Facebook post scraper - Groups, Pages, Search

The Facebook Posts Scraper is an Apify actor designed to extract Facebook posts from groups, pages/profiles, and Facebook search URLs.

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Key Features

Feature	Description
Multiple Sources	Scrape posts from Groups, Pages, Profiles, and Facebook Search URLs
Comprehensive Data	Post text, timestamps, author info, attachments, reactions, shares, comments
Top Comments Extraction	Get the most engaging comments with author details
Cookie-Based Authentication	Optional login for accessing more content
Post date filter	Set limits to scrape only latest posts
Multiple Export Formats	JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML
Anti-Blocking Technology	Automatic smart proxy management

Data Fields Extracted

• Post URL - Direct link to the post
• Created Timestamp - Unix timestamp for post creation
• Author Information - Name, ID, profile URL, verified status
• Post Content - Full text content
• Attachments - Images, videos, links
• Engagement Metrics - Reaction count, share count, comment count
• Top Comments - Most engaged comments with author details
• Profile Pictures - Author avatar URLs

Common Use Cases

Use Case	Application	Typical Results
Ad Creative Research	Scrape viral posts for ad angle inspiration	4+ ROAS improvement
Lead Generation	Extract hiring/service request posts	2,500+ leads/day
Marketplace Arbitrage	Source undervalued products to resell	$2,000+/month profit
Competitor Monitoring	Track competitor posts and engagement	Real-time intelligence
Content Curation	Identify trending topics and viral patterns	Data-driven content strategy
CRM Enrichment	Augment lead data with social insights	Higher conversion rates

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

1. Apify account (free to start)
2. Cookie-Editor Chrome extension (for authenticated scraping)

Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Get Facebook Cookies (Optional but Recommended)

For access to more content and search results:

1. Install the Cookie-Editor extension
2. Log into your Facebook account in a browser tab
3. While on facebook.com, click the Cookie-Editor extension
4. Click "Export" and copy the cookies JSON
5. Paste into the actor's "Cookie" input field

Step 2: Configure Your Scrape

Facebook URLs to Scrape:

• Group URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/<group-name>/
• Page/Profile URL: https://www.facebook.com/<page-or-user>/
• Search URL: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=<query> (requires cookies)

Step 3: Configure Proxy Settings

The actor automatically uses Apify Proxy for enhanced reliability. No additional configuration needed for most use cases. But you can provide your own proxy urls if you have

Step 5: Run and Export

1. Click "Start" to run the actor
2. Monitor progress in real-time
3. Export data in your preferred format (JSON, CSV, Excel, etc.)

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Sample Data Output

Visual Preview

JSON Output Example

{
  "createdAt": 1715352299,
  "url": "https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldemailmasterclass/permalink/844179877727334/",
  "user": {
    "id": "100003654639487",
    "name": "James Kricked Parr",
    "url": "https://www.facebook.com/krickedart"
  },
  "text": "Hiring 2 talented VAs: 1 api/webhooks/ghl/clay PRO and 1 data filtering PRO with extreme attention to detail, will also work on instantly subsequences too. Drop 'yes me' if that's u👇",
  "attachments": [],
  "reactionCount": 12,
  "shareCount": 0,
  "commentCount": 25,
  "topComments": [
    {
      "text": "Yes me",
      "createdAt": 1715352417,
      "author": {
        "name": "Azhar Kamal",
        "id": "100005206265467",
        "gender": "MALE",
        "url": "https://www.facebook.com/mak.megamind",
        "profilePicture": "https://scontent.fblr1-3.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-1/306762469_2023046817878841_2432511838240140780_n.jpg",
        "shortName": "Azhar",
        "isVerified": false
      },
      "reactionCount": 1,
      "commentCount": 2,
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldemailmasterclass/permalink/844179877727334/?comment_id=844197721058883"
    },
    {
      "text": "Let me know when you need that Clay knowledge:)",
      "createdAt": 1715366101,
      "author": {
        "name": "Josh Whitfield",
        "id": "100005815925914",
        "gender": "MALE",
        "url": "https://www.facebook.com/ragevmachine",
        "profilePicture": "https://scontent.fblr1-4.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-1/355892298_2148165328720644_7118474293467825230_n.jpg",
        "shortName": "Josh",
        "isVerified": true
      },
      "reactionCount": 3,
      "commentCount": 2,
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldemailmasterclass/permalink/844179877727334/?comment_id=844314761047179"
    }
  ]
}

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Pricing

Cost Per Usage

Based on historical data, this scraper costs an average of $0.35 per 1,000 Facebook posts in Apify usage credits.

