# 📸 Instagram Comments Scraper (`ethereal_wool/instagram-comments-scraper`) Actor

Extract Instagram comments data — text, and more. Scrape by keyword, URL or ID. Export to JSON, CSV & Excel, use the API, schedule runs and integrate. No code required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/ethereal\_wool/instagram-comments-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Jackie Chen](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## Instagram Comments Scraper

![instagram-comments-scraper](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/48FFrfZnw5XqzUC1C/records/instagram-comments-scraper__hero)

Scrape **Instagram post comments** by **post URL or shortcode**. Returns clean,
structured data for each comment: text, author username, like count, reply count,
timestamp, pinned / liked-by-owner flags, hashtags and mentions. Optionally expands
reply threads into individual items.

> **Unofficial.** This Actor is not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by
> Instagram or Meta Platforms, Inc. It is an independent tool that retrieves publicly
> available data via a third-party API. Use it in compliance with Instagram's terms and
> all applicable laws; you are responsible for how you use the retrieved data.

### What it does

- **Comments by post** — give one or more Instagram posts (full URL or bare
  shortcode). The Actor pages through each post's comments.
- **Sort** — `recent` (newest first) or `top` (most-engaged first).
- **Replies (optional)** — expand reply threads for comments that have replies; each
  reply is pushed as its own item with `isReply: true` and `parentCommentId` set.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `postUrls` | string[] | `["DZKv7i6imBh"]` | Post URLs (`https://www.instagram.com/p/<code>/`) or bare shortcodes. |
| `sortBy` | enum | `recent` | `recent` or `top`. |
| `includeReplies` | boolean | `false` | Also fetch reply threads for comments that have replies. |
| `maxItems` | integer | `50` | Max total comments (incl. replies) across all posts. |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "postUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/DZKv7i6imBh/"],
  "sortBy": "top",
  "includeReplies": true,
  "maxItems": 200
}
````

### Output

One dataset item per comment:

