# Reddit Subreddit Scraper: Hot, New, Top Posts, $2/1K Posts (`actorforgehq/reddit-subreddit-scraper`) Actor

Input: subreddit names and a sort order (hot, new, top, rising) with a time window. Output: one JSON row per post with title, author, score, comment count, flair, body text, link and UTC date, up to about 1,000 posts per subreddit. $2 per 1,000 posts, no start fee.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/actorforgehq/reddit-subreddit-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Sluicebox](https://apify.com/actorforgehq) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Automation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 posts

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

## Reddit Subreddit Scraper: Hot, New, Top Posts, $2/1K Posts

Get the posts of any **subreddit** as clean JSON: the hot, new, top or rising feed, with a time
window for top, a date window for your own analysis, and only-new mode for monitoring. It reads
the same public pages Reddit serves to a logged-out visitor's browser, over plain HTTP with no
page rendering and no scrolling, at a fixed pace that stays inside the request quota Reddit
itself announces for these pages.

This is the subreddit member of our Reddit family. It shares its code, its field names and its
output format with the [Reddit Data Scraper](https://apify.com/actorforgehq/reddit-data-scraper),
so an input or a pipeline written for one works with the other.

### What you get

One row per post:

```json
{
  "type": "post",
  "id": "1x62x6p",
  "subreddit": "programming",
  "author": "MegaGreenLightning",
  "title": "A C++ Trick Question - Blog Post",
  "score": 25,
  "numComments": 8,
  "url": "https://greenlightning.eu/programming/cpp-trick-question/",
  "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1x62x6p/a_c_trick_question_blog_post/",
  "domain": "greenlightning.eu",
  "createdUtc": "2026-10-14T20:58:51.101Z",
  "nsfw": false,
  "spoiler": false,
  "stickied": false,
  "flair": "Blog"
}
```

For link posts `url` is the external link. For text posts `url` is omitted rather than filled
with the post's own address, and `selfText` carries the body as plain text with its paragraphs,
list items and code blocks. `flair` is present only when the post has one. Deleted authors come
through as `[deleted]`, exactly as Reddit shows them.

### Input

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `subreddits` | string\[] | Subreddit names without `r/`, e.g. `["programming", "webdev"]`. |
| `listingSort` | string | `hot` (default), `new`, `top` or `rising`. |
| `time` | string | Time window for `top`: `hour`, `day`, `week`, `month`, `year` or `all` (default). Ignored for the other feeds. |
| `maxItems` | integer | Max posts per subreddit (default 100, hard cap 1,000, about Reddit's own feed ceiling). One request returns about 25 posts, so 1,000 posts take about 42 requests. |
| `postedAfter` / `postedBefore` | string | ISO date bounds (UTC). On the `new` feed the Actor stops paging at the first post older than `postedAfter`, so a narrow window costs fewer requests. On `hot`, `top` and `rising` the bounds are applied after fetching. |
| `includeNSFW` | boolean | Default `false`. NSFW posts are skipped unless you opt in. |
| `onlyNew` | boolean | Default `false`. Skip posts this Actor already gave you from the same sources in earlier runs. See [Only new since last run](#only-new-since-last-run). |
| `startUrls` | array | Subreddit feed links instead of, or in addition to, names: `https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/` or `.../r/programming/new/`. The sort in the link wins over `listingSort`. Links to posts, user pages or search pages are not read by this Actor; the Reddit Data Scraper takes those. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | Defaults to Apify **residential proxies** with no country pin, which is the supported configuration. |

