Instagram Comments Scraper

Instagram Comments Scraper — comments of public posts and reels

The Instagram Comments Scraper exports the comments of public Instagram posts and reels: text, author, author id, likes and date, page after page up to your limit.

It runs on Apify, needs no Instagram login and no cookies, and exports to JSON, CSV, Excel or an API call. Every session key it needs (tokens, query ids, cursors) is read from Instagram on each run, so it keeps working when Instagram ships new code.

What the Instagram Comments Scraper does

• Reads the first comments from the post itself and then follows Instagram's comment cursor.
• Works with post and reel links.
• Returns each comment's like count, author and date.
• Adds the post link, owner and total comment count to every row.

Who uses the Instagram Comments Scraper

• Brands doing sentiment analysis.
• Community managers collecting feedback.
• Researchers studying public conversations.

How the Instagram Comments Scraper works

Instagram serves every public page to logged-out visitors together with the queries that fill it.

The Actor loads the page the way a browser does, reads the session values Instagram puts into it, and then asks Instagram's own GraphQL endpoint for the next page with the cursor the previous page returned.

Query ids that a page does not preload are read from the JavaScript bundles that page lists. Large files from Instagram's CDN (images, videos) are fetched directly with their signed links, so proxy traffic stays small.

Nothing is guessed: if Instagram stops publishing a value the Instagram Comments Scraper needs, the run log names it and the item is skipped instead of being filled with a stale value.

What is new in the Instagram Comments Scraper (October 2026)

These features were added on 2026-10-03 after comparing the Instagram Comments Scraper with the ten most used Actors of its kind on the Apify Store. Defaults keep the earlier behaviour.

• postIds accepts shortcodes (DdHyaYAifb6) and numeric media ids; bare values in postUrls work too.
• usernames + maxPostsPerProfile read the comments of each profile's newest posts (onlyPostsNewerThan limits those posts).
• commentUrl is the permalink of each comment.

Input of the Instagram Comments Scraper

Field	Type	Default	What it does
postUrls	array	["https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHyaYAifb6/"]	Links to the posts or reels whose comments you want.
maxCommentsPerPost	integer	50	Comments are read about 15-24 per page, page after page.
postIds	array	[]	Shortcodes (DdHyaYAifb6) or numeric media ids, one per line.
usernames	array	[]	Read the comments of each profile's newest posts.
maxPostsPerProfile	integer	12	For usernames only: how many newest posts to read comments from.
onlyPostsNewerThan	string	—	For usernames only: leave out posts published before this date (2026-09-01, an ISO time or "7 days").
maxItems	integer	0	Stops the whole run after this many dataset rows. 0 means only the per-target limits apply.
proxyConfiguration	object	{"useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]}	Instagram limits logged-out visitors per IP address. Residential proxies (the default) give the most reliable results; the Actor switches to a fresh IP when Ins

Example input for the Instagram Comments Scraper:

{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHyaYAifb6/"
  ],
  "maxCommentsPerPost": 50
}

Output of the Instagram Comments Scraper

Each dataset row is one comment. These are the fields the Instagram Comments Scraper produced in its test runs:

Field	Meaning
id	Platform id of the item
likesCount	Likes (or reactions) count
ownerId	Owner account id
ownerIsVerified	ownerIsVerified
ownerProfilePicUrl	ownerProfilePicUrl
ownerUsername	Account that posted it
parentCommentId	parentCommentId
postCommentsCount	postCommentsCount
postOwnerUsername	postOwnerUsername
postShortCode	postShortCode
postUrl	Post the comment belongs to
repliesCount	Replies under the comment
scrapedAt	When this row was read
text	Post or video text
timestamp	Publication time (UTC, ISO 8601)
commentUrl	Permalink of the comment (Instagram asks logged-out visitors to log in first)
inputUsername	Username the row was found through

Fields that Instagram does not publish for an item are left empty rather than guessed. Download the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or HTML, or read it through the Apify API.

Data quality of the Instagram Comments Scraper

• Every value in a Instagram Comments Scraper row is read from Instagram during your run; nothing is filled from a cache or an old snapshot.
• Rows are de-duplicated by id inside a run, so the same comment never appears twice in one dataset.
• Counts are numbers you can sort and sum (not "1.2K" text) wherever Instagram publishes the exact number.
• Dates are UTC in ISO 8601 format, which Excel, Google Sheets, Python and SQL all read directly.

