🎯 Fast Instagram Comments Scraper API: Extract Comments & Replies at Scale 💬

This Actor provides a fast, scalable API for extracting Instagram comment and reply data from any public post URL.

Extract Instagram comments, replies, and engagement data with one of the most powerful Instagram Comments Scraper APIs available. This Instagram comments scraper collects comment text, user profiles, like counts, reply threads, and timestamps with transparent event-based pricing at $0.0075 per post (first 15 comments FREE), then just $0.0005 per additional comment.

Perfect for sentiment analysis, brand monitoring, competitor analysis, and social media intelligence - scrape public Instagram post, reel, and video comments by URL, perform bulk Instagram comment scraping, extract Instagram comment data at 100–200 comments per second, and receive complete engagement metrics in structured JSON or CSV format.

💰 Price: $0.0075/post (15 FREE comments) + $0.0005/comment
⚡ Speed: 100–200 comments per second
📊 Data Coverage: Comments, replies, user profiles, likes, timestamps, engagement metrics
🎁 Free Tier: First 15 comments included per post query
🛡️ No Proxy Required | No Login Needed | Event-Based Pricing

This Instagram comments scraper API is ideal for developers, growth teams, marketers, and data engineers who need reliable, scalable access to Instagram engagement data at scale.

TL;DR: The Instagram Comments Scraper API extracts comments from any public post at $0.0075/post (15 FREE). No login. No proxy. 100–200 comments/sec. Output: JSON/CSV with user profiles, likes, timestamps, reply threads.

📋 Table of Contents

• ℹ️ Disclaimer
• 🧭 What Does It Do?
• 💰 Pricing
• ⚡ Features
• 🍚 Input Parameters
• 💡 Strategy Guide
• 🍜 Output
• 🧩 Custom Map Function
• 🈴 Related Tools
• 🆓 Demo Mode
• 🔧 Troubleshooting
• 🎯 Use Cases
• ❓ FAQ
• 📞 Contact

ℹ️ Disclaimer About This Instagram Comments API

Actively maintained with continuous updates for platform changes. No login credentials or proxies required-start extracting public post comment data immediately. Transparent event-based pricing at $0.0075/post (15 comments FREE) + $0.0005/comment. Extraction speed: 100–200 comments per second. Direct developer support via apidojo10@gmail.com

🧭 What Does Instagram Comments Scraper API Do?

Instagram comment scraping is the automated process of extracting comment data, user profiles, and engagement metrics from public Instagram posts. This technique enables sentiment analysis, brand monitoring, and audience research at scale.

This Instagram comments scraper retrieves comprehensive engagement data, reply threads, and user metrics from Instagram.com without authentication or proxies. Use this Instagram comments API to collect comment text, user profiles, like counts, timestamps, and conversation chains from any public post at 100–200 comments per second with transparent event-based pricing.

Core Extraction Capabilities

💬 Instagram Comment Data Extraction

Extract complete comment data including text, author usernames, user IDs, profile pictures, timestamps, like counts, and comment IDs. This Instagram comments API retrieves all public comment information from any Instagram post using direct URLs.

🔄 Reply Thread Scraping

Collect nested reply threads and conversation chains. The Instagram comments scraper captures parent-child relationships, reply authors, and complete conversation context-perfect for sentiment analysis and discussion mapping.

👥 User Profile Extraction from Comments

Automatically extracts commenter profile data including username, user ID, full name, profile picture URL, and verification status. Identifies all users participating in post discussions for audience analysis and influencer identification.

📊 Engagement Metrics Collection

Capture like counts, reply counts, comment timestamps, and engagement patterns. Tracks interaction data for social listening, brand monitoring, and competitive intelligence.

🚀 High-Speed Extraction

Process 100–200 comments per second with optimized pagination and smart duplicate handling. Built for enterprise-scale data extraction with transparent cost controls.

🔍 Smart Pagination & Duplicate Handling

Advanced pagination technology continues extraction even when encountering duplicate comments. Enable "continue on duplicates" option to maximize data completeness during large-scale extraction operations.

