# Cost Plus Drugs Price Scraper (`parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes prescription drug prices from Cost Plus Drugs by medication name. Returns each product as a flat row with drug name, strength, form, quantity, and price.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Lead generation, Other
- **Stats:** 16 total users, 1 monthly users, 89.7% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### Cost Plus Drugs Price Scraper

**Scrape prescription drug prices from Cost Plus Drugs by medication name, up to a million per run.** Every result comes with the drug name, strength, form, quantity, and the exact cash price. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Cost Plus Drugs lists transparent, cash-only prices for hundreds of generic medications, but there is no public API and the site is built for one-at-a-time lookups. This Actor reads the public price pages directly, takes a list of medication names, and returns every matching drug with its strength, form, quantity, and price in one fixed schema. It is the fastest way to build a price sheet, monitor a formulary, or compare cash prices against insurance copays.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Cost Plus Drugs for |
|---|---|
| Pharmacists | Build a quick reference of cash prices for common generics to share with patients. |
| Healthcare analysts | Track how Cost Plus Drugs prices change over time for a set of medications. |
| Patient advocates | Compare Cost Plus Drugs prices against insurance copays to find savings. |
| Researchers | Collect a dataset of transparent drug prices for studies on pharmaceutical pricing. |
| Developers | Power a price-comparison tool or app with fresh Cost Plus Drugs data. |

### What it does

This Actor collects prescription drug prices from Cost Plus Drugs by medication name and returns each match as a flat row with the drug name, strength, form, quantity, and price.

- 💊 **Medication name lookup:** enter generic drug names like ibuprofen, metformin, or lisinopril and get every matching product.
- 📦 **Bulk price collection:** run up to 1,000,000 medications in a single run for paid users.
- 🧾 **Flat row output:** each result is one row with drug name, strength, form, quantity, and price, ready for CSV or JSON.
- 🔎 **Generic-name friendly:** the Actor matches the public search, so generic names work best and return all available strengths and forms.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with Cost Plus Drugs data

**📋 Build a cash price sheet.**

A pharmacist enters the 50 most common generic medications and gets a clean CSV of every strength, form, and quantity with the exact Cost Plus Drugs price to post at the counter.

**📈 Track price changes over time.**

A healthcare analyst runs the Actor weekly on a fixed list of 200 drugs and compares the output to spot any price increases or new product additions.

**💸 Compare against insurance copays.**

A patient advocate enters a member's medication list and compares the Cost Plus Drugs cash price to the insurance copay to show where the member could save money.

**🧪 Collect data for research.**

A researcher scrapes the full catalog of generic medications to build a dataset of transparent drug prices for a study on pharmaceutical pricing models.

**🛠️ Power a price-comparison tool.**

A developer integrates the Actor into an app that lets users type a drug name and instantly see the Cost Plus Drugs price next to other pharmacy prices.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key or login** | The Actor reads the public Cost Plus Drugs pages directly, so you do not need to register an app or manage OAuth. |
| **One fixed schema** | Every result is a flat row with the same fields, so you can append runs and build a clean dataset. |
| **Bulk by design** | Feed it a list of hundreds or thousands of drug names and get all prices in one run, not one manual search at a time. |
| **Transparent cash prices** | Cost Plus Drugs publishes its actual selling price, so the data reflects what a patient would pay out of pocket. |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets Cost Plus Drugs the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | Cost Plus Drugs Price Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When Cost Plus Drugs changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a list of medication names, and it returns every matching product with its strength, form, quantity, and price. Free users are limited to 10 medications per run; paid users can set any number up to 1,000,000. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 10,
 "drugs": [
 "ibuprofen",
 "metformin",
 "lisinopril",
 "atorvastatin",
 "amoxicillin"
 ]
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 200,
 "drugs": [
 "ibuprofen",
 "metformin",
 "lisinopril",
 "atorvastatin",
 "amoxicillin"
 ]
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.0055 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.55 |
| 1,000 results | $5.50 |
| 10,000 results | $55.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [Cost Plus Drugs Price Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Cost Plus Drugs through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results for a drug name?**

Check the spelling and try the generic name. Cost Plus Drugs may not carry that medication, or the search may require a different name. Search the Cost Plus Drugs website manually to confirm the drug is listed.

**Why did the run stop after 10 medications?**

Free users are limited to 10 medications per run as a preview. Upgrade to a paid plan to scrape more, up to 1,000,000 medications per run.

**Why are some prices different from what I see on the website?**

Prices can change between runs. The Actor reads the live pages, so if the price changed after your run, the dataset will show the older value. Run the Actor again to get the current price.

**Why does the Actor return multiple rows for one drug name?**

Cost Plus Drugs lists each strength, form, and quantity as a separate product. The Actor returns one row per product, so a single drug name can produce many rows.

**Why did the run fail with a timeout?**

If you are scraping a very large list of medications, the run may take longer than the default timeout. Increase the timeout in the Actor's run settings or split the list into smaller batches.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is Cost Plus Drugs? | Cost Plus Drugs is an online pharmacy founded by Mark Cuban that sells generic medications at a fixed markup over the manufacturer price, with no insurance. It publishes the cash price for every drug, strength, and quantity on its public website. |
| Do I need an API key or login to scrape Cost Plus Drugs? | No. This Actor reads the public price pages directly, so you do not need to register an app, get an API key, or log in. |
| What data does the Actor return for each drug? | Each result is a flat row with the drug name, strength, form, quantity, and the exact cash price listed on Cost Plus Drugs. The exact field names are shown in the sample output below. |
| How many medications can I scrape in one run? | Free users are limited to 10 medications per run as a preview. Paid users can set any number up to 1,000,000 medications per run. |
| Should I use generic or brand drug names? | Generic names work best because Cost Plus Drugs primarily sells generic medications. For example, enter 'ibuprofen' rather than 'Advil' to get all available strengths and forms. |
| What if a drug name returns no results? | The Actor will return an empty dataset for that medication. Check the spelling, try the generic name, or verify that Cost Plus Drugs carries the drug by searching their website manually. |
| Can I export the results to CSV or Excel? | Yes. After the run finishes, you can export the dataset to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML directly from the Apify platform. |
| Does the Actor include shipping or membership fees? | No. The Actor returns the listed drug price only. Cost Plus Drugs charges a flat shipping fee and a small pharmacy labor fee per order, which are not included in the scraped price. |
| Is the price data live or cached? | The Actor reads the live Cost Plus Drugs pages at the time of the run, so the prices reflect what is currently listed on the site. |
| Can I schedule this Actor to run automatically? | Yes. You can set up a schedule in Apify to run the Actor daily, weekly, or at any interval, and it will collect fresh prices each time. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, PBC. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Free users: Limited to 10 medications (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000

## `drugs` (type: `array`):

List of drug names to look up (generic names work best). Examples: ibuprofen, metformin, lisinopril, atorvastatin

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "drugs": [
    "ibuprofen",
    "metformin",
    "lisinopril",
    "atorvastatin",
    "amoxicillin"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "drugs": [
        "ibuprofen",
        "metformin",
        "lisinopril",
        "atorvastatin",
        "amoxicillin"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "drugs": [
        "ibuprofen",
        "metformin",
        "lisinopril",
        "atorvastatin",
        "amoxicillin",
    ],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "drugs": [
    "ibuprofen",
    "metformin",
    "lisinopril",
    "atorvastatin",
    "amoxicillin"
  ]
}' |
apify call parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/costplusdrugs-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/PuzSYXBLyk1V9OtrR/builds/NH61AnsuaUgn210VJ/openapi.json