Instagram Hashtag Analytics Scraper

Create repeatable Instagram hashtag analytics snapshots from public hashtag pages. The Actor samples visible posts and reels, enriches public engagement metadata, and returns one typed result per hashtag with totals, averages, media mix, top posts, top authors, observed records, and snapshot time.

Use it to compare campaign hashtags, watch how a public content sample changes between scheduled runs, or feed hashtag-level metrics into a spreadsheet or dashboard. No Instagram login is required.

The results describe the records observed during the run. They are not Instagram's complete historical count or a guarantee that every post using a hashtag was visible.

What does Instagram Hashtag Analytics Scraper do?

For every requested hashtag, the Actor:

1. opens the public Instagram hashtag surface;
2. collects a bounded sample of unique post and reel URLs;
3. optionally opens each public record to read available creator, caption, timestamp, like, and comment metadata;
4. calculates observed totals and averages;
5. ranks the top sampled posts and authors; and
6. saves one timestamped analytics record to the default dataset.

The underlying observedRecords array stays in the same result, so analysts can audit which public records contributed to every aggregate.

Who is this Instagram analytics Actor for?

• Social media managers comparing branded and campaign hashtags.
• Marketing analysts collecting recurring observed-sample snapshots.
• Creator teams finding authors visible in a hashtag sample.
• Agencies exporting campaign evidence for clients.
• Data engineers loading structured hashtag snapshots into BI tools.
• Researchers studying publicly visible Instagram content without a login workflow.

Choose a post-level scraper instead when you need one dataset row per post rather than one aggregate row per hashtag.

Why use observed hashtag snapshots?

Instagram's public surface changes over time and does not expose a complete public historical API. This Actor makes that limitation explicit instead of presenting sampled metrics as platform-wide totals.

Each row includes:

• snapshotAt for recurring comparisons;
• sampleSize so metrics retain their denominator;
• postsCount and reelsCount for visible media mix;
• nullable metric totals and averages when Instagram exposes them;
• topPosts ranked by known likes plus comments;
• topAuthors ranked within the observed sample; and
• observedRecords for reproducibility.

What Instagram hashtag data can I extract?

Field	Meaning
hashtag	Normalized hashtag without #
sourceUrl	Public hashtag URL sampled
snapshotAt	ISO timestamp when analytics were calculated
sampleSize	Number of unique public records observed
postsCount / reelsCount	Media types in the sample
totalLikes / averageLikes	Sum and average over records with public like counts
totalComments / averageComments	Sum and average over records with public comment counts
totalViews / averageViews	Sum and average when public view counts are exposed
totalEngagementActions	Known likes plus comments in the sample
averageEngagementActions	Known engagement actions divided by sample size
observedEarliestAt / observedLatestAt	Public timestamp range found in the sample
topPosts	Highest observed known engagement records
topAuthors	Creator ranking within the sample
observedRecords	Public records used to calculate the snapshot

Nullable values mean Instagram did not expose that field publicly for the sampled record. They do not mean zero.

How to run the Actor

1. Open Instagram Hashtag Analytics Scraper in Apify Console.
2. Enter one or more hashtags, such as apify or webscraping.
3. Keep sampleSize small for a quick first run.
4. Leave detail enrichment enabled for engagement and creator fields.
5. Click Start.
6. Open the default dataset to review or export the hashtag snapshots.
7. For monitoring, create an Apify Schedule and retain each run's snapshotAt results in your destination.

A small real input:

{
  "hashtags": ["apify"],
  "sampleSize": 3,
  "includePosts": true,
  "includeReels": true,
  "includeDetails": true,
  "topPostsLimit": 3,
  "topAuthorsLimit": 3,
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false }
}

Input parameters

Input	Type	Default	Notes
hashtags	string array	['apify']	Up to 20 tags, with or without #
startUrls	request list	empty	Instagram /explore/tags/ or /popular/ URLs
sampleSize	integer	12	1–50 observed records per hashtag
includePosts	boolean	true	Include photo and carousel post cards
includeReels	boolean	true	Include reel cards
includeDetails	boolean	true	Open public record pages for engagement metadata
topPostsLimit	integer	5	0–20 ranked observed posts
topAuthorsLimit	integer	5	0–20 ranked observed creators
proxyConfiguration	object	direct	Optional standard Apify Proxy; premium groups/country routing are rejected

Hashtag text inputs and URL inputs are combined and deduplicated. At least one source is required. At least one of posts or reels must remain enabled.