Pricing: Transparent Event-Based Instagram Comments API Costs

Transparent pay-per-use pricing-no subscriptions, no hidden fees, no monthly minimums. Extract public post comment data with crystal-clear costs calculated per post query and per comment extracted.

📊 Event Costs

Event Type	Price	Free Items Included	What Triggers It
Post Query	$0.0075	15 comments FREE	Scraping comments from an Instagram post
Dataset Item	$0.0005	N/A	Each comment beyond the free 15 comments

💡 How Pricing Works

Post Query Costs:
Each Instagram post URL or post ID you scrape counts as 1 Post Query at $0.0075-and the first 15 comments are completely free.

Additional Comments:
Comments beyond the free 15 cost just $0.0005 each. This makes comment extraction incredibly cost-effective for both small monitoring projects and enterprise-scale data collection.

Example Calculations:

• Scrape 1 post with 100 comments: $0.0075 (query) + ($0.0005 × 85 comments) = $0.050
• Scrape 10 posts with 150 comments total: ($0.0075 × 10 queries) = $0.075 (all within free quota!)

📈 Cost Examples

Scenario	Charges	Calculation	Total Cost
1 post, 15 comments total	1 post query	$0.0075	$0.0075
1 post, 100 comments total	1 post query + 85 items	$0.0075 + ($0.0005 × 85)	$0.050
1 post, 500 comments total	1 post query + 485 items	$0.0075 + ($0.0005 × 485)	$0.250
1 post, 1000 comments total	1 post query + 985 items	$0.0075 + ($0.0005 × 985)	$0.500
10 posts, 150 comments total	10 post queries	$0.0075 × 10	$0.075
50 posts, 2000 comments total	50 post queries + 1250 items	($0.0075 × 50) + ($0.0005 × 1250)	$1.000

💡 Pro Tip

Each post query includes the first 15 comments FREE! This makes sentiment analysis, brand monitoring, and engagement tracking incredibly cost-effective. Monitor multiple posts, track competitor discussions, and analyze audience sentiment without breaking your budget-perfect for social media managers and marketing teams working with limited resources.

⚡ Features and Functionality

This Instagram comments scraper combines blazing-fast extraction speed with enterprise-grade reliability. Get complete comment data, reply threads, and engagement metrics with transparent event-based billing and powerful extraction capabilities.

Core Features

Feature	Description	Benefit
💰 Event-Based Pricing	Pay only for comments you actually scrape-no subscriptions, no monthly fees	Cost control: Only pay for what you extract
🎁 15 Free Comments Per Post	Every post query includes first 15 comments at no extra charge	Budget-friendly: $0.0075 gets you 15 complete comments
⚡ 100–200 Comments/Second	High-speed extraction processes hundreds of comments per second	Time savings: Extract thousands of comments in minutes
🔄 Smart Pagination	Continue extraction even when encountering duplicate comments during pagination	Data completeness: Maximize comment collection from large discussions
💬 Complete Comment Data	Message text, like counts, reply counts, timestamps, user profiles, engagement metrics	Comprehensive data: Everything you need for sentiment analysis
👥 User Profile Extraction	Automatically extracts commenter username, full name, profile picture, verification status	Audience intelligence: Identify influencers and engaged users
🛡️ Zero Authentication	No cookies, no login credentials, no account required	Safe & simple: Start extracting immediately without setup
🚀 No Proxy Needed	Direct API access without residential or datacenter proxies	Cost savings: No proxy fees, simplified infrastructure
🔧 Custom Map Function	JavaScript function to transform, filter, or enrich output data on-the-fly	Data control: Shape results to match your exact requirements
✨ Structured JSON Output	Clean JSON/CSV export ready for databases, spreadsheets, or analytics tools	Integration-ready: Import directly into your analysis pipeline
🐍 Python & API Access	RESTful API endpoint for programmatic access-scrape Instagram comments Python, Node.js, or any language	Developer-friendly: Integrate into existing workflows
📥 Bulk Download	Bulk download Instagram comments from multiple posts in a single run	Efficiency: Extract thousands of comments across posts simultaneously

🍚 Input Parameters

Streamlined configuration for extracting comment data from Instagram posts. Use direct post URLs or post IDs with flexible options for pagination control and output customization.

