Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery

🚀 What is Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery?

Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery is an Apify Actor and Instagram reels search scraper that turns keywords or search links into public reels with plays, likes, comments, captions, hashtags, audio and creator stats. Rank the results by trend speed, then export JSON, CSV or Excel. No Instagram login is needed.

Stop scrolling to guess what is taking off. Add a topic, and you can find trending Instagram reels with plays per day, likes per play and engagement rate next to every result.

• 🔍 Search by keyword or link: paste keywords or Instagram search and hashtag links, and run a bulk Instagram reels search in one go.
• 📈 Trend metrics on every reel: plays_per_day, like_to_play_ratio, comment_to_play_ratio, engagement_rate_pct and virality_ratio.
• 🎵 Separate tables: reels, creators, sounds, hashtags and keywords, each ready to filter or export.
• ⏰ Sort and date control: choose sortBy and postedWithin to keep only the newest or the strongest reels.
• 🔓 No account needed: get public Instagram reels without login.

📊 What data can you extract from Instagram?

Every saved reel is one row in the default dataset, and Apify datasets export to JSON, CSV or Excel. This Instagram reels data scraper returns the fields below. Fields Instagram does not show to anonymous visitors stay empty.

Field	Description	Example
id	Numeric Instagram id of the reel.	3894468243093590623
code	Short code in the reel link.	DYL7ju6ohJf
url	Public link of the reel.	https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYL7ju6ohJf/
caption	Caption text of the reel.	-
posted_at	Publish time (UTC, ISO 8601). Empty when reel details are off.	2026-05-11T05:21:16Z
age_days	Days since the reel was posted.	161.5
ig_play_count	Play count shown by Instagram.	142770505
like_count	Like count. Empty when the creator hides likes.	10444251
comment_count	Comment count.	22800
duration_seconds	Video length in seconds.	30.302
video_url	Direct video file link (expires after a few days).	-
thumbnail_url	Cover image link (expires after a few days).	-
width	Video width in pixels.	1080
height	Video height in pixels.	1920
user	Creator username, id, name, badges, picture and (when enabled) followers, bio, links and emails.	-
clips_metadata	Audio title, artist and whether it is the original sound.	-
location	Tagged place with id, name and coordinates.	-
hashtags	Hashtags found in the caption.	["travel"]
mentions	Accounts mentioned in the caption.	-
language	Caption language guess (empty when unsure).	en
is_sponsored	True when the reel looks like a paid partnership or ad.	false
is_ai_generated	True when Instagram labels the reel as AI.	false
coauthors	Co-author usernames.	-
tagged_users	Usernames tagged in the reel.	-
related_topics	Topic pills Instagram shows for the reel.	-
engagement_count	Likes plus comments.	10467051
like_to_play_ratio	Likes divided by plays.	0.0732
comment_to_play_ratio	Comments divided by plays.	0.00016
plays_per_day	Plays divided by age in days: a trend speed signal.	884027.9
engagement_rate_pct	Engagement divided by creator followers x 100.	-
virality_ratio	Plays divided by creator followers.	-
search_keyword	Keyword that returned this reel.	travel
rank	Position of the reel in that keyword's results.	1
found_via	direct, or related:keyword when found through a related keyword.	direct
keyword_insights	Total posts and related keywords of the search keyword.	-

The ratio fields work as an Instagram reels metrics scraper output, so you can compare reels of very different size. Use the likes and comments ratios for Instagram reels engagement analysis. Use plays_per_day and age_days for Instagram reels trend analysis. Creator numbers sit in user when includeCreatorStats is on.

Creators, sounds, hashtags and keywords tables

Next to the reels, this Instagram reels search extractor fills four extra tables from the same run.

