Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper

Scrape public Instagram profiles or paste direct public post/reel URLs to get complete, download-ready image and video media arrays, captions, engagement, audio metadata, and handled-error diagnostics.

What does Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper do?

Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper helps you collect public profile metadata and recent public media previews from Instagram profiles. It is designed for teams that need structured exports instead of manual copy and paste.

You can enter handles like nasa, profile URLs, or direct URLs such as https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/ and https://www.instagram.com/reel/SHORTCODE/. The actor returns profile rows, complete media rows, and unbilled diagnostic rows for restricted or unavailable inputs.

Who is it for?

• 📣 Social media marketers monitoring public creator or brand accounts.
• 🧑‍💼 Brand teams checking public profile positioning and recent campaigns.
• 📊 Analysts comparing public engagement signals across accounts.
• 🛡️ Compliance teams archiving public posts for review workflows.
• 📰 Researchers tracking public media URLs, captions, and timestamps.

Why use this scraper?

Manual Instagram monitoring is slow and inconsistent. This actor gives you repeatable exports with stable field names. You can schedule it, connect it to datasets, or call it from the Apify API.

What data can you extract?

Category	Example fields
Profile identity	handle, profile URL, full name
Profile metadata	bio, avatar URL, external URL
Public counts	followers, following, posts
Account flags	verified, private
Post identity	post URL, shortcode
Post content	caption, timestamp, media type
Engagement	likes, comments, views when visible
Media	every carousel asset, highest-resolution image URL, direct video URL, thumbnail
Video and audio	duration, play/view count, audio artist/title, original-audio flag
Diagnostics	per-input error code, message, and HTTP status for unavailable inputs

How much does it cost to scrape Instagram profiles and posts?

This Actor uses Apify pay-per-event pricing. Error/diagnostic rows are not charged.

Event	What is charged	Price
start	One-time fee when a run starts.	$0.005

Event	What is charged	Free / no discount	Starter / Bronze	Scale / Silver	Business / Gold	Custom / Platinum	Custom / Diamond
item	Each saved public profile or media row.	$0.062896 / 1,000	$0.054692 / 1,000	$0.042660 / 1,000	$0.032815 / 1,000	$0.021877 / 1,000	$0.015314 / 1,000

Use low limits first, then increase maxProfiles, maxPostsPerProfile, or maxDirectUrls after checking output quality.

Quick start

1. Open the actor on Apify.
2. Add Instagram handles such as nasa or natgeo.
3. Keep maxPostsPerProfile low for your first run.
4. Start the run.
5. Export the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, or via API.

Input settings

Core JSON keys: profileUrlsOrHandles, postUrls, maxProfiles, maxPostsPerProfile, maxDirectUrls, includePosts, includeReels, onlyPostsNewerThan, until, maxConcurrency, startUrls, and proxyConfiguration.

Profile URLs or handles

Use this when you already know the usernames. You can include or omit the @ sign.

Instagram profile URLs

Use this when your source list contains full links. The actor extracts the handle from each URL.

Maximum profiles

Controls how many unique profiles are processed. Duplicate handles and URLs are deduplicated.

Include recent posts

When enabled, the actor saves recent public post or reel preview rows returned for the profile.

Include reels/videos

Disable this option if you only want image and carousel-style posts.

Direct post or reel URLs

Add public /p/, /reel/, or /tv/ URLs in postUrls. Each successful row contains ordered mediaAssets, flattened mediaUrls, and convenient best-image/video fields. Carousel results include every asset Instagram exposes.

Date bounds

Use onlyPostsNewerThan with an ISO timestamp or a relative value such as 7 days, and until with an ISO timestamp. Bounds are inclusive and apply to media rows; profile rows remain available for backward compatibility.

Maximum posts per profile and direct URLs

maxPostsPerProfile, maxProfiles, and maxDirectUrls are independent hard caps. Duplicate inputs are removed before processing.

Mixed legacy URLs and concurrency

startUrls remains a backward-compatible mixed list: profile URLs and public /p/, /reel/, or /tv/ URLs are classified automatically. maxConcurrency is retained for old inputs; requests are intentionally processed sequentially to reduce rate-limit risk.

Proxy configuration

Apify Proxy is enabled by default for cloud reliability because Instagram can rate-limit shared datacenter traffic. You can override the proxy configuration if your account requires a specific proxy setup.

Example input

Profile mode remains backward compatible:

{
  "profileUrlsOrHandles": ["nasa", "natgeo"],
  "maxProfiles": 2,
  "includePosts": true,
  "includeReels": true,
  "maxPostsPerProfile": 5,
  "onlyPostsNewerThan": "30 days",
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}

Direct download mode:

{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DalfZ3Jn8yi/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dabg9j1xNHM/"
  ],
  "maxDirectUrls": 2
}

Output example

{
  "type": "profile",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/",
  "username": "nasa",
  "fullName": "NASA",
  "biography": "Public profile bio when visible",
  "followersCount": 90000000,
  "isVerified": true,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-07-03T00:00:00.000Z"
}

{
  "input": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/SHORTCODE/",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/creator/",
  "username": "creator",
  "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/SHORTCODE/",
  "shortCode": "SHORTCODE",
  "caption": "Caption text when visible",
  "timestamp": "2026-07-03T00:00:00.000Z",
  "likesCount": 12345,
  "commentsCount": 123,
  "type": "video",
  "videoDurationSeconds": 42.5,
  "videoPlayCount": 50000,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://...jpg",
  "videoUrl": "https://...mp4",
  "mediaUrls": ["https://...mp4"],
  "mediaAssets": [{ "position": 1, "type": "video", "url": "https://...mp4" }],
  "audioArtist": "Creator",
  "audioTitle": "Original audio",
  "isOriginalAudio": true,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-07-03T00:00:00.000Z"
}