Field	Type	Description	Default value
startUrls	array	Instagram post URLs (e.g., https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/). Uses Post Query pricing ($0.0075 per post, first 15 comments FREE). Most intuitive option for comment extraction.	[]
postIds	array	Instagram post IDs extracted from URLs (e.g., ABC123). Uses Post Query pricing ($0.0075 per post, first 15 comments FREE). Useful when you already have post IDs.	[]
continueOnDuplicates	boolean	If enabled, actor continues fetching next pages even when encountering duplicate comments. If disabled, actor stops on first duplicate. Useful for handling Instagram pagination issues and maximizing data collection.	false
maxItems	integer	Maximum number of comments to extract across entire run. Controls your total costs and output volume.	Infinity
customMapFunction	string	JavaScript function that takes each comment object as argument and returns transformed data. Use to customize output format or calculate custom metrics. Not for filtering-filtering may result in automatic restrictions.	null

Note: You must provide either startUrls OR postIds (at least one is required).

💡 Instagram Comments API Strategy Guide

Choose the right extraction approach to optimize costs and get exactly the comment data you need. Each method-post URL extraction or post ID scraping-serves different use cases.

🎯 Strategy 1: Quick Sentiment Analysis (Small Posts)

Best for: Brand monitoring, customer feedback analysis, quick sentiment checks

Method: Post URLs with default settings

json

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DC7Q4z5JPMX/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DCKDRSpiy3b/"
  ],
  "maxItems": 100
}

Cost Component	Calculation	Amount
2 post queries	2 × $0.0075	$0.015
70 dataset items	(100 - 30 free) × $0.0005	$0.035
Total Cost		$0.050
Cost per comment		$0.0005

What you get:

• ✅ Up to 100 Instagram comments from 2 posts
• ✅ First 15 comments per post completely FREE (30 total free)
• ✅ Comment text, user profiles, like counts, timestamps
• ✅ Perfect for tracking brand mentions and customer sentiment

Why this works: Post URL method is intuitive and includes generous free tier-ideal for monitoring multiple posts affordably.

---

🎯 Strategy 2: Post ID-Based Extraction

Best for: Automated workflows, database integration, scheduled monitoring

Method: Post IDs with controlled output volume

json

{
  "postIds": ["DC7Q4z5JPMX", "DCKDRSpiy3b", "DBxYZ123abc"],
  "maxItems": 200
}

Cost Component	Calculation	Amount
3 post queries	3 × $0.0075	$0.0225
155 dataset items	(200 - 45 free) × $0.0005	$0.0775
Total Cost		$0.100
Cost per comment		$0.0005

What you get:

• ✅ Up to 200 Instagram comments from 3 posts
• ✅ 45 free comments included (15 per post × 3)
• ✅ Clean post ID input perfect for programmatic access
• ✅ Ideal for CRM integration and automated sentiment tracking

Why this works: Post IDs integrate seamlessly with existing databases and automated workflows-extract comment data using IDs from your systems.

---

🎯 Strategy 3: Large-Scale Discussion Analysis

Best for: Viral post analysis, comprehensive sentiment analysis, research projects

Method: Post URLs with smart pagination enabled

json

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/POST1/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/POST2/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/POST3/"
  ],
  "continueOnDuplicates": true,
  "maxItems": 500
}

Cost Component	Calculation	Amount
3 post queries	3 × $0.0075	$0.0225
455 dataset items	(500 - 45 free) × $0.0005	$0.2275
Total Cost		$0.250
Cost per comment		$0.0005

What you get:

• ✅ Up to 500 Instagram comments from 3 viral posts
• ✅ Smart pagination handles duplicate comments automatically
• ✅ Complete discussion threads and reply chains
• ✅ Perfect for analyzing trending content and audience reactions

Why this works: continueOnDuplicates ensures complete extraction even with pagination quirks-maximizes data completeness for large-scale analysis.

