Instagram Reels Scrapy 2.0

$0.05 per 1,000 results. Around 50x cheaper than the usual Instagram scraper.

Extract public Reels and posts from Instagram profiles — with view, like and comment counts — and get clean, structured rows you can drop straight into a spreadsheet, a dashboard or your own database.

Give it a list of profiles, say how many items you want from each, and run it. No login, no cookies, no browser automation on your side.

Filter by date. Ask only for what was published since a date — the last 7 days, since January, since a campaign started — and the run stops as soon as it reaches older posts.

What you get

For every item, the standard output includes the thumbnail, the caption's first line, the profile handle, the post URL, the publish date, view count, like count, comment count and duration. 32 more fields are available on demand — hashtags, mentions, tagged users, co-authors, carousel items, tagged location, sponsors, full caption, every video and thumbnail rendition, audio track details and more. 41 fields in total.

You choose the columns. Ask for nine fields and you get nine clean columns instead of a wall of JSON you have to clean up later.

How to use it

1. Put one or more profiles in Instagram profiles — a handle (nasa) or a profile URL (https://www.instagram.com/nasa/).
2. Pick the Content to scrape — Reels, the full timeline, or photos only.
3. Set Results limit per profile.
4. Optionally, narrow it down under Filters: a date range, or no pinned posts.
5. Run it, then download the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML.

Input

Field	Type	Default	What it does
directUrls	array	["https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"]	Profiles to scrape — handle or URL
resultsType	string	reels	reels, posts (full timeline) or photos
resultsLimit	integer	100	Maximum items per profile
resultsLimitPerProfile	object	—	A different limit for specific profiles
onlyPostsNewerThan	string	—	Only items published on or after this date
skipPinnedPosts	boolean	false	Leave out posts pinned to the top of the profile
selectedFields	array	standard fields	Which columns to return

Field names match the ones used by the standard Instagram scraper, so an input written for that Actor also works here. resultsLimitPerProfile is the addition. Handles are not case-sensitive, and profile URLs may carry extra parts such as ?igsh=... or /reels/.

Example input

{
  "directUrls": ["nasa", "natgeo"],
  "resultsType": "reels",
  "resultsLimit": 50,
  "selectedFields": ["url", "title", "videoPlayCount", "likesCount", "commentsCount"]
}

A different limit for each profile

No need for one run per profile just to vary the limit. List the exceptions in resultsLimitPerProfile; every other profile uses resultsLimit:

{
  "directUrls": ["nasa", "natgeo", "instagram"],
  "resultsLimit": 100,
  "resultsLimitPerProfile": { "nasa": 2000, "instagram": 20 }
}

That returns 2,000 items from nasa, 100 from natgeo and 20 from instagram, in a single run. Keys accept a handle, @handle or profile URL, and a profile that appears only in resultsLimitPerProfile is scraped too. Each limit goes from 1 to 10,000.

Filter by date

onlyPostsNewerThan takes:

• a date: 2024-01-31
• an ISO timestamp: 2024-01-31T18:00:00Z (no time zone means UTC)
• a relative period: 3 days, 2 weeks, 6 months, 1 year (also minutes and hours)

All times are UTC, and the date itself is included:

{
  "directUrls": ["natgeo"],
  "resultsType": "posts",
  "resultsLimit": 1000,
  "onlyPostsNewerThan": "2026-01-01"
}

That returns everything natgeo published since January 1st, newest first, and stops as soon as it reaches older posts, in every content type.

resultsLimit counts only items that pass the filters. Items skipped on the way are never delivered and never charged.

Pinned posts sit at the top of a profile regardless of their date. With a date filter, a pinned post is returned only if its own date is inside the window. To leave pinned posts out entirely, turn on skipPinnedPosts.

Output

{
  "displayUrl": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.../image.jpg",
  "title": "Coming out of my shell",
  "ownerUsername": "nasa",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcEMvAdOryS/",
  "timestamp": "2026-08-10T20:06:13",
  "videoPlayCount": 1512492,
  "likesCount": 34514,
  "commentsCount": 291,
  "videoDuration": 79.5
}

Photos and carousels have no view count, so videoPlayCount is omitted for those items.