Plan Capacity

Apify Plan	Monthly Capacity	Estimated Posts
Starter	$49	~130,000 posts
Scale	$499	~1,3000,000 posts
Business	Custom	Unlimited

Cost Comparison with Competitors

Service	Cost per 1,000 Posts	Monthly Minimum
This Scraper	~$0.35	$30
Bright Data	~$0.50	$500
Phantombuster	~$2.00	$69
SociaVault	~$1.00	Custom

Note: Competitor pricing based on published rates and estimated usage calculations.

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Use Cases

Real businesses and marketers using Facebook scraping to drive measurable results:

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1. John Tay - 4.82 ROAS Ad Campaign Using Facebook Group Posts Scraping

The Challenge:
John Tay needed high-converting ad angles for a client in the spiritual wellness niche but wanted to eliminate guesswork from creative development.

The Solution:
Using Apify's Facebook post scraper, John scraped 33,567 viral posts from 9 niche-specific Facebook groups. He filtered the top 100 most-engaged posts (minimum 500 likes each) and fed them into ChatGPT to extract emotional hooks, CTAs, and ad angles. Read more about it on 10xPlaybooks Blog

The Process:

1. Scrape - Collected posts with timestamps, likes, comments, and content using Apify
2. Sort - Filtered to top-performing posts by engagement metrics
3. Analyze - Used ChatGPT to extract marketing angles and emotional hooks
4. Adapt - Tested 7 angles as paid ads

Results:

• 4.82 ROAS on day one with the best-performing ad angle
• Eliminated guesswork by using market-native insights
• Created a repeatable monthly system for fresh ad creative

"By scraping niche-specific Facebook groups, I wasn't guessing. I was pulling real content that had already gone viral... written in the voice of the community." — John Tay

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Integrations & Workflows

Make (formerly Integromat)

Use Make to integrate Facebook post scraper with thousands of apps:

n8n Workflows

Automate scraping schedules and data processing with n8n:

• Schedule daily competitor monitoring
• Filter and notify on high-engagement posts
• Auto-enrich leads with additional data sources

Zapier Integration

Connect with 5,000+ apps via Zapier:

• Send new posts to CRM systems
• Create tasks from hiring posts
• Generate reports in Google Docs

API Access

On-Demand Scraping

For detailed API documentation, visit the Facebook Post Scraper API integration page.

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Description
GET /actor-runs/{runId}/dataset/items	Retrieve scraped data
POST /actors/{actorId}/runs	Start a new scraping job
GET /actor-runs/{runId}	Check run status

Supported Export Formats

• JSON - Structured data for API integration
• CSV - Spreadsheet analysis
• Excel (XLSX) - Advanced filtering and formulas
• XML - Legacy system integration
• HTML - Browser viewing
• RSS - Feed reader integration

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FAQ

Do I need a Facebook account?

No, but having one unlocks more data:

• Without cookies: Can scrape most public pages and groups
• With cookies: Can access Facebook search, more groups, and personalized content

Can I scrape private Facebook groups?

This tool only scrapes content that is publicly visible or visible to the account whose cookies you provide.

Does it handle Facebook's anti-bot measures?

Yes. The actor includes:

• Automatic proxy rotation
• Rate limiting
• Automatic retries on failures

What data formats are supported?

JSON, CSV, Excel (XLSX), XML, and HTML. JSON is recommended for programmatic access; CSV/Excel for analysis.

Can I schedule automatic scraping?

Yes, via Apify Schedules or integrations with Make, n8n, or Zapier. Set up daily, weekly, or custom interval scrapes.

How do I get support?

• Technical issues: Create an issue on the actor's Issues tab in Apify Console
• Questions: Email heycuriouscoder@gmail.com

What's the difference between this and the Facebook API?

Aspect	This Scraper	Official Facebook API
Setup	Immediate	Days/weeks for approval
Authentication	Optional cookies	Required OAuth
Rate Limits	Generous	Strict
Data Access	Public content	Varies by permissions
Cost	Usage-based	Free tier + overages

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Related Apify Actors

Enhance your Facebook data collection with these complementary tools:

• Facebook Comments Scraper - Extract all comments from specific posts
• Facebook Profile Scraper - Get detailed profile information
• Facebook Page Email Scraper - Extract business contact information
• Meta Ads Scraper - Monitor competitor advertising

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Last updated: March 2025 | Version 1.0

Keywords: facebook scraper, facebook post scraper, facebook group scraper, social media scraper, facebook data extraction, facebook automation, facebook scraping tool, extract facebook posts, facebook marketing tool, facebook lead generation