# Instagram Reels Scraper - Plays, Likes & Video Links (`benthepythondev/instagram-reels-scraper`) Actor

Scrape the reels of any public Instagram account without login: play count, likes, comments, caption, date, audio, tagged users and the video file link. Date window included.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/benthepythondev/instagram-reels-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Ben](https://apify.com/benthepythondev) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing, Videos
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.70 / 1,000 reels

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## 🎬 Instagram Reels Scraper - Plays, Likes & Video Links

Export the reels of any public Instagram account, newest first: play count, likes, comment count, caption, date, audio title and artist, tagged users, collaborators and the video file link. No login, no cookies, no API key. Export to JSON/CSV/Excel, run on a schedule, call via API, or connect to Make, Zapier or n8n.

### 🔎 What is the Instagram Reels Scraper?

It is an Apify Actor that asks Instagram for the same data its own website loads for a visitor who is not logged in. It reads the account's reels tab twelve at a time, which is where the play counts are, and then looks up every reel for its caption, date, audio and video link.

In our test 100 reels of Nike took 52 seconds.

#### What data does it extract?

- **Reel:** `id`, `code`, `url`, `caption`, `posted_at`, `is_edited`
- **Performance:** `plays`, `likes`, `comments`, `likes_hidden`
- **Author:** `username`, `full_name`, `author_id`, `is_verified`, `from_profile` (the account whose reels tab the reel is on)
- **Audio:** `music_title`, `music_artist` (licensed track or the account's original audio)
- **People and places:** `mentions[]`, `tagged_users[]`, `coauthors[]`, `location_name`
- **Content:** `hashtags[]`, `video_url`, `image_url` (cover), `alt_text`

### ⬇️ Input

| Field | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `usernames` | array | Usernames, @handles or profile links |
| `maxResults` | integer | Reels per account, newest first. 20 by default, up to 100,000 |
| `postedAfter` | string | Only reels from this UTC date on (YYYY-MM-DD). Reading stops at older reels |
| `postedBefore` | string | Only reels up to this UTC date |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "usernames": ["nike", "natgeo"],
  "maxResults": 100
}
```

### ⬆️ Output

A real row (media links shortened):

```json
{
  "record_type": "reel",
  "id": "3919055228681437041",
  "code": "DZjR_dosb9x",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZjR_dosb9x/",
  "username": "nike",
  "full_name": "Nike",
  "author_id": "13460080",
  "is_verified": true,
  "caption": "Sleep well, NY.",
  "posted_at": "2026-06-14T03:31:05+00:00",
  "likes": 757683,
  "comments": 8529,
  "plays": 18141139,
  "media_type": "video",
  "image_url": "https://scontent-iad6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/722447717_1863...",
  "video_url": "https://scontent-iad6-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQPQ-EE3j7vjXy...",
  "slide_urls": [],
  "hashtags": [],
  "mentions": [],
  "tagged_users": [
    "nikebasketball",
    "nikenyc"
  ],
  "coauthors": [
    "nikenyc",
    "nikebasketball"
  ],
  "location_name": null,
  "location_id": null,
  "music_title": "New York State of Mind",
  "music_artist": "Billy Joel",
  "alt_text": "Video by Nike on June 13, 2026.",
  "is_edited": false,
  "likes_hidden": false,
  "scraped_at": "2026-10-02T21:33:50.751683+00:00"
}
```

Video links are signed by Instagram and stop working after some hours. Download the files soon after the run if you need them.

### 💰 How much does it cost?

You pay per saved reel, plus a tiny start fee per run.

| Apify plan | Price per 1,000 reels |
|---|---|
| Free | $2.00 |
| Starter | $1.90 |
| Scale | $1.80 |
| Business and above | $1.70 |

The default run (20 reels) costs 4 cents. Set **Maximum cost per run** in the run options and the Actor stops saving at that amount.

### 💡 Use cases

- 📈 **Reel performance tracking:** plays, likes and comments per reel for your account and your competitors, on a schedule.
- 🎵 **Audio and trend research:** see which tracks an account uses and how those reels perform.
- 🤝 **Creator vetting:** median plays per reel says more than follower count.
- 🗂️ **Content archives:** captions, dates and video links for repurposing or transcription.

### ❓ FAQ

**Do I need an Instagram account or cookies?** No. The Actor never logs in.

**Where do the play counts come from?** From the account's reels tab, the same numbers a visitor sees on the grid.

**How fast is it?** About two reels per second: 100 reels in 52 seconds in our test. Instagram needs one to six seconds to answer for each reel, so the Actor asks for eight at a time.

**Does `maxResults` count per account or per run?** Per account. To cap the whole run, set **Maximum cost per run**.

**Does it download the videos?** It returns the direct file link. Fetch it with any HTTP client within a few hours.

**Does it include reels that also appear in the main grid?** Yes. Everything on the reels tab is returned.

**What happens with private or missing accounts?** They are skipped and listed in the status message and the `SUMMARY` record; the run still succeeds. Instagram also hides a few public accounts from visitors who are not logged in; those are reported the same way.

**Can I get transcripts?** Not from this Actor. It gives you the video link, which a speech-to-text tool can read.

**Is it legal to scrape Instagram reels?** The Actor reads only what Instagram shows publicly to any visitor and does not log in. Reels contain personal data and copyrighted material, so GDPR, CCPA, copyright law and Meta's terms apply to what you do with them. If in doubt, ask a lawyer.

**Something is missing or broken?** Open an issue on the Actor's Issues tab with the run ID. Issues are answered within one business day.

### 🔗 You might also like

- [Instagram Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/benthepythondev/instagram-posts-scraper)
- [Instagram Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/benthepythondev/instagram-comments-scraper)
- [Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/benthepythondev/instagram-profile-scraper)
- [Instagram Post Scraper by URL](https://apify.com/benthepythondev/instagram-post-details-scraper)
- [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/benthepythondev/youtube-transcript-scraper)

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# Actor input Schema

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

Usernames, @handles or profile links, for example natgeo, @nasa or https://www.instagram.com/nike/.

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

Reels to save for each account, newest first. Raise it to go further back.

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

Only rows from this UTC date on (YYYY-MM-DD). Reading stops once older posts are reached.

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

Only rows up to this UTC date (YYYY-MM-DD).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "maxResults": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (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 = {
    "usernames": [
        "natgeo"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("benthepythondev/instagram-reels-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 = { "usernames": ["natgeo"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("benthepythondev/instagram-reels-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 '{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ]
}' |
apify call benthepythondev/instagram-reels-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,benthepythondev/instagram-reels-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/PaV7Lwy35bq34igcT/builds/0ouMqsA07QnAkY1q5/openapi.json