• Creators: username, full_name, is_verified, is_private, follower_count, following_count, posts_count, biography, external_url, bio_links, emails, profile_pic_url, first_reel_url, first_reel_plays, engagement_rate_pct, virality_ratio and search_keyword. Think of it as an Instagram reels stats scraper view per creator.
• Sounds: audio_title, audio_artist, is_original_audio, ig_play_count and like_count, one row per reel that carries an audio attribution.
• Hashtags: one row per hashtag per reel with hashtag, ig_play_count, like_count and posted_at, ready for counting. It works like an Instagram reels hashtag scraper for trend counts.
• Keywords: one row per searched keyword with found_via, status, reels_found, reels_saved, total_posts_text, total_posts, related_keywords and searched_at.

A run summary with counts and trending hashtags, sounds and creators is also saved with the run.

💡 Use cases for Instagram reels data

• Instagram trend discovery: search a topic and sort by trending to see which reels gain plays fastest, using plays_per_day and age_days.
• Find trending sounds on Instagram reels: the Sounds table lists audio_title, audio_artist and is_original_audio next to the plays of each reel.
• Trending hashtags on Instagram reels: count hashtag rows weighted by ig_play_count to see which tags travel with the biggest reels.
• Instagram content research: study caption, hashtags, duration_seconds and language of top reels before you plan your own.
• Competitor reel research: search a brand or product name and compare ig_play_count, engagement_count and user across the results.
• Instagram influencer discovery: shortlist creators with a high virality_ratio or engagement_rate_pct, then check follower_count, biography and emails in the Creators table.
• Instagram keyword research: the Keywords table shows total_posts and related_keywords, so you can see how big a topic is and what sits next to it.
• Instagram market research: run the same keywords on a schedule and compare keyword_insights and top reels between runs.

🛠️ How to search Instagram reels by keyword

1. Create a free Apify account and open Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery.
2. Add one or more keywords or Instagram search links to urls.
3. Set maxItems to the number of reels you want for each keyword or link.
4. Pick sortBy and, if you only want recent reels, postedWithin.
5. Click Start and watch the Output tab fill while the run is going.
6. Open the tables for reels, creators, sounds, hashtags and keywords.
7. Download the dataset as JSON, CSV or Excel.

Trending Instagram reels by keyword

Set sortBy to trending and add a keyword. The Actor reads the whole keyword first, then saves the reels with the highest plays per day, so the first rows arrive later than with Instagram's own order. That makes it a practical Instagram reels trend scraper for any topic.

Find trending audio for Instagram reels

Run your topic, then open the Sounds table. Each row links an audio_title and audio_artist to a reel, so repeated sounds show up as the ones people are using.

Instagram viral reels finder with date filters

Combine sortBy set to engagement or trending with postedWithin such as 30d. That turns the Actor into an Instagram viral reels finder for the last month. Date filters need reel details, so fetchDetails is switched on for you when a date is set.

Instagram reels by hashtag

Paste an Instagram hashtag link, for example https://www.instagram.com/popular/gym/, and the keyword is read from the link. This is also how Instagram reels search by link works in this Actor.

Instagram hashtag research

Open the Hashtags table after a run. Group the rows by hashtag to see which tags appear most for your keyword, and by how many plays.

💰 How much does it cost to scrape Instagram reels by keyword?

Pricing is pay per event. Each saved reel is one main_result event, shown as Results, and the price per 1,000 results depends on your Apify pricing tier.

Pricing tier	Price per 1,000 results
Free	$2
Bronze	$1.8
Silver	$1.5
Gold / Platinum / Diamond	$1.4

Each run also has a small Actor Start event of $0.00005 per run start. You can set a spend limit on a run in Apify; the Actor then stops cleanly and keeps every reel saved so far. See the Pricing tab for the current rates.

⬇️ Input for Instagram reels keyword search

Only urls is required. It takes keywords or Instagram search and hashtag links, one per line or as a list. Use the Console form or the JSON below; the Input tab lists every option.

