# Instagram Comments Scraper - Profiles & Date Range (`icoe-man/instagram-comments-scraper-old`) Actor

Scrape comments from Instagram posts and reels, or from the posts of any public profile (pinned first, then the newest) with a date filter. No login or cookies.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/icoe-man/instagram-comments-scraper-old.md
- **Developed by:** [Icoe Man](https://apify.com/icoe-man) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 9 total users, 5 monthly users, 99.2% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.75 / 1,000 comments

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Instagram Comments Scraper - Profiles & Date Range

Collect the comments of public Instagram posts and reels. Or give it a profile and get the comments from **the first posts on its grid** (pinned posts, then the newest), optionally only from posts **newer than a date**. Use it for brand monitoring, influencer and campaign analysis, giveaway checks, community research or AI datasets.

- Paste post or reel links, or just usernames, and get clean, flat JSON, CSV or Excel
- Profile mode: comments from the first 1-50 posts on each profile's grid (pinned posts, then the newest), with an optional date filter
- Up to 1,000 posts and 200 profiles per run. Live collection per run is capped (all 200 profiles fit at default settings, fewer with more posts or comments); the rest are marked limited, are not charged, and can go in another run
- No Instagram login, no cookies and no proxies to manage

### Why this one

| Advantage | What it means |
|---|---|
| Profiles, not just links | Give a username and get comments from the first 1-50 posts on its grid, pinned ones included |
| Date filter | **Only posts newer than** keeps profile results to recent posts |
| Simple pricing | You pay per comment plus small per-post and per-profile fees, with no add-on fees |
| Fair profile pricing | For profiles, the per-post fee is charged only for posts that returned comments |
| No login or cookies | No Instagram account, cookies or proxies to manage |

### What you get

```json
{
  "platform": "instagram",
  "type": "comment",
  "id": "18000000000000001",
  "postId": "3985597917972217774",
  "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdPsDCWRT-u/",
  "parentId": null,
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdPsDCWRT-u/c/18000000000000001/",
  "text": "This view never gets old!",
  "language": null,
  "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:41:12.000Z",
  "author": { "id": "40000000001", "username": "jane.doe", "name": null, "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/jane.doe/" },
  "likeCount": 42,
  "replyCount": null,
  "mediaUrl": null,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-17T16:09:00.000Z"
}
```

Each comment includes the commenter's username and id. Display names, profile photos and reply counts are not included.

### How to use it

1. Add post or reel URLs (`/p/…`, `/reel/…`, `/reels/…` or `/tv/…`), add usernames or profile links under **Profiles**, or both.
2. Set **Max comments per post**. Up to 24 is the fastest. For profiles, also set **Posts per profile** and, if you like, **Only posts newer than** (for example `7 days` or `2026-09-01`). Relative values are rounded down to the start of that UTC day (hours to the start of the hour), so runs on the same day use the same window.
3. Run it. Comments we collected recently arrive instantly. New posts and profiles usually take 40-90 seconds each (large profiles take longer), and up to 3 are processed in parallel.

Calling it from an AI agent or with a short timeout? Start the run asynchronously and fetch the dataset when it finishes, or turn on **Previously collected data only** for an instant answer (post URLs only; profiles need live collection).

### Pricing

Pay only for what you get:

| | Free | Starter | Scale | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per 1,000 comments | $1.25 | $1.05 | $0.90 | $0.75 |
| Per post processed | $0.005 | $0.005 | $0.005 | $0.005 |
| Per profile processed | $0.025 | $0.025 | $0.025 | $0.025 |

For post URLs, the per-post fee is charged once per post, even when it has no comments. A profile costs the profile fee plus the per-post fee for each of its posts that returned comments (at most **Posts per profile**). Posts and profiles that cannot be collected, such as private ones, are not charged. Fees are charged as data is delivered: a post or profile fee comes with its first comment, or at the end for a post URL or profile with none, so a post or profile that is still pending or fails before its first comment is never charged.

**Example:** 5,000 comments from 100 posts on the Starter plan cost 5,000 × $0.00105 + 100 × $0.005 = **$5.75**. Comments from 5 posts each of 10 profiles (1,200 comments) cost 1,200 × $0.00105 + 10 × $0.025 + 50 × $0.005 = **$1.76**.

Use **Maximum cost per run** in the run options to cap your spend. The Actor stops cleanly at that limit.

**Free plan:** you get previously collected comments plus a small live allowance each day. Profiles almost always need live collection, and the free allowance covers about one profile a day with **Posts per profile** at 3 or less and **Max comments per post** at 50 or less. Any paid Apify plan removes the limit.

### FAQ

#### Is scraping Instagram comments legal?

This Actor collects publicly visible comments only. Personal data is protected by laws such as GDPR, so only collect what you have a legitimate reason to process, and consult your lawyer if unsure.

#### How fresh is the data?

You get comments collected within the time set in **Reuse data collected within (hours)**, or a fresh collection. The input form starts at 24 hours. API calls that leave the field out use 6 hours. The prefilled example may be answered from data up to 30 days old, so it finishes instantly. Higher values reuse older collected data (up to 720 hours); lower it for fresher data. Set it to 0 to always collect live: if live collection is limited at that moment, the post or profile is reported as limited instead of getting older data.

#### Can I use it via API, Make, Zapier or n8n?

Yes. Use the Apify API or any Apify integration. Each run's results are in its default dataset, and `OUTPUT` in the key-value store has a summary per post and profile.

