# Zhihu Scraper (知乎): Answers, Questions, Users, Search & Hot (`openclawai/zhihu-scraper`) Actor

Zhihu scraper (知乎), no login: Zhihu answers to any question, Zhihu questions and answer details, Zhihu articles, Zhihu comments with replies, Zhihu users and followers, Zhihu search and the Zhihu hot list (知乎热榜). No cookies. $2.50 per 1,000 answers.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/openclawai/zhihu-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Pika Choo](https://apify.com/openclawai) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, AI
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.50 / 1,000 zhihu answer or articles

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## 🧠 Zhihu Scraper (知乎): Answers, Questions, Users, Search & Hot

Zhihu scraper (知乎), no login: Zhihu answers to any question, Zhihu questions and answer details, Zhihu articles, Zhihu comments with replies, Zhihu users and followers, Zhihu search and the Zhihu hot list (知乎热榜). No cookies. **$2.50 per 1,000 answers**.

### 📋 Table of contents

- [What does it do?](#what-does-it-do)
- [Features](#features)
- [Pricing](#pricing)
- [Input](#input)
- [Output](#output)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Who uses this Zhihu Scraper?](#who-uses-this-zhihu-scraper)
- [Use cases](#use-cases)
- [FAQ](#faq)
- [API, Python, JavaScript and MCP](#api-python-javascript-and-mcp)

### What does it do?

Zhihu Scraper collects public data from Zhihu, China's biggest Q\&A community. Give it question, answer, article or profile links, or Chinese keywords, and it returns the top answers to questions and every answer by a user, with full text, upvotes, comments and saves, question details (views, followers, answer count), column articles, comment threads with replies, user profiles (followers, answers, upvotes), follower and following lists, content and user search results and the hot list (知乎热榜) with heat.

### Features

#### 🎬 What you can scrape on Zhihu

| Mode | What you give it | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| `question_answers` | question link or ID | Question answers — top 20 answers to a question |
| `question_detail` | question link or ID | Question details — views, followers, answer count |
| `video_detail` | video or post link | Answer details — one answer per link |
| `article_detail` | article link or ID | Article details — one column article per link |
| `video_comments` | video or post link | Answer comments (+ replies) |
| `user_profile` | profile link / user ID | User profile — followers, answers, likes |
| `user_posts` | profile link / user ID | User answers — all answers by a user |
| `user_articles` | profile link / user ID | User articles |
| `followers` | profile link / user ID | Followers of a user |
| `following` | profile link / user ID | Users a user follows |
| `search_videos` | keywords | Search answers, articles & questions (keywords) |
| `search_users` | keywords | Search users (keywords) |
| `hot_search` | nothing | Hot list (知乎热榜) |

#### ✨ Smart features

- Full answer and article text, cleaned from HTML
- The top 20 answers of any question, and every answer a user wrote
- Hot list with heat scores (`863万热度` → 8630000)
- Replies are placed right under their comment
- Search keeps real answers, articles and questions and drops ads
- Duplicates are removed automatically
- 🔓 No login, no cookies, no proxy setup
- 💸 Pay only for results: hint and error rows are free

#### 🧭 More scrapers from us

- [WeChat Scraper (微信)](https://apify.com/openclawai/wechat-scraper)
- [Weibo Scraper (微博)](https://apify.com/openclawai/weibo-scraper)
- [RedNote Scraper (小红书)](https://apify.com/openclawai/rednote-scraper)
- [Bilibili Scraper](https://apify.com/openclawai/bilibili-scraper)
- [Douyin Scraper (抖音)](https://apify.com/openclawai/douyin-scraper)

### Pricing

You pay per result. No compute or proxy charges on top, and hint and error rows are free.

| What you get | Price per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| 🧠 Answers and articles from questions, users or search | **$2.50** |
| 💬 Comments and replies | **$0.50** |
| 👥 Users from followers, following or search | **$1.00** |
| 🔍 Single lookups: question, answer, article or profile by link | **$1.50** |
| 🔥 Hot-list questions | **$1.00** |

#### How much does it cost to scrape Zhihu data?

| Job | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1,000 Zhihu answers | $2.50 |
| 10,000 Zhihu answers | $25 |
| 10,000 comments | $5.00 |
| Today's hot list (50) | $0.05 |

Set **Max cost per run** in the run options and the actor stops cleanly at that amount.

#### 🆓 Free plan

On the free Apify plan each run returns up to 10 results, so you can check the data before you buy. Comment replies need a paid plan. Any paid Apify plan removes the limit.

#### ⚡ Speed

Question and user feeds return about 20 answers per request, so 1,000 answers usually take a minute or two.

