Instagram Search Scraper - Public Reels & Metrics

📊 What does Instagram Search Scraper do?

Enter one keyword or phrase. Get a ranked list of public Instagram Reels. Each row can include the Reel URL, title, caption, hashtags, mentions, creator, media URL, publish time, views, plays, likes, comments, and clear metric status.

The Actor does not need an Instagram login, cookies, or account details.

Use it for public content research, trend checks, creator discovery, campaign research, and scheduled monitoring.

With Instagram Search Scraper, you can:

• 🔎 Find public Reels for one topic.
• 📊 Add public post metrics when Instagram shows them.
• ⚡ Turn metric checks off for a faster URL and rank search.
• 🧹 Remove duplicate Reels from each run.
• 📦 Export results as JSON, JSONL, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML.
• 🚦 See why a metric was present, unavailable, or skipped.

📦 What Instagram data can I extract?

Each dataset row represents one public Instagram Reel found for the entered keyword.

Data group	Example fields
🔎 Search context	searchQuery, searchUrl, searchRank
🔗 Reel identity	postUrl, postId, shortCode, mediaType
🧾 Reel details	title, caption, hashtags, mentions, publishedAt, thumbnailUrl, downloadUrl, videoDurationSeconds, hasAudio
👤 Creator	profileId, profileName, profileHandle, profileUrl, profileVerified, profileAvatarUrl
📊 Public metrics	views, plays, playsInstagram, likes, comments
🎯 Quality	postMetricStatus, metricEnrichmentStatus, status, statusReason
🕒 Observation	scrapedAt

Missing public values stay null. They are not guessed and are not changed to zero.

⚙️ Can I use this Actor through an API?

Yes. Run it in Apify Console or connect through:

• Apify API
• Python SDK
• JavaScript SDK
• Webhooks
• Schedules
• Apify integrations

🎯 Why search public Instagram Reels?

Use case	How the data helps
📈 Trend research	Compare public Reels and language around a topic.
🕵️ Competitor research	Find public campaign and content examples.
👤 Creator discovery	Find public creators posting about a topic.
🧱 Data pipelines	Send clean Reel rows to a sheet, database, or dashboard.
⏱️ Monitoring	Repeat the same keyword and compare observed results over time.

💵 Pricing events

The Store price uses two events, but each paid row charges only one. A fast row charges the search-result event. A row whose public post check returns useful metrics or metadata charges the enriched-result event instead.

Current price per saved row:

Apify plan	Search-only row	Enriched row
Free	$0.0015	$0.00500
Bronze	$0.0013	$0.00433
Silver	$0.0011	$0.00367
Gold	$0.0010	$0.00300
Platinum	$0.0010	$0.00300
Diamond	$0.0010	$0.00300

Apify platform usage is separate and is paid by the user. Metric checks take longer. Turn includeMetrics off when you only need Reel URLs and ranks.

Empty searches and failed runs do not save or charge rows. A failed enrichment can still save and charge the cheaper search-only row. The Actor also respects the run's maximum charge by stopping before work that cannot fit.

🚀 How do I use Instagram Search Scraper?

1. Open the Actor in Apify Console.
2. Enter one keyword or phrase.
3. Choose the maximum number of unique Reels to save.
4. Keep metric checks on when you need public metrics.
5. Click Start.
6. Open Output to inspect the rows and run summary.

⬇️ Input

{
  "query": "sports news",
  "maxResults": 10,
  "includeMetrics": true
}

Setting	What it controls
query	One keyword or phrase. Required. From 1 to 100 characters after spaces are cleaned.
maxResults	Maximum unique Reel rows saved after duplicate removal. From 1 to 64. Default: 25. This is a cap, not a promised count.
includeMetrics	Checks every saved Reel for public metrics and creator details. Default: true. Turn it off for a faster, lower-cost search.

