# Verivox Scraper: German Energy Tariff Comparison (`studio-amba/verivox-scraper`) Actor

Scrape tariff comparisons from Verivox.de, Germany's largest comparison portal. Extract electricity and gas plans with prices, kWh rates, ratings, bonuses, and contract details for any German postal code. No login required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/studio-amba/verivox-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Studio Amba](https://apify.com/studio-amba) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 6 total users, 1 monthly users, 99.6% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 result scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Verivox Scraper: German Energy Tariff Comparison

Scrape tariff comparisons from Verivox.de, Germany's largest comparison portal. Extract provider names, monthly and annual prices, kWh rates, features, ratings, bonuses, and contract details for electricity (Strom) and gas plans at any German postal code.

### How to scrape Verivox data

Verivox is a German price comparison portal. Its energy comparison shows different tariffs for every postal code, and the page sits behind an anti-bot challenge. This actor resolves your postal code to the right district, loads the comparison results, and returns every tariff with its prices, bonuses and contract terms as one row each.

1. **Choose a category**: Select Strom (electricity) or Gas.
2. **Enter a postal code**: Any valid German 5-digit PLZ (e.g. 10115 for Berlin, 80331 for Munich, 50667 for Cologne).
3. **Set consumption** (optional): Annual consumption in kWh. Left empty, the actor uses 3,500 kWh for Strom and 20,000 kWh for Gas.
4. **Run the actor**: You get the tariffs Verivox lists for that postal code and consumption, usually 20 to 25.
5. **Export data**: Download results as JSON, CSV, or Excel. Integrate via Apify API for automated monitoring.

No login or cookies required. The actor accesses only publicly available comparison data.

### Why use this actor?

- **Monitor energy prices** across German regions over time
- **Compare providers** (E.ON, Vattenfall, EnBW, RWE, etc.) at any postal code
- **Track switching bonuses** and promotional offers
- **Build price comparison dashboards** for energy consulting
- **Research German utility markets** with structured data
- **Automate tariff monitoring** via Apify schedules and webhooks

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `category` | Select | No | `strom` | Comparison category: strom or gas |
| `postalCode` | String | No | `10115` | German 5-digit postal code (PLZ) |
| `consumption` | Integer | No | `3500` / `20000` | Annual consumption in kWh, 500 to 100000 (3500 for strom, 20000 for gas) |
| `searchQuery` | String | No | — | Keep only tariffs whose provider, plan name or features match, e.g. `Vattenfall` or `Ökostrom` |
| `maxResults` | Integer | No | `20` | Maximum tariffs to scrape (1–100) |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Object | No | Residential DE | Not used. Kept so saved tasks keep working |

### Output

Each result contains:

| Field | Type | Example |
|-------|------|---------|
| `planName` | String | `"MeinSmartStrom Klima"` |
| `provider` | String | `"Vattenfall"` |
| `category` | String | `"strom"` |
| `monthlyPrice` | Number | `89.50` |
| `annualPrice` | Number | `1074.00` |
| `savingsPerYear` | Number | `156.00` (negative when the tariff costs more than local basic supply) |
| `currency` | String | `"EUR"` |
| `pricePerKwh` | Number | `28.5` |
| `basePrice` | Number | `12.95` |
| `features` | Array | `["inkl. 120,00 € Sofortbonus", "Eingeschr. Preisgarantie: 12 Monate", "Onlinetarif"]` (German text from Verivox) |
| `rating` | Number or null | `4.2` (`null` when the tariff has no reviews; `reviewCount` is then `0`) |
| `reviewCount` | Integer | `1250` (`0` when the tariff has no reviews) |
| `contractDuration` | String | `"12 Monate"` |
| `cancellationPeriod` | String or null | Currently always `null`. The notice period is not exposed in the comparison data |
| `priceGuarantee` | String | `"12 Monate Preisgarantie"` |
| `bonus` | Number | `120.00` |
| `isGreen` | Boolean | `true` |
| `planDescription` | String or null | Currently always `null`. Tariff highlights are in `features` |
| `postalCode` | String | `"10115"` |
| `consumption` | Integer | `3500` |
| `url` | String | `"https://www.verivox.de/energy/msp?..."` (link to the tariff offer) |
| `scrapedAt` | String | `"2026-10-13T12:00:00.000Z"` |

