Unsplash: scrapers and the official API, compared

Free photos with titles, photographers, dimensions, orientation, likes and image links from Unsplash.

Short answer

Unsplash's official Unsplash API is public and free (an application key is required); start there for single lookups, and use a scraper when you need many photos in one run. For most Unsplash jobs, start with Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator: it covers 6 of 8 core fields (title, photographer, orientation, width and 2 more) at $0.99 per 1,000 results on Apify's Free plan. It also has the top published score for Unsplash (87 of 100).

From published Store listings, output schemas and the official documentation. Checked 2026-10-21. How the ranking works.

Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator: inputs, code and cost Open in Apify Store

1 catalogue Actor 8 other Store tools Official API: Public API Lowest rate $0.99 per 1K

Route map

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

1 Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator 8 output fields, pay per event 6 of 8 core fields
$0.99 / 1K
+ 6 other Store tools, combined Reference only 5 of 8 core fields
from $0.99 / 1K
API Unsplash API Public 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 Unsplash

Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator

Searches Unsplash by keyword or browses a curated topic, numbered collection, or photographer's portfolio, returning photo dimensions,…

6/8 core fields 8 output fields $0.99 per 1K Open in Apify Store

Field matrix: who returns what

Every tool with a published output schema, against the 8 fields most Unsplash jobs need. A dot means the field name appears in the schema; rows can still leave it empty.

Which tools return each core Unsplash field, from published output schemas
Tool	title	photographer	orientation	width	height	likes	image	source	Fields
Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator	●	●	●	●	●	●	–	–	6/8
Unsplash Image ScraperReference only, by shahidirfan	–	–	–	●	●	●	–	–	3/8
Unsplash ScraperReference only, by solidcode	●	●	–	●	●	●	–	–	5/8
Unsplash ScraperReference only, by fatihtahta	●	●	–	–	–	–	–	–	2/8
Unsplash Image ScraperReference only, by maximedupre	●	●	–	●	●	●	–	–	5/8
Unsplash Image ScraperReference only, by parsebird	–	●	–	–	–	–	–	–	1/8
Unsplash Email ScraperReference only, by email_scraper	●	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1/8
Tools returning it	5	5	1	4	4	4	0	0

Field dictionary: the exact keys

The same core field has a different key in each Actor's output. Map these before you merge datasets; a dash means the published schema has no matching key. Need a field that is not listed here, such as email? Search every Unsplash Actor by field.

Output keys for each core Unsplash field in the top catalogue Actors
Core field	Unsplash Photo Search by…
title	title, photographerName
photographer	photographerName
orientation	orientation
width	width
height	height
likes	likes
image	–
source	–

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 Unsplash, ranked by the published method
		Sample fields
87	Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator Catalogue Actor, pay per event	title, photographerName, orientation	8	$0.99	100% of 22 runs	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 Unsplash, for reference
		Sample fields
79	Unsplash Image Scraper Reference only, by shahidirfan	width, height, likes	11	$1.00	100% of 59 runs	Oct 2026
76	Unsplash Scraper Reference only, by solidcode	photographerName, width, height	16	$3.00	95% of 59 runs	Aug 2026
73	Unsplash Image Scraper Reference only, by memo23	No published schema	–	$1.50	97% of 706 runs	Nov 2026
72	Unsplash Scraper Reference only, by fatihtahta	title, photographer, id	31	$0.99	100% of 36 runs	Jun 2026
70	Unsplash Image Scraper Reference only, by maximedupre	photographer, width, height	22	$1.80	26% of 34 runs	Nov 2026
65	Unsplash Image Scraper Reference only, by parsebird	photographer, imageId, altDescription	10	$2.00	82% of 174 runs	Oct 2026
63	Unsplash Image Scraper Reference only, by easyapi	No published schema	–	$2.99	95% of 42 runs	Nov 2025
48	Unsplash Email Scraper Reference only, by email_scraper	title, location, description	12	$4.99	100% of 30 runs	Oct 2026

Official API route

Unsplash API

The Unsplash API searches and returns photos, collections and users. Apps must hotlink returned image URLs, trigger the download endpoint on downloads and attribute photographers.