Every field you can request

With selectedFields empty you get the 13 standard fields, from displayUrl to id below (the form pre-selects the first nine). When you pick fields, you get exactly those. Everything after id is opt-in: add it to selectedFields and it shows up as an extra column.

Field	Type	What it is
displayUrl	string	Thumbnail image URL
title	string	First line of the caption, trimmed
ownerUsername	string	Profile handle, without @
url	string	Public post URL
timestamp	string	Publish date, ISO 8601
videoPlayCount	integer	Plays (Reels mode only)
likesCount	integer	Likes. -1 when the author hides them
commentsCount	integer	Comments
videoDuration	number	Length in seconds (Reels mode only)
aspectRatio	string	For example 9:16
videoUrl	string	Highest quality video URL
shortCode	string	Instagram short code
id	string	Media ID, as <pk>_<ownerId>
pk	string	Media PK on its own
caption	string	Full caption text
alt	string	Instagram's accessibility description, when it exists
hashtags	array	Hashtags found in the caption
mentions	array	Handles mentioned in the caption
taggedUsers	array	Users tagged in the media
coauthorProducers	array	Collab co-authors
childPosts	array	Carousel items, one entry each
locationName	string	Tagged place, when the post has one
locationId	string	Tagged place ID, when the post has one
ownerId	string	Owner numeric ID
ownerFullName	string	Owner display name
isPinned	boolean	Pinned to the top of the profile
paidPartnership	boolean	Declared paid partnership
sponsors	array	Handles tagged as sponsor
affiliate	boolean	Affiliate content
isCommentsDisabled	boolean	Comments turned off
hasAudio	boolean	Carries an audio track
musicInfo	object	Audio track details
productType	string	clips, feed, carousel_container
type	integer	Instagram media type
originalWidth / originalHeight	integer	Source dimensions
images	array	Every thumbnail size
videoVersions	array	Every video rendition
dashManifest	string	DASH manifest
spritesheet	object	Scrubbing sprite sheet
igPlayCount	integer	Instagram play counter (Reels mode)

Fields Instagram does not return are left out of the item instead of being sent as 0 or "", so an empty column means "not reported", never "zero".

Content types, and which counts come with each

resultsType	What you get	videoPlayCount	videoDuration
reels	Reels only	yes	yes
posts	the full timeline (Reels, photos, carousels)	omitted	omitted
photos	photos and carousels, no Reels	n/a (photos have none)	n/a

For view counts, request reels.

You can download the dataset in JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML, XML or RSS.

API

Every run is available over the Apify API. Replace <TOKEN> with your API token from Settings → Integrations.

Run and wait for the results

Returns the dataset items directly, in one call:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/<ACTOR_ID>/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "directUrls": ["nasa"],
        "resultsType": "reels",
        "resultsLimit": 50
      }'

Best for small and medium jobs. The connection stays open until the run ends, so keep a generous client timeout.

Start a run and collect later

For large jobs, start the run and poll for it:

# 1. start
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/<ACTOR_ID>/runs?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"directUrls": ["nasa"], "resultsLimit": 5000}'

# 2. check status — look for "status": "SUCCEEDED"
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/actor-runs/<RUN_ID>?token=<TOKEN>"

# 3. fetch the items
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&format=csv"

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<TOKEN>")

run = client.actor("<ACTOR_ID>").call(run_input={
    "directUrls": ["nasa"],
    "resultsType": "posts",
    "resultsLimit": 100,
})

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item["url"], item.get("likesCount"))

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<TOKEN>' });

const run = await client.actor('<ACTOR_ID>').call({
    directUrls: ['nasa'],
    resultsType: 'reels',
    resultsLimit: 100,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items.length);

Run summary

Besides the dataset, each run writes an OUTPUT record to the key-value store with a per-profile summary:

{
  "ok": true,
  "total_items": 150,
  "users": [
    { "user": "nasa", "count": 100 },
    { "user": "natgeo", "count": 50 }
  ]
}

When a profile cannot be completed, its entry carries an error field and the items already collected stay in the dataset. The error is one of:

error	What it means	What to do
profile not found or unavailable	The handle does not exist, was renamed, or is not available to the public	Check the handle
profile is private	The profile is private	Nothing — only public profiles can be read
no public items found (the profile may be private or have none)	Nothing public came back for this content type	Check the profile or the content type
could not be collected right now, please try again later	A temporary problem on Instagram's side	Run that profile again later
collection stopped early, please try again later for the rest	Some items were collected, then a temporary problem stopped it	Run again later for the rest
collection stopped before the end of this profile; items collected so far are in the dataset	The run reached its page limit for this profile, for example a very old date filter on a large profile	Narrow the date range, or split it into several runs
not a valid Instagram profile	The entry is not a handle or profile URL (for example a post link)	Fix the entry
the run time limit was reached before this profile finished; items collected so far are in the dataset	The run's timeout arrived mid-profile	Give the run a longer timeout
not started: run time limit reached	The timeout arrived before this profile's turn	Give the run a longer timeout

Sizing the timeout. Reels mode collects roughly 150 reels per minute per profile. A run asking for 2,000 reels needs about 15 minutes, so a 10-minute timeout will stop it early. When the timeout is close, the run stops on its own, writes this summary and finishes as Succeeded, keeping everything collected so far.

When a profile has a problem, the run's status line says so.

Legacy input names

Inputs with the previous names (usernames, content_type, quantity_per_user, selected_fields) still run. The log shows the current names.

What people use this for

• Influencer vetting: reach versus engagement over the last Reels.
• Content research: which formats, hashtags and sounds perform.
• Period reports for a month, quarter or campaign.
• Daily monitoring with onlyPostsNewerThan: "1 day".
• Sponsored content: paidPartnership, sponsors and taggedUsers.

Frequently asked questions

Which content type should I pick? reels if you want view counts and duration — it is the only mode Instagram reports those for. posts for the whole timeline. photos for photos and carousels with the Reels filtered out.

Why is videoPlayCount empty on posts and photos? Those modes do not report play counts. Request reels when views matter.

Why is likesCount sometimes -1? The author hid the like count on that post.

Can I scrape private profiles? No. Only public profiles return data. A private profile is skipped and marked in OUTPUT (as profile is private, or as having no public items), and the rest of the run continues.

What happens if one profile fails? The other profiles keep going. Items already collected stay in the dataset, and the OUTPUT record marks that profile with an error field.

Can I ask for more items than the profile has? Yes. You get everything available and the run ends normally.

Do I need a proxy or a login? No. There is nothing to configure — no cookies, no session, no browser.

How do I get only recent posts? Set onlyPostsNewerThan, for example to 7 days.

Why is the result smaller than my resultsLimit? With a date filter, you get everything since that date up to the limit. If the profile published fewer items in that period, that is all there is.

How many items can one run get from a very large profile? In Posts mode, typically 1,500 to 2,000 items per run. OUTPUT says when a profile stops early.

How do I exclude pinned posts? Turn on skipPinnedPosts. Posts pinned to the Reels tab count as pinned too.

Can I get comment text? No. This Actor returns media and its metrics, including commentsCount, but not the comments themselves.

How much does it cost? $0.05 per 1,000 items, charged per item delivered. A run that returns nothing costs nothing.

Is this affiliated with Instagram? No. See the disclaimer at the bottom.

Notes and limits

• Only public profiles are supported. Private accounts return no items.
• A profile that is unavailable is skipped with a warning; the other profiles in the same run continue normally.
• Requesting more items than a profile has simply returns everything available.

Support

Found a bug or need a field that is not on the list? Open an issue on the Actor's Issues tab with the input you used and the run ID.

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Instagram or Meta Platforms, Inc. It collects only publicly available content. You are responsible for how you use the data, including compliance with applicable laws and the target site's terms.