Output fields

• type — profile for profile rows, post, image, carousel, video, or another visible Instagram source type for media rows.
• profileUrl — public Instagram profile URL.
• username — Instagram username.
• fullName — public display name when visible.
• biography — public bio text when visible.
• profilePicUrl — profile picture URL when visible.
• externalUrl — public external link when visible.
• followersCount — follower count when visible.
• followingCount — following count when visible.
• postsCount — public post count when visible.
• isVerified — verification flag when visible.
• isPrivate — private account flag when visible.
• isBusinessAccount, isProfessionalAccount, categoryName, businessEmail, businessPhoneNumber — public account metadata when Instagram exposes it.
• postUrl — public post URL for post rows.
• shortCode — Instagram shortcode.
• caption — caption text when visible.
• timestamp — post timestamp when visible.
• likesCount — like count when visible.
• commentsCount — comment count when visible.
• videoViewCount / videoPlayCount — public view/play count when visible.
• videoDurationSeconds — public video duration.
• thumbnailUrl — public thumbnail URL.
• highestResolutionImageUrl / videoUrl — convenient best image and video download URLs.
• imageUrls, videoUrls, mediaUrls — flattened public asset URLs.
• mediaAssets — every ordered carousel asset with type, dimensions, thumbnail, and duration when available.
• audioArtist, audioTitle, isOriginalAudio — public music/audio attribution.
• isError, errorCode, errorMessage, statusCode — per-input handled diagnostic. These rows are saved for debugging but are not charged as item events.
• scrapedAt — time the row was saved.

Tips for better results

• Start with 1-2 handles before running a larger list.
• Use public profiles only.
• Avoid private or login-only accounts.
• Keep post limits modest for scheduled monitoring.
• Export CSV for spreadsheets and JSON for automation.

Scheduling workflows

Run the actor daily or weekly to monitor public account changes. Store each run in Apify datasets. Connect the dataset to downstream reporting, alerting, or archival tools.

Integrations

Google Sheets

Export dataset results to CSV or connect through the Apify API. This is useful for campaign tracking sheets.

BI dashboards

Load JSON or CSV exports into dashboards for profile and engagement trend reports.

Compliance review

Archive public captions, URLs, and timestamps for later review.

CRM enrichment

Add public profile URLs, bios, and follower counts to creator or partner records.

API usage

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper').call({
  profileUrlsOrHandles: ['nasa'],
  maxProfiles: 1,
  maxPostsPerProfile: 5
});
console.log(run.defaultDatasetId);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient
import os

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper').call(run_input={
    'profileUrlsOrHandles': ['nasa'],
    'maxProfiles': 1,
    'maxPostsPerProfile': 5,
})
print(run['defaultDatasetId'])

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-profile-posts-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"profileUrlsOrHandles":["nasa"],"maxProfiles":1,"maxPostsPerProfile":5}'

MCP usage

Use the Apify MCP server with tools scoped to this actor:

https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper

Add it to Claude Code:

$claude mcp add apify-instagram-profile-posts https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper

Claude Desktop JSON configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-instagram-profile-posts": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Example prompts:

• "Run the Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper for nasa and summarize the latest captions."
• "Export recent public post URLs for these brand handles."
• "Compare public follower counts for this creator shortlist."

Data quality notes

Instagram may hide some fields for some accounts, regions, or request contexts. When a public field is not visible, the actor leaves it empty instead of guessing. Counts can change frequently and should be treated as point-in-time values.

Limitations

• Public profiles only.
• No private posts.
• No login-only stories or highlights.
• No direct messages.
• Recent post previews depend on what Instagram returns publicly.

Troubleshooting

Why did a handle return no rows?

The handle may be invalid, private, blocked, renamed, unavailable in your region, or temporarily unavailable from Instagram. Try the public profile URL in a browser and lower your run limits.

Why are some engagement counts missing?

Instagram does not expose every metric for every media item in every public response. The actor saves metrics only when they are visible.

Why should I keep low limits first?

Low limits make it easier to verify output and avoid unnecessary proxy or compute usage. Increase limits once your input list is clean.

Legality

This actor is intended for public data collection. Use it responsibly and respect Instagram terms, privacy rights, and applicable laws. Do not use it to collect private, login-only, sensitive, or personal data in a way that violates rights or policies.

Related scrapers

• Instagram Stories & Highlights Scraper — collect public Instagram story and highlight metadata when available.
• Threads Profile Posts Scraper — monitor public Threads profiles and posts.
• X Profile Tweets Scraper — export public X profile timelines for cross-channel analysis.
• TikTok Video Scraper — collect public TikTok video metadata for creator research.

Support

If a run fails or output looks wrong, open a bug report from the Actor page. Include the Apify run ID or run URL, input JSON, expected output, actual output, and one reproducible public URL from Instagram.

FAQ

Can I scrape private accounts?

No. This actor is public-only.

Do I need cookies?

No. V1 is designed without cookies or user login.

Can I schedule it?

Yes. Use Apify schedules for recurring monitoring.

Can I export to Excel?

Yes. Apify datasets support Excel, CSV, JSON, XML, and RSS exports.

Does it scrape comments?

No. It returns comment counts when visible, not full comment threads.

Does it download media files?

No. It returns media and thumbnail URLs when visible.

Can I use URLs instead of handles?

Yes. Add public Instagram profile URLs to profileUrlsOrHandles.

What happens with duplicate inputs?

Duplicate handles and URLs are deduplicated before scraping.

Is this an official Instagram API?

No. This is an Apify actor for public web data extraction.

How should I start?

Run one public handle with five posts, inspect the dataset, then scale up.

• 0.1 — Initial public-profile and recent-post scraper.