---

🎯 Strategy 4: Multi-Post Brand Monitoring

Best for: Competitive intelligence, campaign tracking, ongoing brand monitoring

Method: Multiple post IDs with efficient duplicate handling

json

{
  "postIds": ["ABC123", "DEF456", "GHI789", "JKL012", "MNO345"],
  "continueOnDuplicates": false,
  "maxItems": 100
}

Cost Component	Calculation	Amount
5 post queries	5 × $0.0075	$0.0375
25 dataset items	(100 - 75 free) × $0.0005	$0.0125
Total Cost		$0.050
Cost per post		$0.010

What you get:

• ✅ Up to 100 Instagram comments from 5 different posts
• ✅ 75 free comments included (15 per post × 5)
• ✅ Quick monitoring across multiple brand posts
• ✅ Efficient extraction stops on duplicates for speed

Why this works: Monitor multiple posts cost-effectively-perfect for social media managers tracking brand campaigns across numerous posts.

---

📊 Strategy Comparison Table

Strategy	Best For	Posts	Comments	Total Cost	Cost/Comment
Quick Sentiment	Brand monitoring	2	100	$0.050	$0.0005
Post ID Extract	Automation	3	200	$0.100	$0.0005
Large-Scale Analysis	Viral posts	3	500	$0.250	$0.0005
Multi-Post Monitor	Campaigns	5	100	$0.050	$0.0005

---

🧠 Pro Tips for Comment Extraction Optimization

✅ Maximize Free Comments

Each post query includes 15 FREE comments. Monitor 10 posts = 150 free comments before paying for additional data. Perfect for ongoing brand monitoring without high costs.

✅ Use maxItems Wisely

Set maxItems to control costs. For testing, use maxItems: 50. For production, calculate your budget: maxItems = (budget - query_cost) / 0.0005.

✅ Enable Smart Pagination for Large Posts

Set continueOnDuplicates: true for viral posts with hundreds of comments-ensures complete extraction even with pagination issues.

✅ Batch Related Posts

Extract comments from multiple related posts in one run rather than separate runs to minimize operational overhead.

✅ URLs vs Post IDs Decision

• Have direct Instagram URLs? Use startUrls ($0.0075 per post, 15 free comments)
• Have post IDs from database? Use postIds ($0.0075 per post, 15 free comments)
• Rule of thumb: Both methods cost the same-choose based on your data source format

🍜 Output

The Instagram comments scraper returns clean, structured JSON output containing comprehensive comment information. Export Instagram comments to CSV directly from Apify Console, or access via API for programmatic integration:

📦 Example Output Object

{
    "inputSource": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DS5IfIWDTHk",
    "postId": "DS5IfIWDTHk",
    "type": "comment",
    "id": "17919079491232885",
    "userId": "6677757292",
    "message": "😍",
    "createdAt": "2025-12-30T15:37:46.000Z",
    "likeCount": 3,
    "replyCount": 0,
    "user": {
        "id": "6677757292",
        "username": "beah_us",
        "fullName": "Beatriz Macedo",
        "isVerified": true,
        "isPrivate": false,
        "profilePicUrl": "https://scontent-vie1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/534273865_18299285281221293_1901012278943061543_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e0_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=103&ig_cache_key=GElf2B_tqtReGgNBACeWDoCYwGEabmNDAQAB1501500j-ccb7-5&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=669407&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InByb2ZpbGVfcGljLnd3dy4xMDgwLkMzIn0%3D&_nc_ohc=ci8vHEh2LBYQ7kNvwGKnNLD&_nc_oc=Adl8MqnB8GP4aHrTUNmuVYQRgQabNPbst_1H3uzPTdI9h5D47--_jlbw_cw88ScyyeU&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-vie1-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=7AKsYo4z16QMY6Lthn_E0w&oh=00_AfmDjvLMLAGMwq1GSOWsKw64WTfa8PCnEI-DrKPBXjLWmA&oe=695A40EC"
    },
    "isRanked": true
}