Example output

A real local run for #apify returned one row shaped like this:

{
  "hashtag": "apify",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/apify/",
  "snapshotAt": "2026-08-04T03:30:15.172Z",
  "sampleSize": 2,
  "postsCount": 0,
  "reelsCount": 2,
  "totalLikes": 19472,
  "totalComments": 28150,
  "averageLikes": 9736,
  "averageComments": 14075,
  "totalEngagementActions": 47622,
  "averageEngagementActions": 23811,
  "observedLatestAt": "2026-05-04T03:14:57.000Z",
  "topPosts": [
    {
      "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX5rTD_soy2/",
      "shortcode": "DX5rTD_soy2",
      "mediaType": "reel",
      "likesCount": 13000,
      "commentsCount": 25000,
      "authorUsername": "msbintel"
    }
  ],
  "topAuthors": [
    {
      "username": "msbintel",
      "observedPosts": 1,
      "totalEngagementActions": 38000
    }
  ],
  "observedRecords": ["...the records used for this snapshot..."]
}

Public values can change between runs. The exact record URLs are retained in actual dataset output.

How much does it cost to analyze Instagram hashtags?

Pay-per-event pricing has two parts:

• a $0.0035 Actor start charge once per run; and
• a $0.009064 BRONZE hashtag snapshot charge for each dataset result.

Top posts, top authors, and observed records are included in the snapshot event and have no separate event charge. Proxy transfer and platform compute may be billed by Apify according to your plan.

Examples at BRONZE pricing:

Run	Event cost
1 hashtag	$0.0126
5 hashtags	$0.0488
10 hashtags	$0.0941
20 hashtags	$0.1848

Tier discounts can reduce the per-snapshot price for higher Apify plan tiers. Always review the live pricing panel before a large run.

Compare campaign hashtags

Submit several tags in one run to create side-by-side snapshots with the same settings:

{
  "hashtags": ["webscraping", "apify"],
  "sampleSize": 10,
  "includePosts": true,
  "includeReels": true,
  "includeDetails": true
}

Compare sampleSize, media mix, known engagement averages, and top creators. Do not compare a 5-record snapshot to a 50-record snapshot without retaining the sample-size context.

Monitor hashtag trends with schedules

For a recurring workflow:

1. save a production input as an Apify Task;
2. attach a daily or weekly Schedule;
3. send each completed run to Google Sheets, a webhook, or your data warehouse;
4. use hashtag plus snapshotAt as the snapshot key; and
5. compare changes in observed metrics and records.

The Actor produces snapshots but does not send alerts by itself. Use Apify integrations or your downstream automation for notifications.

Export and integration patterns

Default dataset results can be exported as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS through Apify. Common workflows include:

• campaign comparison in Google Sheets;
• a dashboard grouped by hashtag and snapshotAt;
• creator outreach research from topAuthors;
• sampled-content review from topPosts;
• post-level auditing by flattening observedRecords; and
• scheduled ETL through webhooks or the Apify API.

Keep the raw snapshot row when flattening nested arrays so the aggregate remains auditable.

Run through the Apify API

Replace YOUR_TOKEN with an Apify API token.

cURL

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~instagram-hashtag-analytics/runs?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"hashtags":["apify"],"sampleSize":5,"includeDetails":true}'

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/instagram-hashtag-analytics').call({
  hashtags: ['apify', 'webscraping'],
  sampleSize: 5,
  includeDetails: true,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient('YOUR_TOKEN')
run = client.actor('automation-lab/instagram-hashtag-analytics').call(run_input={
    'hashtags': ['apify'],
    'sampleSize': 5,
    'includeDetails': True,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)

Use with MCP and AI agents

Add the Apify MCP server in Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/instagram-hashtag-analytics"

Claude Desktop

Add this server object to Claude Desktop's MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/instagram-hashtag-analytics"
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Open Settings → Tools & MCP → Add custom MCP and use the same server URL: https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/instagram-hashtag-analytics.

