Instagram Posts Scraper – Profiles, Hashtags & URLs

What is Instagram Posts Scraper?

Instagram Posts Scraper turns Instagram profiles, hashtags or post links into one row per post: caption, hashtags, mentions, likes, comments, post type (image, carousel, video or Reel), play counts and duration for videos, publish time, image and video links, tagged users, collab co-authors, and the account that posted it. Social media managers, brand and influencer marketers, researchers and AI agents use it to track what accounts post, how posts perform and what a hashtag looks like right now, with no Instagram login.

What's new

• Monitor mode. Turn on onlyNewSincePreviousRun and every repeat run returns, and charges, only posts it has not saved before for that profile or hashtag.
• Post-type filter and pinned posts. postTypes keeps only photos, videos, Reels or carousels; skipPinned leaves out pinned posts. Skipped posts are never charged.
• Engagement rate. Every row from a profile now carries owner_follower_count and engagement_rate (likes plus comments as a percentage of followers).
• Cheaper, faster Reel links. Links that point to a Reel are read through a faster route; more profiles are read at the same time (eight instead of four).
• agentSummary in OUTPUT and RUN_SUMMARY: one plain sentence an AI agent can read to know what happened.

Why people choose this Actor

• Fast on many accounts. Up to eight sources are read at the same time, so a batch of profiles finishes in seconds. One profile at 120 posts takes about a minute.
• A backup route behind the main one. If the main data route is unavailable or rate-limits, the Actor moves to a second and then a third route and carries on from the same profile, without duplicate rows.
• Every post type in one run. Images, carousels, videos and Reels, each labeled in post_type, with every image of a carousel in media_urls.
• The same 36 fields on every row. Fields Instagram does not provide are null, never missing, so a spreadsheet or schema stays stable between runs.
• Honest results. The run summary says whether the run is COMPLETE, PARTIAL, empty, or ended without data, and names the reason for every source that returned fewer posts than you asked for.
• Platform usage is included. You pay per post saved, a tiny storage event per post and a small start event. There is no separate compute or proxy bill.

How to use it

Latest posts from a few brands:

{
  "instagramUsernames": ["natgeo", "nasa", "https://www.instagram.com/nike/"],
  "maxPostsPerTarget": 20,
  "onlyPostsNewerThan": "30 days"
}

What a hashtag looks like today, plus one specific post:

{
  "hashtags": ["#travelphotography", "streetphotography"],
  "directPostUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/DdG4RIxIPyf/"],
  "maxPostsPerTarget": 10
}

Input	What it controls
instagramUsernames	Usernames, @handles or profile URLs
hashtags	Hashtags, with or without #
directPostUrls	Post, Reel or carousel links
maxPostsPerTarget	Posts per profile or hashtag (default 50)
onlyPostsNewerThan	A date like 2026-01-01 or a period like 7 days or 2 months
postTypes	Keep only photo, video, reel or carousel posts (empty = all)
skipPinned	Leave out pinned posts at the top of a profile
onlyNewSincePreviousRun	Monitor mode: return and charge only posts not saved in an earlier run (profiles and hashtags)

Fill in at least one of instagramUsernames, hashtags or directPostUrls. Repeated inputs are processed once, and a post that two sources both return is saved once.

Want the full profile (followers, bio, contact) for these accounts? Continue with Instagram Profile Scraper linked below.

Output: Instagram post data you receive

A real row for a National Geographic Reel (long text and links shortened):

{
  "id": "4026691767482597400",
  "shortcode": "DfhrtQEykDv",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DfhrtQEykDv/",
  "post_type": "REEL",
  "caption": "The most extraordinary places speak for themselves.\n\nEverest: The Other Side is now playing in theaters and IMAX",
  "hashtags": [],
  "mentions": [],
  "accessibility_caption": null,
  "like_count": 25811,
  "comment_count": 109,
  "video_view_count": null,
  "video_play_count": 567513,
  "video_duration": 61.845,
  "thumbnail_url": "https://instagram.fjog3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/89574...",
  "display_url": "https://instagram.fjog3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/89574...",
  "media_urls": ["https://instagram.fjog3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/89574..."],
  "video_url": "https://instagram.fjog3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQP62...",
  "is_video": true,
  "owner_username": "natgeo",
  "owner_full_name": "National Geographic",
  "owner_id": "787132",
  "owner_is_verified": true,
  "owner_follower_count": null,
  "location_name": null,
  "location_id": null,
  "tagged_users": ["disneystudios", "natgeodocs"],
  "coauthors": ["disneystudios", "natgeodocs"],
  "is_pinned": false,
  "is_sponsored": false,
  "is_reel": true,
  "comments_disabled": false,
  "timestamp": "2026-11-09T17:00:03.000Z",
  "scraped_at": "2026-11-09T21:43:13.788Z",
  "source_url": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/"
}