Output Fields Explained

Field	Description
inputSource	Original Instagram post URL used for extraction
postId	Instagram post ID where comment was posted
type	Always "comment" for comment objects
id	Unique Instagram comment ID
userId	Instagram user ID of the commenter
message	Comment text content (supports emojis and Unicode)
createdAt	ISO 8601 timestamp when comment was posted
likeCount	Number of likes the comment received
replyCount	Number of replies to this comment
user.id	User ID (same as userId for consistency)
user.username	Instagram handle of commenter
user.fullName	Display name of commenter
user.isVerified	Blue checkmark verification status
user.isPrivate	Whether commenter's account is private
user.profilePicUrl	Profile picture URL (high quality)
isRanked	Whether Instagram algorithm ranked this comment higher

🧩 Custom Map Function: Transform Output Data

Transform and customize your Instagram comments API output using the customMapFunction parameter. This JavaScript function receives each comment object and returns your desired format-perfect for adding custom metrics, reformatting fields, or calculating sentiment scores.

How It Works

The custom map function accepts each comment object as input and returns your transformed data structure. Use it to customize output format, calculate engagement scores, extract specific user fields, or add custom analytics.

Important: Custom map function is for data transformation-not for filtering. Filtering items may result in automatic restrictions.

Example Transformation

Add custom sentiment analysis, extract user data, and calculate engagement metrics:

javascript

(object) => ({
  ...object,
  username: object.user?.username,
  isVerified: object.user?.isVerified,
  hasReplies: object.replyCount > 0,
  sentiment: object.message?.includes('love') || object.message?.includes('❤') ? 'positive' : 'neutral',
  commentLength: object.message?.length || 0,
  user: undefined  // Remove nested user object from output
})

Example Transformation Results

Input (original comment object):

json

{
  "id": "17919079491232885",
  "userId": "6677757292",
  "message": "I love this! ❤️",
  "likeCount": 15,
  "replyCount": 3,
  "user": {
    "username": "beah_us",
    "fullName": "Beatriz Macedo",
    "isVerified": true
  }
}

Output (transformed with custom map function):

json

{
  "id": "17919079491232885",
  "userId": "6677757292",
  "message": "I love this! ❤️",
  "likeCount": 15,
  "replyCount": 3,
  "username": "beah_us",
  "isVerified": true,
  "hasReplies": true,
  "sentiment": "positive",
  "commentLength": 15
}

Common Use Cases

1. Sentiment Analysis Enhancement

Add custom sentiment scoring based on keywords, emojis, or patterns:

javascript

(object) => ({
  ...object,
  sentiment: object.message?.includes('amazing') || object.message?.includes('🔥') ? 'positive' :
             object.message?.includes('disappointed') || object.message?.includes('😞') ? 'negative' : 'neutral',
  hasPositiveEmoji: /[😍❤️🔥👏]/.test(object.message || '')
})

2. Engagement Score Calculation

Calculate custom engagement metrics for each comment:

javascript

(object) => ({
  ...object,
  engagementScore: (object.likeCount * 1) + (object.replyCount * 2),
  isHighEngagement: object.likeCount > 50 || object.replyCount > 10,
  engagementRate: object.likeCount / (object.replyCount + 1)
})

3. User Data Extraction

Flatten nested user data for easier analysis:

javascript

(object) => ({
  commentId: object.id,
  commentText: object.message,
  commentLikes: object.likeCount,
  commentDate: object.createdAt,
  authorUsername: object.user?.username,
  authorName: object.user?.fullName,
  authorVerified: object.user?.isVerified,
  authorPrivate: object.user?.isPrivate
})

4. Data Cleanup & Formatting

Remove unnecessary fields and reformat timestamps:

javascript

(object) => ({
  id: object.id,
  text: object.message,
  author: object.user?.username,
  likes: object.likeCount,
  replies: object.replyCount,
  posted: new Date(object.createdAt).toLocaleDateString(),
  verified: object.user?.isVerified || false
})