#### Can I use it from an AI agent or MCP server?

Yes. Connect your agent to the Apify MCP server at mcp.apify.com, or call the Apify API directly. New posts and profiles take 40-90 seconds each, so start long runs asynchronously and fetch the dataset when the run finishes. For an instant answer on post URLs, turn on **Previously collected data only** (profiles need live collection).

#### Does the date filter work for post URLs?

No. **Only posts newer than** applies to profiles, where it keeps only the posts published from that date until today. A post URL always returns that post's comments.

#### Why are some posts older than the profile's newest?

Profiles can pin up to 3 posts to the top of their grid. Posts are read in the order the profile shows them, so pinned posts come first and count toward **Posts per profile**.

#### Are replies included?

No. Replies to Instagram comments are not available, so you get each post's top-level comments.

#### Why are commenter names and photos missing?

Instagram comments come with the commenter's username and id only. Use the username to look up the profile if you need more.

#### Why did I get no results?

Common reasons:

- The post or profile is private or deleted, or the link is not a post or reel link (profiles go under **Profiles**).
- None of the profile's posts read are newer than your **Only posts newer than** date, or the posts have no comments.
- The free plan's daily live allowance is used up (it covers about one profile a day).
- The run's live collection cap was reached, so some profiles were marked limited. Run them again in another run.
- **Previously collected data only** is on and we have not collected that post before. Profiles almost always need live collection, so this option usually returns nothing for them.
- Your **Maximum cost per run** was reached before the post or profile was processed.

The run's `OUTPUT` record in the key-value store lists a status and a note for every post and profile, so you can see what happened to each one. A `pending` status means the source is still collecting that post or profile, or another request is collecting it right now: it is not charged, so run it again later. `partial` means the run stopped before its timeout with part of it delivered; run it again with a longer timeout to get all of it.

### Related Actors

- [Facebook Comments Scraper - Reaction Breakdown](https://apify.com/icoe-man/facebook-comments-scraper)
- [TikTok Comments Scraper - Profiles & Date Range](https://apify.com/icoe-man/tiktok-comments-scraper)
- [Social Media Comments Scraper - FB, IG, TikTok, Reddit](https://apify.com/icoe-man/social-media-comments-scraper)
- [Facebook Posts Scraper - Pages & Date Range](https://apify.com/icoe-man/facebook-posts-scraper)
- [Facebook Reels Scraper - Video URLs & Engagement](https://apify.com/icoe-man/facebook-reels-scraper)
- [Facebook Groups Scraper - Posts by Date](https://apify.com/icoe-man/facebook-groups-scraper)
- [Facebook Posts Search Scraper - Bulk Keywords](https://apify.com/icoe-man/facebook-posts-search-scraper)
- [Reddit Scraper - Posts & Comment Threads](https://apify.com/icoe-man/reddit-scraper)
- [Reddit Comments Scraper - Full Threads & Depth](https://apify.com/icoe-man/reddit-comments-scraper)

**Something is wrong?** Open an issue in the Issues tab. We usually respond within 24 hours.

# Actor input Schema

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

Links to public Instagram posts or reels, one per line. Up to 1,000 per run.

## `profiles` (type: `array`):

Usernames or profile links, one per line (e.g. nasa or https://www.instagram.com/nasa/). We collect comments from the posts each profile shows first: pinned posts, then the newest. Up to 200 per run, and all 200 can be collected live in one run at default settings. Each profile has a small fee, plus the per-post fee for each of its posts that returned comments. On the free plan, use at most 3 posts per profile.

## `maxCommentsPerPost` (type: `integer`):

How many comments to collect per post. Up to 24 is fastest. Each comment is billed, plus a small fee per post.

## `postsPerProfile` (type: `integer`):

How many of each profile's posts to collect comments from, in the order the profile shows them: pinned posts first, then the newest. The small per-post fee is charged only for posts that returned comments.

## `onlyNewerThan` (type: `string`):

Profiles only: read comments from posts published after this date. Use a date like 2026-01-31 or a relative value like "7 days" or "3 months". Relative values are rounded down to the start of that UTC day (hours to the start of the hour), so runs on the same day use the same window. Leave empty for no date limit.

## `maxDataAgeHours` (type: `integer`):

If we collected these comments within this many hours, you get them instantly at the same price. The form starts at 24; API calls without this field use 6. Higher values reuse older collected data (up to 720). Use 0 to always collect fresh data.

## `cacheOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Return only comments we already collected, without waiting for live collection. Works for post URLs; profiles almost always need live collection. Useful for AI agents with short timeouts.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdPsDCWRT-u/"
  ],
  "maxCommentsPerPost": 10,
  "postsPerProfile": 5,
  "maxDataAgeHours": 24,
  "cacheOnly": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `comments` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdPsDCWRT-u/"
    ],
    "maxCommentsPerPost": 10,
    "maxDataAgeHours": 24
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("icoe-man/instagram-comments-scraper-old").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": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/DdPsDCWRT-u/"],
    "maxCommentsPerPost": 10,
    "maxDataAgeHours": 24,
}

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

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).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": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdPsDCWRT-u/"
  ],
  "maxCommentsPerPost": 10,
  "maxDataAgeHours": 24
}' |
apify call icoe-man/instagram-comments-scraper-old --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,icoe-man/instagram-comments-scraper-old"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/dGmEo75vEGXTt9jBp/builds/6Czr5vygH97xh3eyI/openapi.json