Google Ads Transparency Scraper & API: competitors' ads

Google Ads Transparency Scraper is an Apify Actor that returns every ad an advertiser or domain runs on Google Search, YouTube, Display and Shopping, from Google's Ads Transparency Center: format, first and last shown dates, days running, ad text and images, preview and a link to each ad, filtered by country and format, at $1 per 1,000 ads.

Run it on Apify $1 per 1,000 ads ($0.80 on Gold and above)

Quick facts

Example input

{
  "advertisers": [
    "nike.com"
  ],
  "region": "us",
  "maxAdsPerAdvertiser": 100
}

Run it from code

REST API (cURL)

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automationnation~google-ads-transparency-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"advertisers": ["nike.com"], "region": "us", "maxAdsPerAdvertiser": 100}'

Python

# pip install apify-client
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("automationnation/google-ads-transparency-scraper").call(run_input={
  "advertisers": [
    "nike.com"
  ],
  "region": "us",
  "maxAdsPerAdvertiser": 100
})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item.get("advertiserName"), item.get("format"), item.get("headline"), item.get("daysShown"))

JavaScript / Node.js

// npm install apify-client
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('automationnation/google-ads-transparency-scraper').call({
  "advertisers": [
    "nike.com"
  ],
  "region": "us",
  "maxAdsPerAdvertiser": 100
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
for (const item of items) console.log(item.advertiserName, item.format, item.headline, item.daysShown);

Use it with AI agents (MCP)

Connect AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor through Apify's MCP server. Hosted URL:

https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automationnation/google-ads-transparency-scraper

Or run it locally in Claude Desktop / Cursor:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-ads-transparency-scraper": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@apify/actors-mcp-server",
        "--tools",
        "automationnation/google-ads-transparency-scraper"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APIFY_TOKEN": "YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

What is Google's Ads Transparency Center?

A public Google tool listing the ads verified advertisers run on Search, YouTube, Display and Shopping. This Actor turns it into data.

Can I see ad spend?

No: Google publishes spend and targeting only for political ads.

Step-by-step guide: How to see a competitor's Google ads (Ads Transparency Center data)

Open Google Ads Transparency Scraper on Apify Store