Price. Free; an application key is required.

Limits. Demo apps get 50 requests per hour; after production approval the limit is 1,000 requests per hour. Only JSON requests to api.unsplash.com count.

Official documentation

Terms and personal data

Unsplash's terms bar bots, scrapers and building a similar or competitive service; AI training uses separate terms. This is general information, not legal advice.

Read Unsplash'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 Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator and start from its default input; its Actor page has the full example input and code.
Set the Unsplash 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 Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator from code

The example input uses the Actor's published defaults; set your own Unsplash 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",
    "searchQueries": [
        "nature"
    ],
    "topicSlugs": [],
    "collectionIds": [],
    "usernames": [],
    "photoIds": [],
    "startUrls": [],
    "orientation": "any",
    "color": "any",
    "freeOnly": False,
    "searchOrderBy": "relevant",
    "userOrderBy": "pinned",
    "includePhotoDetails": False,
    "includePhotographerStats": False,
    "maxItems": 2
}

run = client.actor("dataspryva/unsplash-photo-search-by-topic-collection").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",
    "searchQueries": [
        "nature"
    ],
    "topicSlugs": [],
    "collectionIds": [],
    "usernames": [],
    "photoIds": [],
    "startUrls": [],
    "orientation": "any",
    "color": "any",
    "freeOnly": false,
    "searchOrderBy": "relevant",
    "userOrderBy": "pinned",
    "includePhotoDetails": false,
    "includePhotographerStats": false,
    "maxItems": 2
};

const run = await client.actor("dataspryva/unsplash-photo-search-by-topic-collection").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/dataspryva~unsplash-photo-search-by-topic-collection/run-sync-get-dataset-items"   -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN"   -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{"mode":"search","searchQueries":["nature"],"topicSlugs":[],"collectionIds":[],"usernames":[],"photoIds":[],"startUrls":[],"orientation":"any","color":"any","freeOnly":false,"searchOrderBy":"relevant","userOrderBy":"pinned","includePhotoDetails":false,"includePhotographerStats":false,"maxItems":2}'

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=dataspryva/unsplash-photo-search-by-topic-collection",
      "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

What is the cheapest catalogue Actor for Unsplash data?

Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator lists $0.99 per 1,000 results (pay per event), with 8 fields in its published output schema. Start events and platform usage are billed separately. Checked 2026-10-21.

Which Unsplash scraper returns the most core fields?

Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator covers 6 of the 8 core Unsplash fields this page tracks (title, photographer, orientation, width, height, likes, image, source), based on its published output schema.

Does Unsplash have an official API?

Public API: The Unsplash API searches and returns photos, collections and users. Apps must hotlink returned image URLs, trigger the download endpoint on downloads and attribute photographers. Free; an application key is required.

Is it legal to scrape Unsplash?

It depends on what you collect and how. Unsplash's terms bar bots, scrapers and building a similar or competitive service; AI training uses separate terms. Read Unsplash's terms (https://unsplash.com/terms) before you collect, and check whether personal data is involved. This is general information, not legal advice.

More on Unsplash

Topic groupMedia and entertainment data: every website compared
ToolWhich Unsplash route fits your job?
ToolUnsplash cost by Apify plan, rows and runs

Pexels1 Actor
Pinterest6 Actors
DeviantArt1 Actor

Sources

Data checked 2026-10-21

Cite this page

Scraper Finder. "How to get Unsplash data." https://scraperfinder.com/sites/unsplash/ (data checked 2026-10-21).

Highest-scoring catalogue Actor

Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator: 6 of 8 core fields, $0.99 per 1,000 results, score 87.

Open in Apify Store