Reddit Subreddit Search Scraper

What is Reddit Subreddit Search Scraper?

Reddit Subreddit Search Scraper returns one dataset row per Reddit community that matches your keywords: the subreddit name and link, weekly active users, description, icon, creation date and NSFW flag, ranked in Reddit's order. Marketers, community managers, researchers and AI agents use it to find where an audience gathers before posting, advertising or researching, with no Reddit account or API key.

Why marketers use it

• Find communities by topic. Search machine learning, home lab or any niche.
• Several topics at once. Each query is searched and the communities are combined.
• Activity signal. activeUsers shows how many people take part each week.
• Ranked results. Sort by relevance, activity or newest.
• Descriptions for vetting. detailed format adds each community's description.

How to use it

Communities about machine learning and AI safety:

{
  "queries": ["machine learning", "AI safety"],
  "maxSubreddits": 25,
  "sort": "relevance"
}

The most active home-lab communities, with descriptions:

{
  "queries": ["home lab"],
  "sort": "activity",
  "responseFormat": "detailed",
  "maxSubreddits": 10
}

Input	What it controls
queries	Topics to search for
maxSubreddits	Most communities to save (default 25)
sort	relevance (default), activity, newest or subscribers
minSubscribers	Keeps communities with at least this many subscribers when Reddit reports a count
includeNsfw	Keep adult-marked communities (default off)
responseFormat	concise (default) or detailed with descriptions

Output: Reddit community data you receive

A real row in detailed format:

{
  "recordType": "subreddit",
  "subreddit": "r/homelab",
  "subredditName": "homelab",
  "subredditUrl": "https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/",
  "publicDescription": "Welcome to your friendly /r/homelab, where techies and sysadmin from everywhere are welcome to share their labs, projects, builds, etc.",
  "activeUsers": 578923,
  "isNsfw": false,
  "iconUrl": "https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/Flac-ySmslzY0SE583PNA42rFbcYxLt7hqgCeUrC11s.png",
  "createdAt": "2012-06-19T19:22:23.318Z",
  "searchQuery": "home lab",
  "rank": 1,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-02T16:46:08.316Z"
}

Field	What it contains
subreddit, subredditName, subredditUrl	The community and its link
activeUsers	Weekly active users
publicDescription	The community description (in detailed format)
iconUrl, bannerUrl, createdAt, isNsfw	Branding, age and flags
searchQuery, rank	Which search found it and its position
subscribers, title, subredditType	Filled when Reddit's data includes them

OUTPUT reports the outcome and the number of communities saved.

Example workflow: choosing where to launch

A founder launching a home-automation tool searches home lab, self hosted and smart home, sorts by activity, and reads the descriptions to check each community's rules on self-promotion. The most active fitting communities become the launch shortlist. Then they continue with Subreddit Posts Search Scraper inside those communities to see how people talk about similar tools.

Pricing

This Actor uses Pay per event. Apify platform usage is included in the event price. You pay a small start event, one event per search query and one event per community saved. The live Pricing tab on this page shows the current prices.

• 2 queries with maxSubreddits 25 = 2 query events + up to 25 community events.
• maxSubreddits is the cost ceiling for the whole job.

Reddit communities with AI agents (MCP)

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

Which subreddits talk most about indie game development? List the ten most active with links.

Agent checklist:

1. Put topics in queries.
2. Use sort: "activity" for "most active" requests.
3. Use responseFormat: "detailed" when the user wants descriptions.
4. Read rows with get-dataset-items and cite each subredditUrl.

API example

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/khadinakbar~reddit-subreddit-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries": ["indie game development"], "sort": "activity", "maxSubreddits": 10}'

Related Reddit tools from the same developer

Your next step	Use	Why
When you then search posts inside chosen communities	Subreddit Posts Search Scraper	Keyword search within subreddits
When you watch what is trending in them	Reddit Trends Scraper	Hot and rising posts ranked by momentum
When you search posts across all of Reddit	Reddit Posts Search Scraper	Site-wide keyword search

Best results

Starting situation	Helpful action	Expected outcome
Picking where to post	Sort by activity	The busiest communities first
Vetting fit	Use responseFormat: "detailed"	Descriptions to check each community
A broad niche	Add several related phrases to queries	Wider coverage in one dataset
Brand-safe lists	Keep includeNsfw off	Work-safe communities only

Builder's note

I found that people searching for communities care about how lively they are more than their raw size, so each row leads with weekly active users. I learned that Reddit's public search data often omits subscriber totals, so activity and description are the dependable signals and sort: "activity" is the best way to rank them.

FAQ

Do I need a Reddit account?

No. The Actor reads public Reddit community data.

Why is subscribers empty?

Reddit's public search data often leaves out subscriber totals. activeUsers (weekly active users) is filled instead.

Can I find private communities?

The Actor lists public communities only.

How do I get descriptions?

Set responseFormat to detailed.

Does it return posts?

It returns communities. Use Subreddit Posts Search Scraper for posts inside them.

Responsible use

This Actor collects public Reddit community information. Follow each community's rules before posting, and follow Reddit's terms and the laws that apply to you. Read Apify's guide on whether web scraping is legal for more context. Reddit is a trademark of Reddit, Inc. This independent Actor is not affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by Reddit. For questions or bugs, open a ticket in the Issues tab.