Instagram Comments Scraper test results

These numbers come from live test runs of the Instagram Comments Scraper on 2026-10-03 (home connection, no proxy). Runs on the Apify platform use residential proxies and can be faster or slower.

Test	Rows	Time
prefill input (regression)	50	18 s
60 comments (paginated)	60	20 s
reel URL, 20 comments	20	15 s
NEW post ids + newest post of a username	15	16 s

Instagram Comments Scraper limits, stated plainly

• Replies are not available logged out: no reply query exists for logged-out visitors and the reply count comes back empty (measured on 60 comments of a 34,126-comment reel). The repliesCount field stays for compatibility.
• Measured locally: 60 comments of one post in 20 seconds (about 15 per page).
• Hidden or restricted comments are not shown to logged-out visitors. Comments come newest first; Instagram offers logged-out visitors no other order.

How to run the Instagram Comments Scraper

1. Open the Instagram Comments Scraper in Apify Console and fill in the input fields described above.
2. Keep the default residential proxy unless you have a reason to change it; Instagram limits logged-out visitors per IP address.
3. Start the run, watch the log, and download the dataset when the status says Done.
4. To automate it, call the Instagram Comments Scraper from the Apify API, schedule it, or connect it to Make, Zapier, n8n or Google Sheets through an integration or webhook.

Python example with the Apify API client:

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run_input = {
    "postUrls": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHyaYAifb6/"
    ],
    "maxCommentsPerPost": 50
}
run = client.actor("neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-scraper-and-downloader-premium").call(run_input=run_input)
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

Instagram Comments Scraper pricing

The Instagram Comments Scraper uses pay-per-event pricing: you pay per dataset row (event "result"), plus the Apify platform usage of your run. Free-plan users get up to 30 rows per run, which is enough to test the Instagram Comments Scraper on real data.

Set a maximum cost per run in Apify and the Instagram Comments Scraper stops cleanly when it is reached.

Tips for large runs of the Instagram Comments Scraper

• Start with a small limit to check the Instagram Comments Scraper output, then raise it; the first rows arrive within seconds.
• Split very large jobs into several inputs and run them in parallel tasks; each run gets its own proxy sessions.
• Set a maximum cost per run in Apify; the Instagram Comments Scraper stops cleanly when the budget is reached and keeps every row it already saved.
• Schedule repeat runs instead of one huge run when you track the same targets over time.
• Keep the residential proxy: datacenter IPs are refused by Instagram far more often for logged-out visitors.

Instagram Comments Scraper compared with copying by hand

	Instagram Comments Scraper	Manual work
Speed	Seconds per page of results	Minutes per item
Fields	Every public field, same order every time	Whatever you copy
Format	JSON, CSV, Excel, API	Spreadsheet you build yourself
Repeatable	Schedule it daily	Start again each time
Errors	Logged per item	Unnoticed typos

Using the Instagram Comments Scraper in a workflow

• Send every new row to Google Sheets or Airtable with the Apify integration and keep a live table.
• Trigger a Make, Zapier or n8n scenario with a webhook when the run finishes.
• Load the JSON export into Python or BigQuery for analysis and dashboards.
• Use the Apify API: start the Instagram Comments Scraper with a POST request and read the dataset items endpoint when the run finishes.
• Chain it: pass the Instagram Comments Scraper output to another Apify Actor (for example a downloader or a transcript Actor) in an Apify task.
• Export straight to Excel from the dataset tab when you only need a one-off report.

Troubleshooting the Instagram Comments Scraper

• The run ends with no rows: open the log. The Instagram Comments Scraper writes one line per target saying what Instagram returned, for example a login wall or a missing item.
• Fewer rows than expected: the target may have fewer public items, or Instagram may stop serving more pages to logged-out visitors. The log names the reason.
• Slow run: large limits mean many pages; the Instagram Comments Scraper waits briefly between pages so Instagram keeps answering. Split big jobs into several runs.
• Proxy errors: keep the RESIDENTIAL group. The Instagram Comments Scraper already switches to a fresh IP when one is blocked.
• Free plan stops at 30 rows: that is the free-plan cap of the Instagram Comments Scraper; any paid Apify plan removes it.