⬆️ Output sample

{
  "platform": "instagram",
  "searchQuery": "sports news",
  "searchUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/popular/sports-news/",
  "searchRank": 1,
  "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/",
  "postId": "123456789",
  "shortCode": "ABC123",
  "mediaType": "reel",
  "title": "A public Reel title",
  "caption": "A public Reel caption",
  "hashtags": ["sports", "news"],
  "mentions": ["example"],
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-20T12:00:00.000Z",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://example.cdn.invalid/image.jpg",
  "downloadUrl": "https://example.cdn.invalid/video.mp4",
  "videoDurationSeconds": 18.4,
  "hasAudio": true,
  "profileId": "987654321",
  "profileName": "Example Creator",
  "profileHandle": "example",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/example/",
  "profileVerified": false,
  "profileAvatarUrl": null,
  "views": 1200,
  "plays": 1300,
  "playsInstagram": null,
  "likes": 90,
  "comments": 4,
  "postMetricStatus": [
    {
      "metric": "views",
      "status": "present",
      "reason": null,
      "precision": "exact",
      "source": "public_post"
    },
    {
      "metric": "plays",
      "status": "present",
      "reason": null,
      "precision": "exact",
      "source": "public_post"
    },
    {
      "metric": "playsInstagram",
      "status": "unavailable",
      "reason": "Instagram did not expose this metric publicly for this Reel at collection time.",
      "precision": "unavailable",
      "source": "public_post"
    },
    {
      "metric": "likes",
      "status": "present",
      "reason": null,
      "precision": "exact",
      "source": "public_post"
    },
    {
      "metric": "comments",
      "status": "present",
      "reason": null,
      "precision": "exact",
      "source": "public_post"
    }
  ],
  "metricEnrichmentStatus": "partial",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-07-20T12:01:00.000Z",
  "status": "ok",
  "statusReason": null
}

The real postMetricStatus array always contains five entries in this order: views, plays, playsInstagram, likes, and comments.

📌 Run summary

The OUTPUT and RUN_SUMMARY records contain the same public summary:

{
  "actorName": "instagram-search-scraper",
  "schemaVersion": "1.1.0",
  "resultType": "instagram_public_keyword_reel",
  "rowGrain": "one_public_instagram_reel_per_keyword_result_row",
  "status": "succeeded",
  "statusReason": null,
  "query": "sports news",
  "maxResults": 10,
  "includeMetrics": true,
  "candidatesSeen": 12,
  "uniqueCandidatesSeen": 12,
  "duplicatesSkipped": 0,
  "savedRows": 10,
  "usefulRows": 10,
  "billableRows": 10,
  "enrichmentAttempted": 10,
  "enrichmentSucceeded": 7,
  "enrichmentPartialOrFailed": 3,
  "searchAttemptCount": 1,
  "searchRetryCount": 0,
  "searchRecoveredByRetry": false,
  "stopReason": "limit_reached",
  "startedAt": "2026-07-20T12:00:00.000Z",
  "finishedAt": "2026-07-20T12:01:00.000Z"
}

🎯 Status and quality fields

• present: Instagram exposed the metric publicly.
• unavailable: Instagram did not expose the value, or the public check could not finish. Read reason.
• skipped: includeMetrics was turned off.
• exact: the public source returned a full number.
• rounded: the public source showed a rounded number.
• metricEnrichmentStatus: succeeded, partial, failed, or skipped for the whole Reel.

🔒 Data scope

This Actor collects public Instagram Reels. Private content is not supported.

⚠️ Limits and interpretation

• maxResults is a maximum. Instagram may expose fewer public Reels.
• Metrics can be missing even when the Reel itself is public.
• Repeated runs are new observations. Instagram can change results and metrics between runs.

🔗 Related Actors

• Instagram Metrics Scraper for known post URLs.
• Instagram Channel Scraper for public profile discovery.
• TikTok Search Scraper for TikTok keyword discovery.

❓ FAQ

Does this Actor need an Instagram login, cookie, or API key?

No.

Why did I get fewer rows than maxResults?

The field is a cap. Instagram may return fewer public Reels for that phrase.

Why is a metric null?

Instagram did not expose it publicly, the public check could not finish, or you turned metric checks off. Read the matching postMetricStatus entry.

How are duplicates removed?

Rows are deduplicated by Instagram Reel shortcode before metric checks and saving.

⚖️ Legal note

Use public data responsibly. Follow applicable laws, Instagram's terms, and the rights of people whose public content you collect. This Actor does not grant rights to reuse Instagram content.

🛟 Support

When asking for help, include the Apify run ID, input, expected result, one bad or missing row, and the time of the run. Do not send Instagram passwords, cookies, or private account material.