Field	What it contains
id, shortcode, url, post_type	The post and its type: IMAGE, CAROUSEL_ALBUM, VIDEO or REEL
caption, hashtags, mentions, accessibility_caption	Post text, extracted tags and mentions, and Instagram's image description when it has one
like_count, comment_count, comments_disabled	Engagement at collection time
video_view_count, video_play_count, video_duration	Video details; Reels and videos usually carry plays and duration
display_url, media_urls, thumbnail_url, video_url	Image, carousel and video links
owner_username, owner_full_name, owner_id, owner_is_verified, owner_profile_pic_url, owner_follower_count	Who posted it; follower count is often null
tagged_users, coauthors, is_sponsored, is_pinned	Collaborations, paid partnerships and pinned posts
owner_follower_count, engagement_rate	Followers and (likes + comments) / followers as a percentage. Filled for profile rows and whenever the account's follower count was read in the same run; otherwise null
is_video, is_reel	Quick type flags
location_name, location_id	The tagged place, when the post has one
timestamp, scraped_at, source_url	Publish time, collection time and the input that found the post

Hashtag sources return a sample of public posts indexed for the tag, not the full Instagram hashtag feed.

If a run returns nothing, or fewer posts than you asked for

OUTPUT and RUN_SUMMARY in the default key-value store explain every run. Read outcome first:

outcome	What it means	What to do
COMPLETE	Every source gave the requested number of posts or reached the end of its public posts	Nothing; use the dataset
PARTIAL	Some posts were saved, but a source stopped early, such as at the run timeout or the charge limit	Check RUN_SUMMARY.sourceShortfalls, then raise the timeout or charge limit, or request fewer sources per run
VALID_EMPTY	The sources were read and no post matched, for example everything is older than onlyPostsNewerThan	Widen the date filter or pick another account
INVALID_INPUT	The input could not be used: no source given, a username or post link that does not exist or is private, or a charge limit too low to save one post	Fix the input named in message and run again
UPSTREAM_FAILED	Every data route was unavailable and nothing could be saved. No post is charged	Run again later
CONFIG_ERROR	The Actor build has no data route configured	Open an issue; nothing was charged

sourceShortfalls lists each source with saved, requested and a reason: feed_ended (fewer public posts than requested), not_found, run_timeout, charge_limit or stopped_early.

Example workflow: a monthly competitor content report

A skincare brand tracks five competitors. A scheduled task collects each account's posts with onlyPostsNewerThan set to 30 days. The team ranks posts by like_count, compares post_type counts to see who is leaning into Reels, and reads coauthors and is_sponsored to spot influencer partnerships. Then they collect the commenters on the top posts with Instagram Post Engagers Scraper to find engaged buyers.

Pricing

This Actor uses Pay per event, and platform usage is included in the price. You pay one event per post saved, a tiny per-result storage event and a small start event, with no separate compute or proxy bill. The live Pricing tab on this page shows the current prices. Paid Apify plans get volume discounts per post.

Per-post price by Apify plan (platform usage included): Free and Starter $1.20 per 1,000 posts, Scale $1.00, Business and higher $0.80, plus a tiny storage event per post ($0.01 per 1,000) and a small start event per run.

• 5 accounts × 20 posts = 100 post events plus 100 storage events and one start event: about $0.12 on the Free plan.
• 1,000 posts from 20 accounts on the Free plan: about $1.21.
• A run that finds nothing, or ends without data, saves no posts and charges no post events.
• maxPostsPerTarget caps each profile or hashtag, and the run's maximum charge setting caps the whole run, so you control the ceiling.

Post research with AI agents (MCP)

Connect this Actor to an AI agent through Apify MCP and ask in plain language:

Get NASA's Instagram posts from the last two weeks and tell me which ones got the most likes and comments.