### Example output

```json
{
    "planName": "MeinSmartStrom Klima",
    "provider": "Vattenfall",
    "category": "strom",
    "monthlyPrice": 89.50,
    "annualPrice": 1074.00,
    "savingsPerYear": 156.00,
    "currency": "EUR",
    "pricePerKwh": 28.5,
    "basePrice": 12.95,
    "features": ["inkl. 120,00 € Sofortbonus", "Eingeschr. Preisgarantie: 12 Monate", "Erstlaufzeit: 12 Monate", "Onlinetarif"],
    "rating": 4.2,
    "reviewCount": 1250,
    "contractDuration": "12 Monate",
    "cancellationPeriod": null,
    "priceGuarantee": "12 Monate Preisgarantie",
    "bonus": 120.00,
    "isGreen": true,
    "planDescription": null,
    "postalCode": "10115",
    "consumption": 3500,
    "url": "https://www.verivox.de/energy/msp?gc=true&cmpc=1723&...",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-10-13T12:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### Supported categories

| Category | German Name | What it compares |
|----------|-------------|------------------|
| `strom` | Stromvergleich | Electricity tariffs for the postal code |
| `gas` | Gasvergleich | Natural gas tariffs by region |

### Typical use cases

#### Energy price monitoring

Run this actor on a schedule (daily/weekly) to track electricity and gas prices in specific German regions. Detect price drops and switching opportunities automatically.

#### Market research

Compare tariff structures across different postal codes to understand regional pricing differences in the German energy market. Useful for energy consultants, journalists, and researchers.

#### Provider benchmarking

Filter on one provider with `searchQuery` and run it across postal codes to compare its pricing by region. If the provider has no tariff in the recommended set for that postal code, the run returns no rows.

#### Automated switching alerts

Combine with Apify webhooks to get notified when cheaper tariffs become available at your postal code.

### Access and reliability

The actor connects through a built-in scraping browser that handles Verivox's anti-bot challenge automatically. You do not need to configure any proxy. The `proxyConfiguration` input is kept for backward compatibility but is not used.

### Tips

- **Berlin (10115)** and **Munich (80331)** are good test postal codes with many available providers
- Average German household electricity consumption is **3,500 kWh/year** (default)
- Average German household gas consumption is **20,000 kWh/year**
- Use `searchQuery` to filter for specific providers like "Vattenfall" or "E.ON"

### Limitations

- Verivox serves only the German market (DE postal codes)
- Internet (DSL) and insurance comparisons use a different Verivox app and are not covered
- Some promotional tariffs may have regional restrictions
- The comparison returns Verivox's recommended tariff set (typically 20-25 tariffs per postcode)

### Cost of usage

Pay per event: $0.005 per GB of memory at start (the default 4 GB run is $0.02) plus $0.002 per tariff. A full run of 24 tariffs costs about $0.07 and takes about one minute. The usage cost of a run only settles after the run has SUCCEEDED.

# Actor input Schema

## `category` (type: `string`):

Comparison category to scrape. Strom = electricity, Gas = natural gas.

## `postalCode` (type: `string`):

German 5-digit postal code (Postleitzahl). Determines available providers and regional prices. Examples: 10115 (Berlin), 80331 (Munich), 50667 (Cologne).

## `consumption` (type: `integer`):

Annual energy consumption in kWh. Defaults per category: 3500 (electricity), 20000 (gas).

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Optional: filter results by keyword (e.g. provider name like 'Vattenfall', 'E.ON', or plan type like 'Oekostrom').

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of tariffs to scrape. The comparison typically exposes 20-25 recommended tariffs per postcode.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Not used by this actor. Access goes through a built-in scraping browser that handles the anti-bot challenge. Kept for backward compatibility.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "category": "strom",
  "postalCode": "10115",
  "maxResults": 20,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "DE"
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 = {
    "category": "strom",
    "postalCode": "10115",
    "maxResults": 20,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "DE"
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("studio-amba/verivox-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 = {
    "category": "strom",
    "postalCode": "10115",
    "maxResults": 20,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "DE",
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("studio-amba/verivox-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 '{
  "category": "strom",
  "postalCode": "10115",
  "maxResults": 20,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "DE"
  }
}' |
apify call studio-amba/verivox-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,studio-amba/verivox-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/8qJyondxNKkVVdCZz/builds/h0gHoEyeyo9QTQg3a/openapi.json