5. Keyword Extraction

Extract mentions, hashtags, and URLs from comment text:

javascript

(object) => ({
  ...object,
  mentions: object.message?.match(/@[\w.]+/g) || [],
  hashtags: object.message?.match(/#[\w]+/g) || [],
  hasUrl: /https?:\/\//.test(object.message || ''),
  wordCount: object.message?.split(' ').length || 0
})

Best Practices

✅ DO use custom map function for:

• Adding calculated fields (sentiment scores, engagement metrics)
• Reformatting data structures for your analysis tools
• Extracting specific fields from nested objects
• Converting timestamps or data types
• Adding custom metadata or classifications

❌ DO NOT use custom map function for:

• Filtering out comments (may result in restrictions)
• Removing items based on conditions
• Reducing dataset size through omission

Pro Tips

💡 Flatten nested data: Extract user.username to top level for easier CSV analysis

💡 Calculate metrics: Add engagement scores, sentiment analysis, or custom classifications

💡 Clean output: Remove unused fields to reduce dataset size and improve clarity

💡 Preserve original data: Use spread operator (...object) to keep all original fields while adding new ones

🈴 Related Instagram Scrapers & Data Extraction Tools

Expand your data extraction capabilities with our complete suite of specialized scraper APIs. Each tool focuses on specific data types for comprehensive social media intelligence and competitive analysis.

📦 Complete Apidojo Instagram Scraper Ecosystem

Tool	What It Extracts	Best For
🏯 Instagram Profile Scraper	User profiles, followers, following lists, public emails	Influencer research, lead generation, audience analysis
📸 Instagram Scraper	Posts, media, images, videos, captions	Content analysis, competitor monitoring, media collection
💬 Instagram Comments Scraper	Comments, engagement data, user interactions	Sentiment analysis, engagement tracking, community insights. (You are here)
#️⃣ Instagram Hashtag Scraper	Hashtag posts, trending content, campaign tracking	Hashtag research, trend monitoring, campaign performance
📍 Instagram Location Scraper	Location-based posts, geo-tagged content	Local marketing, location intelligence, regional analysis

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🎯 Choose the Right Extractor for Your Use Case

👤 Need User & Profile Data?

→ [Instagram Profile Scraper](Instagram Profile Scraper · Fast & Affordable · Apify) Extract profiles, followers, following lists, verification status, public emails, bios

📸 Need Posts & Media Content?

→ Instagram Scraper
Extract posts, images, videos, captions, likes, post metadata

💬 Need Engagement & Interactions?

Extract comments, replies, user engagement, sentiment data

#️⃣ Need Hashtag & Trend Data?

→ Instagram Hashtag Scraper
Extract posts by hashtag, trending content, campaign tracking

📍 Need Location-Based Content?

→ Instagram Location Scraper
Extract geo-tagged posts, location intelligence, regional content

🆓 Demo Mode & Free Testing

If you run on Apify's Free plan, you can still use this Instagram comments scraper with limited results (up to 10 items). For unrestricted usage and to unlock the full power of the Instagram comments API at scale, subscribe to a paid Apify plan at apify.com/pricing.

Free Plan Benefits:

• ✅ Test the comments API with up to 10 comment extractions
• ✅ Each post query includes 15 comments FREE (even on paid plans)
• ✅ Perfect for testing sentiment analysis workflows before scaling
• ✅ Validate output format and data quality risk-free

Upgrade for Full Access:

• 🚀 Unlimited comment extraction from public posts
• 🚀 100–200 comments per second processing speed
• 🚀 API access for automated workflows and integrations
• 🚀 Enterprise-scale data extraction capabilities

For unrestricted usage, subscribe to a paid Apify plan.

🔧 Troubleshooting Common Instagram Comments API Issues

Having trouble with your extraction? Here are solutions to common issues when scraping comment data, managing costs, and optimizing performance.

---

❓ Getting Fewer Comments Than Expected?

Problem: Extraction returns fewer Instagram comments than anticipated

Solutions:

✅ Check your maxItems setting – Increase the limit if you need more comments per post
✅ Enable smart pagination – Set continueOnDuplicates: true to handle Instagram pagination issues
✅ Verify post has public comments – Private or restricted posts limit comment visibility
✅ Remember the free tier – Each post query includes 15 FREE comments automatically

Pro Tip: For viral posts with thousands of comments, always enable continueOnDuplicates to ensure complete extraction even when Instagram's API returns duplicate comments during pagination.

