Craigslist: scrapers and the official API, compared

Classified ads for jobs, housing, for-sale items, autos, services and gigs from Craigslist cities.

Short answer

For most Craigslist jobs, start with Craigslist Classifieds Scraper with Category Attributes: it covers 0 of 7 core fields at $0.99 per 1,000 results on Apify's Free plan. The top published score for Craigslist goes to Craigslist Scraper by solidcode (95 of 100), a Store tool from another publisher, listed for reference.

From published Store listings, output schemas and the official documentation. Checked 2026-10-25. How the ranking works.

Craigslist Classifieds Scraper with Category Attributes: inputs, code and cost Open in Apify Store

1 catalogue Actor 8 other Store tools Official API: No open API Lowest rate $1.49 per 1K

Route map

Each line is one way to get Craigslist data; each stop is a field you probably need. Green lines are catalogue Actors, ranked by the published formula.

+ 7 other Store tools, combined Reference only 7 of 7 core fields
from $1.49 / 1K
API No public listings API (bulk posting interface only) No open API fields not compared

Stops are fields. A ring means the field is in that route's published output schema; no ring means the line passes without it. Bold labels are the core fields for this website, the rest are fields that differ between routes. A white capsule means every data line stops there. The red line is the official API; its field coverage is not compared. A crossed red line means there is no open official API.

Catalogue Actors for Craigslist

Craigslist Classifieds Scraper with Category Attributes

Scrape Craigslist search results and individual posts across any city subdomain, with category-specific attributes for jobs, housing, autos, and…

0/7 core fields $0.99 per 1K Open in Apify Store

Field matrix: who returns what

Every tool with a published output schema, against the 7 fields most Craigslist jobs need. A dot means the field name appears in the schema; rows can still leave it empty.

Which tools return each core Craigslist field, from published output schemas
Tool	title	price	location	category	date	description	url	Fields
Craigslist ScraperReference only, by solidcode	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	7/7
Craigslist ScraperReference only, by fatihtahta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	7/7
Craigslist ScraperReference only, by automation-lab	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	7/7
Craigslist Vehicles ScraperReference only, by fmchisti	●	●	●	–	●	–	●	5/7
Craigslist ScraperReference only, by scrapesage	●	●	–	●	●	–	●	5/7
Craigslist ScraperReference only, by ivanvs	●	–	–	●	●	–	●	4/7
Craigslist ScraperReference only, by ivanvs	●	–	–	●	●	–	●	4/7
Tools returning it	7	5	4	6	7	3	7

All 9 tools, scored

Catalogue Actors link to their detail pages; the score (0 to 100) is the published formula, identical for every tool. Other Store tools follow in their own table, for reference. Price is the published primary-result rate per 1,000 (the Free-plan rate where the price is tiered; higher Apify plans pay less); start events and platform usage are excluded.

Catalogue Actors for Craigslist, ranked by the published method
		Sample fields
63	Craigslist Classifieds Scraper with Category Attributes Catalogue Actor, pay per event	No published schema	–	$0.99	17 runs, too few to rate	Oct 2026

Other Store tools, for reference

Scored with the same published formula and listed for comparison only; this site does not link or recommend them.

Other Store tools for Craigslist, for reference
		Sample fields
95	Craigslist Scraper Reference only, by solidcode	title, priceUsd, region	23	$1.80	100% of 84,990 runs	Aug 2026
94	Craigslist Scraper Reference only, by fatihtahta	Title, Price, Location	11	$1.49	100% of 4,503 runs	May 2026
92	Craigslist Scraper Reference only, by automation-lab	title, price, location	22	$2.30	100% of 1,694 runs	Sep 2026
82	Craigslist Vehicles Scraper Reference only, by fmchisti	title, price, location	16	$2.50	100% of 6,926 runs	Nov 2026
79	Craigslist Scraper Reference only, by scrapesage	title, price, category	18	$3.00	100% of 36 runs	Nov 2026
73	Craigslist Scraper + Emails Search Reference only, by memo23	No published schema	–	$1.50	99% of 5,050 runs	Nov 2026
67	Craigslist Scraper Reference only, by ivanvs	title, category, datetime	5	$6.00	98% of 3,919 runs	Oct 2026
65	Craigslist Scraper Reference only, by ivanvs	title, category, datetime	5	$6.00	90% of 258 runs	Oct 2026

Official API route

No public listings API (bulk posting interface only)

Craigslist publishes no API for reading listings. Its bulk posting interface only submits new posts, and access is granted case by case to high-volume posters in a few paid categories.