```json
{
  "id": "18123592258631511",
  "text": "التصوير محترف جدا 😍❤️",
  "username": "kholoud_m_fawzii",
  "userId": "51499674049",
  "fullName": "Kholoud",
  "isVerified": false,
  "profilePicUrl": "https://...",
  "likeCount": 1,
  "replyCount": 1,
  "createdAt": 1780586235,
  "isPinned": false,
  "isLikedByMediaOwner": false,
  "isEdited": false,
  "hashtags": [],
  "mentions": [],
  "isReply": false,
  "parentCommentId": null,
  "postCode": "DZKv7i6imBh",
  "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DZKv7i6imBh/",
  "source": "post:DZKv7i6imBh"
}
```

### Notes

- Data is sourced live; Instagram occasionally rate-limits, so the Actor retries
  transient blocks with exponential backoff.
- Comment IDs are de-duplicated within a run.

### Quick start

1. Open the Actor and press **Run** — the default input works out of the box.
2. Adjust the input fields below to your target (keywords, IDs, or URLs) and set `maxItems` to cap spend.
3. Grab results from the **Dataset** tab as JSON / CSV / Excel, or pull them via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) and MCP from your own code.

No proxies to configure, no cookies to paste, no login — the Actor handles everything server-side.

### Why teams switch to this Instagram comments scraper

Comments are where the real sentiment lives, and they're the part browser-based
scrapers drop most often. This Actor walks a post's comment thread via a direct
HTTP API and returns every comment with author and like data as clean JSON at
**$2 per 1,000 comments**.

### What people build with it

- **Sentiment analysis** — feed a launch post's comments to an LLM for a
  structured readout of how it landed.
- **Voice-of-customer mining** — praise, objections, and feature requests under
  product posts, verbatim and at scale.
- **Community management** — collect comments across all your posts daily and
  triage the questions worth answering.
- **Giveaway & contest validation** — export entrants and verify mentions or
  tags programmatically.
- **Conversation datasets** — author-linked comment threads make natural
  dialogue data for fine-tuning.

### Tips for better results

- Accepts post and Reel URLs straight from the Instagram share button.
- Each comment carries the author handle — join with
  [Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-profile-scraper)
  to profile your most engaged commenters.
- Find comment-heavy posts first with
  [Instagram Hashtag Scraper](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-hashtag-scraper).

***

### Why this Actor

- **Direct API, no headless browser** — fast, stable runs with nothing to babysit.
- **No login, no cookies** — we never touch your accounts, so there's no ban risk.
- **Fresh, real-time data** — every run reads the source live, not a stale cache.
- **Pay per result** — you're billed only for the rows actually delivered.
- **Structured JSON** — export to CSV, Excel, or JSON, or pull straight from the API / MCP.

### Use cases

- Mine audience sentiment and feature requests from real comment threads.
- Surface the most-liked replies and frequent questions under any post.
- Build moderation, UGC, or social-listening datasets at scale.
- Spot superfans and detractors by author and engagement.

### FAQ

**Do I need an account, cookies, or to log in anywhere?**
No. The Actor talks to a fast, direct HTTP API server-side — you just provide inputs and run it.

**How am I billed?**
Pay-per-result: a fixed price per row returned, with no separate platform/compute charge. Caps like `maxItems` keep spend predictable.

**Can I run it on a schedule or call it from my app?**
Yes — use Apify Schedules, the REST API, the JavaScript / Python clients, or the MCP server. See the **API** tab.

**Is this affiliated with Instagram?**
No. It's an independent tool that collects publicly available data. Use it in line with the platform's terms and applicable law.

### More Instagram scrapers by us

- [**Instagram Profile**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-profile-scraper) — Profile · bio · follower & post counts
- [**Instagram User Posts**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-user-posts-scraper) — Post feed · captions · engagement · media
- [**Instagram Reels**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-reels-scraper) — Reels · play counts · MP4 download
- [**Instagram Hashtag**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-hashtag-scraper) — Posts by hashtag · engagement

Browse the full fleet → **https://apify.com/ethereal\_wool**

# Actor input Schema

## `postUrls` (type: `array`):

Instagram posts to scrape comments from. Accepts a full post URL (e.g. https://www.instagram.com/p/DZKv7i6imBh/) or a bare shortcode (e.g. DZKv7i6imBh). Each post is scraped independently.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

How to sort comments: most recent first or top (most-engaged) first.

## `includeReplies` (type: `boolean`):

Also fetch reply threads for comments that have replies. Slower and uses more API calls.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum total number of comments (including replies) to scrape across all posts.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional. Route the upstream API calls through an Apify Proxy to vary the source IP. Usually not needed.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "postUrls": [
    "DZKv7i6imBh"
  ],
  "sortBy": "recent",
  "includeReplies": false,
  "maxItems": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# 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 = {
    "postUrls": [
        "DZKv7i6imBh"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("ethereal_wool/instagram-comments-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 = { "postUrls": ["DZKv7i6imBh"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("ethereal_wool/instagram-comments-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "postUrls": [
    "DZKv7i6imBh"
  ]
}' |
apify call ethereal_wool/instagram-comments-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=ethereal_wool/instagram-comments-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "📸 Instagram Comments Scraper",
        "description": "Extract Instagram comments data — text, and more. Scrape by keyword, URL or ID. Export to JSON, CSV & Excel, use the API, schedule runs and integrate. No code required.",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "MqJcWLFNod8Lbceea"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/ethereal_wool~instagram-comments-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-ethereal_wool-instagram-comments-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/ethereal_wool~instagram-comments-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-ethereal_wool-instagram-comments-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/ethereal_wool~instagram-comments-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-ethereal_wool-instagram-comments-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "postUrls": {
                        "title": "Post URLs or shortcodes",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Instagram posts to scrape comments from. Accepts a full post URL (e.g. https://www.instagram.com/p/DZKv7i6imBh/) or a bare shortcode (e.g. DZKv7i6imBh). Each post is scraped independently.",
                        "default": [
                            "DZKv7i6imBh"
                        ],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "sortBy": {
                        "title": "Sort order",
                        "enum": [
                            "recent",
                            "top"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "How to sort comments: most recent first or top (most-engaged) first.",
                        "default": "recent"
                    },
                    "includeReplies": {
                        "title": "Include replies",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Also fetch reply threads for comments that have replies. Slower and uses more API calls.",
                        "default": false
                    },
                    "maxItems": {
                        "title": "Max comments",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 100000,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum total number of comments (including replies) to scrape across all posts.",
                        "default": 50
                    },
                    "proxyConfiguration": {
                        "title": "Proxy configuration",
                        "type": "object",
                        "description": "Optional. Route the upstream API calls through an Apify Proxy to vary the source IP. Usually not needed.",
                        "default": {
                            "useApifyProxy": false
                        }
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```