VS Code

Add the HTTP server URL to your workspace MCP configuration, then enable the automation-lab/instagram-hashtag-analytics Actor tool.

Example prompts showing MCP usage:

• “Using the Apify MCP tool, analyze the public Instagram #apify sample and summarize the top observed creators.”
• “Call Instagram Hashtag Analytics through MCP to compare #webscraping and #apify with the same sample size.”
• “Use MCP to run my campaign hashtag Task and format the returned snapshots for a spreadsheet.”

Accuracy, limits, and failure behavior

• Results cover the public sample visible to the run, not all Instagram posts.
• Public page ordering can favor popular content and is not guaranteed chronological.
• Login-only, private, removed, age-gated, or region-limited content is unavailable.
• Instagram may omit likes, comments, views, captions, creators, or timestamps.
• null means unavailable; zero is an observed numeric value.
• Detail enrichment is slower than URL-only sampling.
• Instagram can rate-limit or challenge a network route.
• The Actor fails rather than returning a misleading empty success when no useful records are found.
• A large sampleSize can still yield fewer records when the public page exposes fewer unique cards.

Proxy guidance and troubleshooting

Direct access is the default and cheapest route. The optional proxy path supports standard Apify Proxy without a premium group or country setting. Premium groups and country-specific/residential routing are rejected because they are outside the measured pricing contract; the Actor never silently enables them.

If a run reports no public records:

1. verify the hashtag is public and spelled correctly;
2. try the apify prefill to distinguish input scarcity from route failure;
3. inspect the run log for navigation or challenge errors;
4. enable an Apify Proxy configuration only when needed; and
5. reduce sampleSize for a bounded diagnostic run.

If totals are null, confirm that includeDetails is enabled. Instagram may still hide a metric on individual public records.

Responsible use and legality

This Actor accesses publicly visible Instagram pages without logging in. You are responsible for ensuring that your use complies with Instagram's terms, applicable laws, and your organization's policies.

Do not use the Actor to harass people, build sensitive-person profiles, infer protected attributes, or republish personal data without a lawful basis. Minimize retention, secure exported datasets, honor valid deletion requests, and collect only fields needed for your legitimate purpose. This documentation is not legal advice.

Related Automation Lab Actors

• Instagram Hashtag Posts Scraper — one row per sampled hashtag post or reel.
• Instagram Hashtag Scraper — hashtag-focused public content extraction.
• Instagram Profile Posts Scraper — public post records grouped by profile.
• Instagram Mentions & Tagged Posts Scraper — public mention and tagged-content workflows.

Use this Actor when the primary result should be a hashtag-level analytics snapshot rather than a post-level row.

FAQ

Does it require an Instagram login?

No. It reads public hashtag and record surfaces. It cannot access private or login-only content.

Is sampleSize Instagram's total hashtag post count?

No. It is the number of unique public records observed and used in the snapshot. The Actor does not claim a platform-wide total.

Can I compare snapshots over time?

Yes. Schedule the same Task and store rows by hashtag and snapshotAt. Keep settings consistent when comparing observed metrics.

Why are view counts null?

Instagram does not consistently expose public views in the same metadata used for likes and comments. A nullable value prevents false zeros.

Can I analyze only reels?

Yes. Set includePosts to false and keep includeReels enabled. The result still includes the sample media counts and observed records.

Why did my run fail with no records?

The hashtag may be empty, private, misspelled, or unavailable from the current network route. Try a known public hashtag, inspect logs, then configure a proxy if appropriate.

Are top authors global Instagram rankings?

No. They are ranked only within the records observed in that hashtag snapshot.