iOS App Store Competitor Research
Extract comprehensive app data and screenshots from Apple App Store listings for competitive analysis.
Workflow
- Get the App Store URL from the user
- Run the scraper script to fetch data and download screenshots
- Review the generated outputs with the user
Usage
Run the scraper with an App Store URL:
python3 scripts/scrape_app_store.py "<app_store_url>" "<output_directory>"
Example:
python3 scripts/scrape_app_store.py "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slack/id618783545" ./competitor-analysis/slack
Output
The script generates in the output directory:
output_dir/
├── {app-slug}.json # Full structured data
├── {app-slug}.md # Formatted report
├── icon.png # App icon
└── screenshots/
├── screenshot_01.png
├── screenshot_02.png
└── ...
Data Extracted
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| title | App name |
| subtitle | App tagline |
| description | Full app description |
| rating | Average star rating (1-5) |
| rating_count | Number of ratings |
| category | Primary category |
| genres | All categories |
| price | Price or "Free" |
| developer | Developer name |
| version | Current version |
| size_bytes | App size |
| age_rating | Content rating (4+, 12+, 17+) |
| minimum_os_version | Required iOS version |
| release_notes | What's New text |
| languages | Supported languages |
| screenshots | All screenshot URLs |
| bundle_id | App bundle identifier |
Multiple Apps
To research several competitors, run the script for each app:
python3 scripts/scrape_app_store.py "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/competitor-a/id123" ./research/competitor-a
python3 scripts/scrape_app_store.py "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/competitor-b/id456" ./research/competitor-b
Notes
- The script uses the iTunes Lookup API as the primary data source (most reliable)
- Screenshots are downloaded at the highest available resolution
- Both iPhone and iPad screenshots are captured when available
- Output directory is created if it doesn't exist