Agent checklist:

1. Put accounts in instagramUsernames, tags in hashtags, or links in directPostUrls.
2. Use onlyPostsNewerThan for recent posts, postTypes to narrow the kind, onlyNewSincePreviousRun for repeat monitoring, and keep maxPostsPerTarget close to the request.
3. Read rows with get-dataset-items; sort by like_count or comment_count.
4. Read OUTPUT.agentSummary and check OUTPUT.outcome before answering, and share url so the user can open each post.

Facts an agent can plan with:

Question	Answer
Login or credentials needed?	None. Public posts only
Does the run change anything on Instagram?	No. It only reads public pages
What does a call cost?	Post events plus storage events for the rows saved and one start event, so sources × maxPostsPerTarget is the ceiling
What if nothing is found?	outcome says why (VALID_EMPTY, INVALID_INPUT or UPSTREAM_FAILED) and no post is charged
Is the row shape stable?	Yes: 36 fields on every row, null when Instagram does not provide a value
Can the same call be repeated safely?	Yes. A post that appears in two sources is saved once per run

API example

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/khadinakbar~instagram-posts-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"instagramUsernames": ["natgeo"], "maxPostsPerTarget": 10, "onlyPostsNewerThan": "14 days"}'

Which Instagram Actor for which job

Your job	Use
Posts from profiles, post links, small hashtag samples; new-post monitoring	This Actor
Only the Reels tab of an account	Instagram Reels Scraper
Deep hashtag research at volume	Instagram Hashtag Scraper
Account facts: followers, bio, contacts	Instagram Profile Scraper
Story highlights	Instagram Highlights Scraper
One MCP tool for profiles, posts, Reels and comments	Instagram MCP Server

Related Instagram tools from the same developer

Your next step	Use	Why
When you then want account details	Instagram Profile Scraper	Followers, bio, website and public contacts
When you focus on Reels	Instagram Reels Scraper	Reels with video links, likes, comments and audio
When you want the people engaging with posts	Instagram Post Engagers Scraper	Commenters on any public post
When you need emails and phones	Instagram Contact Scraper	Contacts from bio and contact button

Best results

Starting situation	Helpful action	Expected outcome
Tracking accounts over time	Schedule a task with onlyNewSincePreviousRun turned on	Only posts not seen before, and only those are charged
Researching a trend	Add several related hashtags	A broad sample of current posts
Auditing one campaign	Paste the post links in directPostUrls	Exact stats for those posts
Comparing several brands	Put all usernames in one run	The accounts are read in parallel

Builder's note

I found that most people judge posts by likes, comments and timing first, so those fields sit near the top of every row along with the post type. I learned that brand teams care a lot about partnerships, so coauthors, tagged_users and is_sponsored stay in the output for spotting influencer deals. I also found that most Instagram runs that end early trace back to one data route being slow or unavailable, so the Actor keeps a second and third route ready and the run summary says exactly what each source returned.

FAQ

Do I need an Instagram account?

No. The Actor reads public posts and needs no login or cookies.

How many posts can I get per account?

maxPostsPerTarget sets the number per profile or hashtag. Large accounts page through their post history until that number is reached.

Why are runs fast?

Profiles, hashtags and post links are read through a fast data route first, with a second route as a backup. Several sources are read at the same time. A source neither route can read is reported in the run summary instead of being guessed, so most runs finish in seconds and stay inside the default timeout.

Does it work with Reels and carousels?

Yes. post_type shows REEL, CAROUSEL_ALBUM, VIDEO or IMAGE, and media_urls lists every image in a carousel.

Does it return the comment text?

It returns comment_count and comments_disabled for every post. When you want the people who commented and what they wrote, then pass the post links to Instagram Post Engagers Scraper.

Why is video_view_count empty on some posts?

Instagram shows view counts for some videos and leaves them out for others. video_play_count carries the play count for most Reels and videos.

What happens with a username that does not exist?

It returns no posts and no post charge, and sourceShortfalls marks it not_found.

Responsible use

This Actor collects public Instagram posts, which can include personal data such as usernames and captions. Use it with a lawful basis under laws such as the GDPR and CCPA, respect creators' rights to their content, and follow Instagram's terms. Read Apify's guide on whether web scraping is legal for more context. Instagram is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc. This independent Actor is not affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by Instagram or Meta. For questions or bugs, open a ticket in the Issues tab.