Example input:

{
  "urls": ["travel", "https://www.instagram.com/popular/gym/"],
  "maxItems": 10,
  "sortBy": "feed",
  "includeCreatorStats": true,
  "fetchDetails": true,
  "keywordInsights": true,
  "expandRelated": true,
  "maxRelatedTerms": 5
}

For recent, fast-rising reels only, use this variation:

{
  "urls": ["travel"],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "sortBy": "trending",
  "postedWithin": "30d"
}

Field	Type	What it does
urls	array	Keywords or Instagram search and hashtag links. Required.
maxItems	integer	Reels to save for each keyword or link (1 to 50000). Three keywords with 50 give up to 150 reels.
maxPages	integer	Optional. Replaces maxItems with about 12 reels per page for each keyword.
sortBy	string	feed, trending, plays, likes, engagement or recent. The default is feed.
postedWithin	string	Only reels newer than this: 7d, 30d, 3m, 24h or a date like 2026-01-31.
includeCreatorStats	boolean	Adds followers, following, posts, bio, links, emails, engagement rate and virality ratio. Default on.
fetchDetails	boolean	Reads likes, comments, post date, location, audio and duration. Needed for the date filter and most sort orders. Default on.
keywordInsights	boolean	Adds each keyword's total posts and related keywords. Default on.
expandRelated	boolean	Searches related keywords when a keyword does not reach maxItems. Default on.
maxRelatedTerms	integer	Upper limit of related keywords explored for each keyword (0 to 500).
concurrency	integer	How many reel details and creator profiles are read at the same time (1 to 20, default 10).
requestDelay	number	Pause in seconds between result pages of one keyword (0 to 10, default 0).
maxScanned	integer	Stops a search whose filters never match after this many reels were examined (default 5000).
proxyConfiguration	object	Optional. Connection settings are handled automatically.

Tips: keep maxItems low for a first test run. Instagram's own order (feed) saves reels as they are read; any other sortBy reads the whole keyword first.

⬆️ Output

The scraped results are shown as a dataset in the Storage tab. The table view is for convenience and doesn't show all the fields. This Instagram reels extractor saves each reel the moment it is ready, so Instagram reels search data appears while the run is still going.

Export the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or HTML. To export Instagram reels to Excel, pick Excel in the export menu. The same menu turns Instagram reels to CSV in one click.

Example output (shortened, built from the schema example values):

{
  "id": "3894468243093590623",
  "code": "DYL7ju6ohJf",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYL7ju6ohJf/",
  "posted_at": "2026-05-11T05:21:16Z",
  "age_days": 161.5,
  "ig_play_count": 142770505,
  "like_count": 10444251,
  "comment_count": 22800,
  "duration_seconds": 30.302,
  "width": 1080,
  "height": 1920,
  "hashtags": ["travel"],
  "language": "en",
  "is_sponsored": false,
  "is_ai_generated": false,
  "engagement_count": 10467051,
  "like_to_play_ratio": 0.0732,
  "comment_to_play_ratio": 0.00016,
  "plays_per_day": 884027.9,
  "search_keyword": "travel",
  "rank": 1,
  "found_via": "direct"
}

⚠️ Limitations and error handling

• The Actor reads only what Instagram shows to visitors who are not logged in. Share counts and saves are not part of the output.
• Some keywords have no public reels. The Keywords table reports how each search ended, and the log tells you when a keyword returned nothing.
• like_count is empty when the creator hides likes, and posted_at is empty when fetchDetails is off.
• video_url and thumbnail_url expire after a few days, so download media soon after the run.
• A search with filters that never match stops after maxScanned reels, so a strict filter can return fewer reels than maxItems.
• The Actor has no built-in change tracking; each run returns the reels that match at that time.
• If no keyword is given, or a value such as maxItems is invalid, the run stops with a short message that says what to fix.
• If Instagram cannot be reached, everything saved so far stays in the dataset. Run it again later.

As an Instagram reels search results scraper, it cannot promise a fixed number of reels for every keyword. Run a small test to see how many a topic holds.

