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Is pytrends allowed, and what can you use instead to spot demand?

checked 2026-10-08 5 entries from the Tools Atlas

Short answer. pytrends and trendspy read Google Trends without permission, which breaks its terms. The official Trends API is in alpha, by application: announced 2025-07-24, with no general release or pricing when we checked. Allowed ways to spot demand include the free Hacker News API and a simple, open demand score.

By Tori, last checked 2026-10-08. Each entry below was read against its own page or licence. The verdicts are written for someone who wants to use a tool in something they sell or publish; a skip is often about a licence or a heavy setup, not about quality.

At a glance

NameLicenceCostRules checkAtlas verdict
trendspy and pytrendsMIT (trendspy)Free software.Not allowed or too riskySkip it
Hacker News APIMITFree software.AllowedUse it
DemandRadar scoreMITFree software.Careful, rules applyCopy the idea, skip the tool
last30daysMITFree software. A Brave Search key is optional (2,000 free searches a month).Careful, rules applyCopy the idea, skip the tool
Agent-ReachMITFree software.Not allowed or too riskyCopy the idea, skip the tool

One by one

trendspy and pytrends Skip it

Libraries that read Google Trends without an official connection. trendspy is MIT. Unofficial access breaks Google's terms, so the Atlas skips both. The sanctioned route is the Trends API, in alpha by application.

Licence. MIT (trendspy). Cost. Free software.

Hacker News API Use it

Free, read-only Hacker News data with no key and no rate limit. A good demand source if your audience overlaps Hacker News: Ask HN questions make content topics. The hnrss.org feed adds search but is run on donations with no stated licence, so poll the official API.

Licence. MIT. Cost. Free software.

DemandRadar score Copy the idea, skip the tool

A transparent 0 to 100 demand score from repeated requests, no AI model needed. Intent weights: buying intent 5, direct request 4, pain 3, workaround 1. Score = frequency 28 + engagement 24 + source variety 18 + intent 20 + freshness 10; raise an alert at 70. Use only Hacker News, GitHub, Stack Exchange and App Store review feeds; its Reddit search path likely conflicts with Reddit's API rules. The project has 0 stars: copy the scoring, do not depend on it.

Licence. MIT. Cost. Free software.

last30days Copy the idea, skip the tool

Searches several sources for a topic, ranks by engagement and merges the same story into one brief. MIT. About 200 lines to rebuild. Do not ship its defaults: several break platform rules (Reddit scraping, X through browser cookies, a third-party TikTok and Instagram scraper). Allow only Hacker News, GitHub, Bluesky, arXiv and Brave.

Licence. MIT. Cost. Free software. A Brave Search key is optional (2,000 free searches a month).

Agent-Reach Copy the idea, skip the tool

Sets up and health-checks web-access tools. MIT. Borrow its “doctor” idea, a plain report of which channels work. Its cookie-based channels for X, Reddit and Instagram break those platforms' terms, so skip those.

Licence. MIT. Cost. Free software.

A rule that keeps you safe

If a demand tool needs your login cookies, or reads a page the way a browser would instead of using the service's official connection, assume it breaks the terms. Use sources that publish a connection for this purpose.

Questions

Is pytrends allowed by Google?
No. Unofficial access to Google Trends breaks its terms. The official route is the Trends API, in alpha by application.

Is there an official Google Trends API?
Announced on 2025-07-24 as an alpha, by application, with no general release or pricing when we checked.

Can I use the Product Hunt API?
Its documentation says not commercially without contacting Product Hunt, so ask first.

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