---

💰 Unexpected Costs?

Problem: Your Instagram Comments API run cost more than anticipated

Key pricing differences to remember:

Scenario	Cost Calculation	What You Pay
1 post, 15 comments	1 post query	$0.0075 (all comments FREE)
1 post, 100 comments	1 query + 85 items	$0.0075 + ($0.0005 × 85) = $0.050
10 posts, 150 comments	10 queries (all free)	$0.075 (no additional charges)
10 posts, 500 comments	10 queries + 350 items	($0.0075 × 10) + ($0.0005 × 350) = $0.250

Cost control tips:

✅ Each post creates a separate query – 10 post URLs = 10 × $0.0075 = $0.075 in base costs
✅ First 15 comments per post are FREE – Only pay for comments beyond the free tier
✅ Use maxItems to cap spending – Set hard limits on total comment extraction
✅ Review your input carefully – Count how many posts you're scraping before running

---

💡 Want to Minimize Instagram API Costs?

Problem: Looking for the most cost-effective comment extraction approach

Cost optimization strategies:

✅ Set maxItems Strategically

json

{
  "startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/"],
  "maxItems": 50
}

Result: Controls total output volume and prevents runaway costs on viral posts

✅ Disable Smart Pagination When Not Needed

json

{
  "continueOnDuplicates": false
}

Result: Extraction stops on first duplicate, faster completion for small posts

✅ Leverage Free Comments

• Each post includes 15 FREE comments
• Monitor 10 posts = 150 free comments
• Perfect for ongoing brand monitoring without high costs

✅ Batch Related Posts

Extract comments from multiple posts in one run rather than separate runs to minimize operational overhead and maximize free comment allocation.

---

❌ No Results?

Problem: Returns zero comments or empty dataset

Troubleshooting checklist:

✅ Verify you provided input – Must include either startUrls OR postIds (at least one is required)
✅ Check post URL format – Must be valid Instagram post URLs
✅ Confirm posts are public – Private or restricted posts cannot be scraped
✅ Verify posts exist – Deleted or removed posts return no data
✅ Check post has comments – Some posts have comments disabled

Correct URL format:

• ✅ https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/
• ❌ instagram.com/p/ABC123/ (missing https://)
• ❌ https://www.instagram.com/ABC123/ (missing /p/ path)

Test with known public posts first (e.g., major brand accounts with active discussions)

---

🔄 Pagination Issues?

Problem: Scraper stops prematurely or misses comments from large discussion threads

Solution: Enable smart pagination for complete extraction

json

{
  "startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/VIRAL_POST/"],
  "continueOnDuplicates": true,
  "maxItems": 1000
}

Why this happens:
Instagram's pagination sometimes returns duplicate comments when loading next pages. By default, the scraper stops on first duplicate to avoid redundant data. Enable continueOnDuplicates to continue extraction past duplicates-essential for viral posts with hundreds or thousands of comments.

When to enable:

• ✅ Viral posts with 500+ comments
• ✅ Complete discussion thread analysis
• ✅ Comprehensive sentiment analysis projects
• ✅ When comment count seems lower than expected

When to disable:

• ✅ Small posts with <100 comments
• ✅ Quick brand monitoring checks
• ✅ Cost-conscious extractions
• ✅ When speed matters more than completeness

---

📊 Missing Output Fields?

Problem: Not seeing all data fields in the preview interface

Solution:
Open the Storage tab in Apify Console to explore and download full datasets. The preview interface shows limited fields-complete JSON/CSV exports contain all extracted data including:

• Comment text, IDs, timestamps
• User profiles, usernames, verification status
• Like counts, reply counts, engagement metrics
• Profile pictures, account privacy settings
• Post IDs, source URLs, ranking status

How to access full data:

1. Navigate to Storage → Dataset in your run details
2. Click Preview data for formatted view
3. Click Download for complete JSON/CSV export
4. Use API endpoint for programmatic access

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🚀 Performance Optimization Tips

Maximize extraction speed and data quality:

✅ Use Post IDs when available – Slightly faster than URL parsing
✅ Enable continueOnDuplicates for large posts – Ensures complete extraction
✅ Set reasonable maxItems limits – Balance completeness with performance
✅ Batch multiple posts – More efficient than separate runs
✅ Monitor extraction logs – Check run details for warnings or errors

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📞 Still Having Issues?