🔌 Integrating Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery with other apps

Start the Actor from the Apify API, a schedule, a webhook or an integration, and use the results as an Instagram reels data API in your own tools. The API tab on the Actor page has ready-made JavaScript, Python and CLI snippets.

• Schedules: run it on a schedule with the same keywords and postedWithin set to 7d to collect the newest reels each week.
• Webhooks: trigger a webhook when a run finishes to send the dataset to your own service.
• Integrations: connect the dataset to Make, Zapier, Google Sheets and other apps through Apify integrations.
• AI agents: the Apify MCP server lets an agent find and call this Actor.

Scheduled runs turn it into an Instagram reels analytics scraper for ongoing tracking: compare plays_per_day and the Keywords table between runs to see what is rising.

🔗 More Apify Actors by crawl_craft

Actor	What it extracts	When to use it
Instagram Reels Scraper	Reels from usernames, reel links or audio pages: plays, likes, comments, captions, hashtags, music and engagement rates	Use it when you already know the accounts, reel links or audio pages you want
Instagram Post & Reel Details Scraper	Details for post, reel or carousel links: likes, comments, views, caption, tagged users, media files, top comments and the owner's profile	Use it to go deeper on single posts after you found them here
TikTok User Search Scraper	TikTok creator profiles from a keyword search	Use it when your creator research also covers TikTok
TikTok Video Scraper	Captions, hashtags, views, likes, comments, shares, author and music data from TikTok video links, plus video downloads and transcripts	Use it when your short-video research also covers TikTok posts you already have links to
Telegram Scraper	Messages, views, reactions, media, links, comments and subscriber counts from public Telegram channels	Use it when your keyword and topic monitoring also covers public Telegram channels

⚖️ Is it legal to scrape Instagram reels?

Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery only extracts data that users have made public on Instagram and does not extract private data. Results can still contain personal data such as usernames, bios and emails found in a bio, so collect it only with a legitimate reason and consider GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and Instagram's terms. This Instagram reels crawler gives no legal advice; consult a lawyer if you are unsure. Read Apify's posts on the legality of web scraping and ethical web scraping.

❓ FAQ

Do I need an Instagram account or API key?

No. Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery reads public data, so you need no Instagram login and no API key, only an Apify account.

Is this an Instagram reels scraper by keyword or by username?

By keyword or search link. As an Instagram reels search tool it works from topics, not accounts. Paste topics or Instagram search and hashtag links into urls. For usernames, reel links or audio pages, use the Instagram Reels Scraper listed above.

How many reels can I get?

Set maxItems per keyword or link, up to 50000, or use maxPages for about 12 reels per page. How many reels Instagram shows for a topic varies, so test with a small number first.

Why does a keyword return no reels?

Instagram's public results cover only some keywords. Try a broader or related keyword, and check the Keywords table to see how each search ended. This Instagram reels finder never invents reels to fill a quota.

Can I use it as an Instagram reel search scraper for hashtags?

Yes. Paste a hashtag or search link and the Actor reads the keyword from it, then returns the reels with their hashtags in hashtags and in the Hashtags table.

Why are some counts empty?

The creator may hide likes, or reel details may be off. Turn on fetchDetails to read likes, comments, date, location, audio and duration.

How is plays_per_day calculated?

It is plays divided by the reel's age in days, which makes it a speed signal for trends.

Do I need proxies?

No. The Proxy field is optional, and connection settings are handled for you. Use it only if you want your own proxy.

Is this an Instagram reels search crawler?

In practice, yes: it searches and reads public reels by keyword and returns them as structured rows. Think of it as an Instagram reels discovery tool for research, not for posting or following.

Can I get the data through the API?

Yes, you can use it as an Instagram reels search API. Start a run with the Apify API and read the dataset items; see the API tab for code in your language.

💬 Your feedback

Found a bug or want a new field? Open the Issues tab on the Actor page and include the keyword that failed. For custom solutions, write to hello.crawlcraft@gmail.com.