Price. No public self-serve price is published.

Limits. Bulk posting is limited to approved high-volume posters (hundreds of postings per month or more). The terms of use set a $0.25 per page charge for accessing more than 1,000 pages in 24 hours.

Official documentation

Terms and personal data

Craigslist's terms prohibit collecting content with robots, scrapers or scripts and list liquidated damages for violations; posts can contain personal data. This is general information, not legal advice.

Read Craigslist's terms. Keep to public data, do not bypass logins or access controls, and check whether personal data is involved before you collect it. The can-I-scrape checklist walks through it.

How to start

Open Craigslist Classifieds Scraper with Category Attributes and start from its default input; its Actor page has the full example input and code.
Set the Craigslist search, profile, listing or URL you need and a result limit; the required input is mode.
Run it and export the dataset as JSON, CSV or Excel, or call it from the Apify API.

Call Craigslist Classifieds Scraper with Category Attributes from code

The example input uses the Actor's published defaults; set your own Craigslist query before you run it. You need an Apify API token.

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run_input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "region": "sfbay",
    "category": "sss",
    "searchQueries": [
        "bike"
    ],
    "startUrls": [],
    "postedToday": False,
    "hasImage": False,
    "titlesOnly": False,
    "sellerType": "all",
    "sortBy": "newest",
    "condition": "any",
    "hideDuplicates": False,
    "deliveryAvailable": False,
    "cryptoOk": False,
    "maxItems": 3,
    "includeDetails": True
}

run = client.actor("vexaloom-labs/craigslist-classifieds-scraper-with-category").call(run_input=run_input)
if run is None:
    raise RuntimeError("The Actor run was not found.")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

pip install apify-client

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: "<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>" });
const input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "region": "sfbay",
    "category": "sss",
    "searchQueries": [
        "bike"
    ],
    "startUrls": [],
    "postedToday": false,
    "hasImage": false,
    "titlesOnly": false,
    "sellerType": "all",
    "sortBy": "newest",
    "condition": "any",
    "hideDuplicates": false,
    "deliveryAvailable": false,
    "cryptoOk": false,
    "maxItems": 3,
    "includeDetails": true
};

const run = await client.actor("vexaloom-labs/craigslist-classifieds-scraper-with-category").call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

npm install apify-client

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/vexaloom-labs~craigslist-classifieds-scraper-with-category/run-sync-get-dataset-items"   -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN"   -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{"mode":"search","region":"sfbay","category":"sss","searchQueries":["bike"],"startUrls":[],"postedToday":false,"hasImage":false,"titlesOnly":false,"sellerType":"all","sortBy":"newest","condition":"any","hideDuplicates":false,"deliveryAvailable":false,"cryptoOk":false,"maxItems":3,"includeDetails":true}'

Waits for the run and returns the dataset items (runs over 300 seconds return HTTP 408; start an async run instead).

MCP (AI agents)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=vexaloom-labs/craigslist-classifieds-scraper-with-category",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Adds this Actor as a tool in an MCP client that takes a remote server URL (Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code) through Apify's hosted MCP server. OAuth sign-in also works without the header. Clients that only start local servers can wrap the URL with npx mcp-remote.

Questions people ask

Does Craigslist have an official API?

No open API: Craigslist publishes no API for reading listings. Its bulk posting interface only submits new posts, and access is granted case by case to high-volume posters in a few paid categories. No public self-serve price is published.

Is it legal to scrape Craigslist?

It depends on what you collect and how. Craigslist's terms prohibit collecting content with robots, scrapers or scripts and list liquidated damages for violations; posts can contain personal data. Read Craigslist's terms (https://www.craigslist.org/about/terms.of.use) before you collect, and check whether personal data is involved. This is general information, not legal advice.

More on Craigslist

Topic groupLocal business data: every website compared
ToolWhich Craigslist route fits your job?
ToolCraigslist cost by Apify plan, rows and runs

eBay4 Actors
Facebook10 Actors
Vinted1 Actor
Wallapop1 Actor

Sources

Data checked 2026-10-25

Cite this page

Scraper Finder. "How to get Craigslist data." https://scraperfinder.com/sites/craigslist/ (data checked 2026-10-25).

Highest-scoring catalogue Actor

Craigslist Classifieds Scraper with Category Attributes: 0 of 7 core fields, $0.99 per 1,000 results, score 63. The highest score overall is 95 (Craigslist Scraper, a Store tool from another publisher); both are in the table above.

Open in Apify Store