Example:

```json
{
  "subreddits": ["programming", "webdev"],
  "listingSort": "new",
  "postedAfter": "2026-10-01",
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### How to use it

1. Click **Try for free** or **Start** on this page.
2. Enter one or more subreddit names, pick a sort order and, for `top`, a time window.
3. Optionally set date bounds and **Max posts per subreddit**.
4. Run it. Posts land in the dataset as one row each. Export them as JSON, CSV or Excel, or
   pull them over the API.

To run it on a schedule, use Apify **Schedules** with `onlyNew: true`. Pricing has no per-run
start fee, so a scheduled check costs exactly the posts it delivers. To call it from code, use
the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) or an official client. AI agents can call it
through the **Apify MCP server**: the description and the input fields above are written to be
read by an agent.

### Only new since last run

Turn on **Only new since last run** (`onlyNew: true`) for monitoring. Here "new" means "not
delivered to you before from the same source", not "newer by time": on a `hot` or `top` feed an
older post you have not received yet still counts as new.

- Posts you already got from a source are not written to the dataset and not charged.
- `maxItems` counts new posts only. Paging stops at the first page where every post was already
  delivered to you, and never goes past 60 pages per source. A quiet subreddit costs one request
  and no post charges.
- The list of delivered posts lives in a named key-value store in your own Apify account, called
  `reddit-subreddit-only-new-` plus a code made from your sources (the run log shows the exact
  name). Each set of sources (subreddits with their sort and time window, feed links) gets its
  own store, so adding or removing a subreddit starts a fresh list for the set. Filters (dates,
  NSFW, `maxItems`) do not. The store does not expire. The latest 2,000 posts per source are
  remembered. This Actor keeps its own list, separate from the Reddit Data Scraper's.
- The list is saved once, at the end of the run. If a run is aborted or times out, the list
  stays as it was, so the next run delivers again what that run had delivered. For the same
  reason, do not let two runs with the same input overlap.
- To start over, delete that store in Apify Console under **Storage**, **Key-value stores**.

### Pricing

Pay-per-event, one event, nothing else:

| Event | Rate |
|---|---|
| `post-scraped` | **$2.00 per 1,000** ($0.002 each) |
| Run start | **free, there is no start event** |

**What you get for $1:** 500 posts. Platform usage (compute, proxy) is charged to us, not to
you, so the per-post price is the whole bill. A daily check of one subreddit that finds 20 new
posts costs $0.04, every day, with no per-run surcharge. Rates are as of the last README update.
The Store page stays authoritative.

### Limits (honest)

- **About 1,000 posts per feed is Reddit's ceiling, not ours.** Reddit serves at most about 1,000
  posts for any listing, and no scraper can page past that. `maxItems` is capped there. For more
  history use the `new` feed on a schedule with `onlyNew`.
- **Date bounds reduce requests only on the `new` feed.** It is sorted by time, so the Actor can
  stop at the first post older than `postedAfter`. Hot, top and rising are not sorted by time,
  so there the bounds filter posts after fetching. When a date bound is set, a post whose
  timestamp cannot be read is dropped rather than guessed.
- **Posts only.** Comments are not fetched. For a post with its comments use the Reddit Data
  Scraper, and for whole threads watch for our Reddit Comments Scraper.
- **Text comes as plain text.** Post bodies keep their paragraphs, list items and code blocks,
  but not formatting such as bold, italics or link targets.
- **A subreddit that does not exist, or is banned, gives an empty result.** Reddit serves such
  pages as ordinary pages with no posts, so that source ends with 0 posts and no charge, not with
  an error. Check the spelling if a subreddit comes back empty. Private subreddits are not
  readable without login and come back empty too.
- **No login, no captcha solving.** The Actor reads only what Reddit serves to any logged-out
  visitor. It opens a session the way a browser does, completes Reddit's lightweight automated
  visitor check (a short script every visitor's browser runs), and then reads public pages with
  that session. If Reddit refuses a session, the Actor opens a new one from a fresh address. It
  fails honestly rather than fabricate data.
- If more than 5% of tasks in a run fail, the run log says so loudly. A run in which every fetch
  failed is marked **failed**, not "succeeded with 0 items". A run whose filters legitimately
  match nothing (say, a strict date window) still succeeds, with an empty dataset and an empty
  bill.

### Rate-limit etiquette (built in, with numbers)

- **At most 20 requests per minute**, with a hard 3-second spacing between requests. Reddit
  announces a quota of 225 requests per 10 minutes for these pages in its `x-ratelimit-*`
  headers. A 3-second spacing means at most 200 requests per 10 minutes, so the Actor stays
  inside that quota by design.
- One request carries about 25 posts. A 1,000-post feed is about 42 requests, roughly two
  minutes. A 100-post run is 4 to 5 requests.
- On an HTTP `429` the Actor **waits 30 seconds**, opens a fresh session and retries. On any
  other transient refusal it backs off (3 s, then 6 s, then 9 s), rotates to a fresh proxy
  session and retries, at most 3 times.
- If five tasks in a row (a subreddit, or one page of it) fail after all retries, the run stops
  instead of grinding through the rest of the plan.

### FAQ

**Do I need a Reddit account or an API key?**
No. The Actor reads only publicly available data as a logged-out visitor, never logs in, and
does not use Reddit's developer API or anyone's credentials.

**How is this different from the Reddit Data Scraper?**
Same code, same output rows, narrower job. This Actor reads subreddit feeds only, stops early on
the `new` feed when you set a date, and is priced per post. The Reddit Data Scraper also reads
post pages with their first comments, search results and user history.

**Does it use a browser?**
Not for the data. Pages are fetched over plain HTTP and read straight from the HTML Reddit
serves, with no rendering and no scrolling. A real Chrome is kept on standby only as a last
resort for opening a session, when no page gives one over plain HTTP.

**Can I get older posts than the feed shows?**
Not from one run: Reddit's own feeds end at about 1,000 posts. Run the `new` feed on a schedule
with `onlyNew` and you accumulate the history from now on.

