Google Trends API in 2026: the official alpha, and how to get Trends data by API today

Google announced an official Google Trends API in July 2025, but it's an alpha open only to approved testers, with no self-serve sign-up or API key. Until you have access, Google Trends Scraper on Apify gives you the same kinds of data by API: interest over time (up to all time), interest by region and city, top and rising related queries, and what's trending now. You can call it through Apify's REST API, the Python and JavaScript clients or an MCP server, for $1 per 1,000 keyword reports.

Open Google Trends Scraper on Apify $1 per 1,000 keyword reports ($0.27–$0.90 on paid plans) · $0.50 per 1,000 trending searches

Step by step

  1. Create a free Apify account. Sign up at apify.com. The free plan includes $5 of monthly credit, about 5,000 keyword reports, and needs no credit card.
  2. Call the API. POST to https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automationnation~google-trends-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items with your token and a JSON body such as {"searchTerms": ["coffee", "tea"], "geo": "US", "timeRange": "today 12-m"}. You get one JSON report per keyword.
  3. Compare terms on one scale. Set compareAll to true to put all terms on the same 0–100 scale, like a comparison on trends.google.com.
  4. Break it down by place. Each report includes the regions where the term is searched most. Set regionResolution and includeCities for subregion and city breakdowns with coordinates.
  5. Get what's trending now. Add trendingGeos, for example ["US", "GB"], to get the current trending searches with search volume, growth, related queries and news.
  6. Use it from Python or an AI agent. pytrends users can switch with the open-source pytrends-cloud package (same TrendReq interface). Others can use apify-client, or add the MCP server URL below to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.

Try it now in a free notebook: open the Colab notebook (runs in your browser; add your Apify token as a Colab secret).

Do it from code

Python

# pip install apify-client
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("automationnation/google-trends-scraper").call(run_input={
  "searchTerms": [
    "chatgpt",
    "gemini",
    "claude ai"
  ],
  "geo": "US",
  "timeRange": "today 12-m"
})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item.get("searchTerm"), item.get("trendDirection"), item.get("changePercent"), item.get("summary"))

REST API (cURL)

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automationnation~google-trends-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"searchTerms": ["chatgpt", "gemini", "claude ai"], "geo": "US", "timeRange": "today 12-m"}'

From an AI assistant (MCP)

Add this MCP server URL to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor and ask in plain English:

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

Alternatives

Other options: apply for the official alpha on Google's Trends API page and wait for access; use pytrends, which is archived and often gets 429 errors; pay for SerpApi's Google Trends API (monthly subscription); or use another Google Trends Actor on Apify. See the side-by-side comparison of Google Trends scrapers. See the side-by-side comparison.

FAQ

Can I get access to the official Google Trends API?

Google takes applications for the alpha on its Trends API page, but access is limited to approved testers and there's no self-serve key. Most developers are still waiting.

What does the official alpha offer?

According to Google's July 2025 announcement: a rolling five-year window, aggregation by day, week, month or year, and region and subregion breakdowns.

Are these the same numbers as trends.google.com?

Yes. Values are Google's 0–100 relative interest, as on the Trends website. To compare terms against each other, request them together with compareAll.

What does it cost?

$1 per 1,000 keyword reports ($0.27–$0.90 on paid Apify plans) and $0.50 per 1,000 trending searches. Apify's free $5 monthly credit covers about 5,000 keyword reports.

Can an AI assistant use it?

Yes. Add the MCP server URL below to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor and ask, for example, "how has search interest in electric bikes changed in the UK this year?".

Written by AutomationNation, the developer of Google Trends Scraper. Prices checked October 2026.