the Google Play API cost?

App search, info, reviews, and charts run on the advanced tier at 5 credits each; the listings database is premium at 10 credits; categories, locations, and languages are 1 credit. New accounts get 100 free credits and empty lookups are refunded.

### Does it use the same schema as other app stores?

Yes. Google Play apps come back in one canonical App schema shared with the Apple App Store, and reviews use the same Review shape as Amazon and Trustpilot — so one parser handles every store you pull from.

### What is the best Google Play scraper API?

SocialCrawl covers Google Play with 9 endpoints — app search, full detail by package name, reviews with developer replies, top charts, and a paginated listings database — in one App schema shared with the Apple App Store. Core calls cost 5 credits, and new accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card.

### How do I get Google Play data via API?

SocialCrawl is the Google Play data API for public listings: one x-api-key returns app search, full detail by package name, reviews with developer replies, top charts, and a paginated listings database across 9 endpoints. Google's Play Developer API is scoped to apps you publish yourself, so SocialCrawl handles the public catalog it cannot reach, in the App schema it shares with the Apple App Store.

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- What is the SocialCrawl Google Play API?
- How to get Google Play app and review data with an API
- Does Google Play have an API for app store data?
- How does SocialCrawl unify Google Play and App Store data in one schema?