**Are NSFW posts included?**
Only if you set `includeNSFW: true`. The default is off.

**Where is my data stored?**
In your run's dataset on your Apify account, under your control. The Actor keeps no copy of
scraped data outside your run and sends nothing to any third party. With **Only new since last
run** on, it also keeps the ids of posts it already gave you in a key-value store in your
account (see above), so you can delete them at any time.

### Legal

This is an **unofficial** scraper. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to
Reddit, Inc. in any way, and it does not use Reddit's developer API. It reads only data that
Reddit serves publicly to any logged-out visitor: no login, no credentials, no captcha solving.
Website terms of service are a contractual matter between a website and its visitors, not
criminal law. You are responsible for ensuring that your use of the collected data complies with
the laws that apply to you and with Reddit's terms. Post content belongs to its authors.

### Personal data

Reddit is a pseudonymous platform: the `author` field contains the public username a person
chose to publish under, not their real identity. This Actor collects no emails, no real names,
no private messages, and performs no deanonymization. It stores exactly what any visitor sees
on a public page. Scraped data lives only in your own Apify dataset and is not retained by us
outside your run. If the data you collect contains personal data under the laws of your
jurisdiction (for example the GDPR), you act as its controller: it is your responsibility to
have a legal basis for processing and to honor data-subject requests, including deletion.

### Rate this Actor

If this Actor saved you time, a short rating or review on its Store page helps other people find
it. Missing a field, or did something break? Open the **Issues** tab on this page and tell us.

### Need a custom scraper?

We can build a custom version of this Actor, for example with extra fields, other filters or another output format, or a new Actor for a site we do not cover yet. It runs on Apify like this one. Email actorforge.hq+orders@gmail.com with the site, the data you need and how often you need it.

### Other Actors by ActorForge

- [Reddit Data Scraper](https://apify.com/actorforgehq/reddit-data-scraper): subreddit feeds,
  posts with their first comments, keyword search and user history in one Actor.
- [Lazada Reviews Scraper](https://apify.com/actorforgehq/lazada-reviews-scraper): product
  reviews, ratings and buyer media from all six Lazada marketplaces.
- [Wildberries Scraper](https://apify.com/actorforgehq/wildberries-scraper): products, prices
  and reviews from Wildberries as clean, schema-validated JSON.
- [Avito Real Estate Scraper](https://apify.com/actorforgehq/avito-real-estate-scraper): full
  property inventory from Avito with freshness stamps.

### Changelog

- **0.1** (October 2026): first release. Subreddit feeds hot, new, top and rising, date bounds
  with early stop on the new feed, only-new mode, $2 per 1,000 posts, no start fee.

# Actor input Schema

## `subreddits` (type: `array`):

Subreddit names without r/, for example programming. Each one is listed with the sort order and time window below.

## `listingSort` (type: `string`):

Which feed of the subreddit to read: hot (default), new, top or rising.

## `time` (type: `string`):

Applies to the Top feed only: past hour, day, week, month, year or all time (default). Ignored for hot, new and rising.

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

How many posts to keep per subreddit (default 100, hard cap 1,000). Reddit itself stops a feed at about 1,000 posts. One request returns about 25 posts, so 1,000 posts take about 42 requests, roughly two minutes.

## `postedAfter` (type: `string`):

Keep only posts submitted on or after this date (UTC). On the New feed the Actor also stops paging at the first post older than this date, so a narrow window costs fewer requests. On hot, top and rising the date is applied after fetching.

## `postedBefore` (type: `string`):

Keep only posts submitted on or before this date (UTC). Applied after fetching.

## `includeNSFW` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default: posts marked NSFW are skipped unless you turn this on.

## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`):

Skip posts this Actor already gave you in earlier runs with the same subreddits, sort and time window: they are not saved again and not charged. New means not delivered to you before, not newer by time. With this on, Max posts counts new posts only, and paging stops at the first page where everything was already delivered. The list of delivered posts is kept in a key-value store in your own Apify account named reddit-subreddit-only-new- plus a code made from your sources (the run log shows the exact name). It does not expire. To start over, delete that store in Storage.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Links to subreddit feeds instead of, or in addition to, names: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/ or .../r/programming/new/. The sort in the link wins over the Listing sort field. Links to posts, user pages or search pages are not read by this Actor; our Reddit Data Scraper takes those.

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

Residential proxies are the default and the supported configuration. No country pin is needed. The run rotates proxy sessions and visitor cookies whenever Reddit refuses one.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "subreddits": [
    "programming",
    "webdev"
  ],
  "listingSort": "hot",
  "time": "all",
  "maxItems": 100,
  "postedAfter": "2026-01-01",
  "postedBefore": "2026-06-01",
  "includeNSFW": false,
  "onlyNew": false,
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/new/"
    }
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `posts` (type: `string`):

One row per scraped post: title, author, score, comment count, flair, NSFW and stickied flags, link, permalink, UTC date and the body of text posts.

# 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 = {
    "subreddits": [
        "programming"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("actorforgehq/reddit-subreddit-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 = { "subreddits": ["programming"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("actorforgehq/reddit-subreddit-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 '{
  "subreddits": [
    "programming"
  ]
}' |
apify call actorforgehq/reddit-subreddit-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,actorforgehq/reddit-subreddit-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/lo1H7sxs0ij37AsYn/builds/WHMk3UpBzg04zrckV/openapi.json