If you've tried these solutions and still experience problems:

1. Check the run logs – Detailed error messages in Apify Console
2. Review your input format – Validate JSON syntax and parameter values
3. Test with sample data – Try known working post URLs first
4. Contact support – Email apidojo10@gmail.com with your run ID

When contacting support, include:

• Run ID from Apify Console
• Input configuration (JSON)
• Expected vs actual results
• Any error messages from logs

🎯 Use Cases: Who Needs This Instagram Comments Scraper?

� Analyze Brand Sentiment from Instagram Comments

Social Media Managers - Use this Instagram comments API to track engagement patterns, identify trending topics, and understand audience sentiment at just $0.0075 per post (15 comments included).

� Monitor Competitor Engagement & Market Trends

Market Research Analysts - Gather real-time consumer insights, track brand sentiment, and conduct competitor analysis through the Instagram comments scraper affordably.

📈 Measure Campaign Performance & Influencer Impact

Marketing Professionals - Analyze campaign responses, measure product reception, and identify influencers through comment engagement data.

🤖 Train NLP Models on Comment Data

Data Scientists & AI Researchers - Access structured comment data from this Instagram comments API for training sentiment analysis models, NLP algorithms, and predictive analytics.

🛡️ Detect Brand Mentions & PR Issues Early

Brand Protection Teams - Monitor brand mentions, track customer complaints, and identify potential PR issues before they escalate using the Instagram comments scraper.

🔎 Conduct Digital Investigations & Pattern Analysis

OSINT Professionals - Analyze comment patterns for security assessments, threat detection, and digital investigation purposes.

🎓 Research Social Behavior & Communication Trends

Academic Researchers - Study social behavior patterns, conduct linguistic analysis, and research digital communication trends.

🛒 Gather Product Feedback & Customer Insights

E-commerce & Product Teams - Track product feedback, identify customer pain points, and gather feature requests through comment analysis.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to scrape 1000 Instagram comments?

Scraping 1000 comments costs $0.50: $0.0075 (post query) + $0.0005 × 985 comments. First 15 comments per post are FREE.

Does this require login credentials?

No. Works without Instagram account, cookies, or login. Provide public post URLs and start immediately.

Is there a free Instagram comment API option?

Yes. Apify's Free plan includes 10 items. Every post query includes 15 FREE comments on all plans-Instagram comment API free tier included.

How do I scrape Instagram comments with Python?

Use the Apify API client. Scrape Instagram comments Python example: call the actor endpoint with post URLs, receive JSON response. Full API docs available.

Can I bulk download Instagram comments?

Yes. Bulk download Instagram comments from multiple posts in one run. Add URLs to startUrls array and set maxItems for volume control.

How do I export Instagram comments to CSV?

Export Instagram comments to CSV directly from Apify Console's Storage tab, or use the API with format=csv parameter.

How fast is extraction?

Processes 100–200 comments per second. Extract thousands of comments in minutes.

Can I scrape Reels and Video comments?

Yes. Works with posts, reels, videos, and carousels. Just provide the URL.

How do I handle posts with thousands of comments?

Enable continueOnDuplicates: true for complete extraction. Set maxItems to control costs.

📞 Contact

If you need any sort of support, please send an email to apidojo10@gmail.com. You name it, we get it.

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Ready to start extracting Instagram comment data? With transparent event-based pricing, high-speed performance (100–200 comments/sec), smart duplicate handling, and generous free quotas, this Instagram comments scraper is the perfect tool for sentiment analysis, brand monitoring, and social listening. Start extracting today! 💬