What changed in this version of the Instagram Comments Scraper

• Rebuilt in October 2026 on Instagram's logged-out web endpoints; every token, query id and cursor is read at run time.
• Pay-per-event pricing (one event per row) replaces the old monthly rental; free-plan users can test with 30 rows per run.
• Residential proxy by default, with automatic switch to a fresh IP when Instagram blocks one.
• October 2026 feature round: new filters and fields matching the most used Instagram Actors on the Store, every one measured in a live test; existing inputs and fields are unchanged.

Is it legal to use the Instagram Comments Scraper?

The Instagram Comments Scraper reads only data that Instagram shows to any logged-out visitor. It never logs in and never touches private content.

Personal data may still be in public posts, so check GDPR and the other laws that apply to you before you store or reuse it, and respect Instagram's terms.

Related scrapers

Actor	Link
Instagram Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper
Instagram Profile Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-scraper-downloader-pro
Instagram Posts Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-posts-scraper
Instagram Reels Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-scraper
Instagram Hashtag Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-reeel-scraper
Instagram Search Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-advanced
Instagram Video Downloader	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-downloader
Instagram Reels Downloader	neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-downloader
Instagram Image Downloader	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader
Instagram Transcript Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader-pro
Instagram Mentions Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader-premium
Instagram Keyword Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader-fastest

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Frequently asked questions

How many comments can the Instagram Comments Scraper read per post?

As many as Instagram serves logged out, page after page. The test read 60 comments in 20 seconds.

Does the Instagram Comments Scraper need my Instagram login?

No. The Instagram Comments Scraper works logged out and never asks for your password or cookies. It reads only what Instagram shows to any visitor.

Do I need my own proxy for the Instagram Comments Scraper?

No. The Instagram Comments Scraper uses Apify residential proxies by default and switches to a fresh IP when Instagram blocks one. You can choose another proxy in the input.

What formats can I export from the Instagram Comments Scraper?

JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML and RSS from the dataset tab, or any format through the Apify API, webhooks and integrations.

How fast is the Instagram Comments Scraper?

In the test runs above the Instagram Comments Scraper took between 15 and 20 seconds per run. Speed depends on how many items you ask for and on the proxy.

Why did the Instagram Comments Scraper return fewer rows than I asked for?

The Instagram Comments Scraper stops when Instagram has nothing more to show logged out, when your limit is reached, or when the free-plan cap of 30 rows applies. The run log always says which one happened.

Can I schedule the Instagram Comments Scraper?

Yes. Create a schedule in Apify Console to run the Instagram Comments Scraper daily or hourly and send the results to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier or n8n through an integration.

Can the Instagram Comments Scraper read private accounts or private groups?

No. The Instagram Comments Scraper reads public data only. Private content needs a login, and the Instagram Comments Scraper never logs in.

What happens when Instagram changes its website?

The Instagram Comments Scraper reads every key it needs from Instagram at run time, so routine changes are picked up automatically. If something can no longer be read, the log says so instead of returning wrong data.

Can I use the Instagram Comments Scraper with Make, Zapier or n8n?

Yes. Add the Instagram Comments Scraper as an Apify step in Make, Zapier or n8n, or send a webhook when the run finishes and fetch the dataset items from the Apify API.

Does the Instagram Comments Scraper work in every country?

The Instagram Comments Scraper reads Instagram through residential proxies that rotate across countries. Content that Instagram restricts by country follows those rules.

How do I collect only new items with the Instagram Comments Scraper?

Schedule the Instagram Comments Scraper and keep the item ids from earlier runs. Every row has a stable id, so a simple de-duplication against your previous export keeps only the new ones.

Can the Instagram Comments Scraper process many targets in one run?

Yes. Put as many targets as you like in the input; the Instagram Comments Scraper handles them one after another and a failing target never stops the others.

Can the Instagram Comments Scraper read replies to comments?

No. Instagram serves replies only to logged-in users, so the Instagram Comments Scraper returns top-level comments and says so instead of guessing.

Can the Instagram Comments Scraper start from a username?

Yes. Add usernames and maxPostsPerProfile, and the Instagram Comments Scraper reads the comments of each profile's newest posts.