### Input

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `mode` | Links, @usernames or IDs: question_answers, question_detail, video_detail, article_detail, video_comments, user_profile, user_posts, user_articles, followers, following. Keywords: search_videos, search_users. No input: hot_search. |
| `urls` | One per line: question links (zhihu.com/question/…), answer links, article links (zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/…), profile links (zhihu.com/people/…) or IDs. |
| `queries` | Keywords for the search modes, one per line. Chinese keywords give the best results. |
| `maxItems` | Stop after this many rows per link or keyword (comments include their replies). |
| `includeReplies` | In video_comments mode, also fetch the replies under each comment that has 3 or more replies (TikTok, Douyin, Bilibili). Replies are billed as comments. Paid Apify plans only. |

#### 🧪 Example inputs

**Top answers to several questions**

```json
{"mode": "question_answers", "urls": ["https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084", "https://www.zhihu.com/question/19550225"], "maxItems": 20}
```

**Search answers and articles**

```json
{"mode": "search_videos", "queries": ["人工智能", "考研"], "maxItems": 200}
```

**Comments with replies on an answer**

```json
{"mode": "video_comments", "urls": ["https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084/answer/2092334717102302076"], "maxItems": 300, "includeReplies": true}
```

**Everything a user answered**

```json
{"mode": "user_posts", "urls": ["https://www.zhihu.com/people/zhang-jia-wei"], "maxItems": 300}
```

**Today's hot list**

```json
{"mode": "hot_search"}
```

### Output

Every row uses the same fields. Export as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or HTML.

#### 📦 Example output

```json
{
  "platform": "zhihu",
  "item_type": "answer",
  "item_id": "2092334717102302076",
  "url": "https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084/answer/2092334717102302076",
  "title": "日媒曝黑客黑掉软银旗下云平台后留下225封勒索信，结果运维找7小时没发现勒索信只是一味重启，如何看待？",
  "description": "牛比啦，继韩国银行泄漏客户信息后，软银又上演魔幻大剧2.0。\n黑客黑进他们旗下的云平台IDC Frontier后，让部分云服务器停机、无法启动，然后把勒索信息放在 /vmfs/vo…",
  "author_id": "yejiming",
  "author_name": "Kitt在进化",
  "author_username": "yejiming",
  "created_at": "2026-10-10T11:24:30+00:00",
  "like_count": 704,
  "comment_count": 46,
  "collect_count": 116,
  "mode": "question_answers",
  "source_input": "2092283931764552084",
  "scraped_at": "2026-10-10T15:41:39.639655+00:00",
  "raw": {
    "…": "full original record"
  }
}
```

#### 📤 Main fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `platform`, `item_type`, `mode`, `source_input` | Where the row came from and what it is (`video`, `user`, `comment`, `hint`, `error`…) |
| `item_id`, `url` | Native ID and a link back to the item |
| `title`, `description`, `hashtags`, `created_at` | Text and publish time (ISO 8601) |
| `author_id`, `author_name`, `author_username` | Creator or account |
| `play_count`, `like_count`, `comment_count`, `share_count`, `collect_count` | Engagement counts |
| `raw` | The full original record, every field the platform returned |
| `error_message` | Explanation on free `hint` / `error` rows |

### Troubleshooting

#### Following or followers come back empty?

Some users hide these lists. You get a free `hint` row and no charge.

#### Getting no results?

Check that the link or username is public and typed correctly. Private accounts, deleted posts and hidden lists return a free `hint` row that says why. Keyword modes need the **Keywords** field, link modes need **Links**.

#### Getting fewer results than `maxItems`?

The platform ran out of items for that input (a small profile, a niche keyword), or the run reached its **Max cost per run** limit. The log says which one.

#### Some fields are empty?

Platforms don't return every field for every item. Everything the platform did return is kept in `raw`.

#### Video or image links stopped working?

Media URLs from these platforms expire after a few hours. Download files right after the run.

#### The run failed or shows an error row?

Retry once: the platforms sometimes refuse a request for a few minutes. If it keeps failing, open an issue with the run link and we'll fix it fast.

### Who uses this Zhihu Scraper?

#### 📊 Market researchers

Read long-form Chinese opinions about brands, products and industries.

#### 🌏 Brands entering China

See what Zhihu users ask and answer about your category.

#### 🎓 Researchers and students

Collect Q\&A data and public opinion on any topic.

#### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 KOL agencies

Find expert creators and check their followers and upvotes.

#### 🤖 AI and data teams

Collect high-quality Chinese long-form answers as training data.

### Use cases

#### Topic research

Pull every answer to the top questions in your category and summarise the arguments.

#### Trend tracking

Pull the hot list every hour and chart which questions rise.

#### Expert discovery

Search users by keyword and rank them by followers and upvotes.

### FAQ

#### Can I scrape Zhihu without an account?

Yes. No Zhihu login, Chinese phone number, cookies or API keys.

#### How many answers do I get per question?

The top 20 answers as Zhihu ranks them. To go wider, add more questions, or use the user answers mode, which returns every answer a user wrote.

#### Do I get the full answer text?

Yes, cleaned from HTML into plain text.

#### How much does it cost to scrape 10,000 Zhihu answers?

About $25, at $2.50 per 1,000 answers.

#### Can I scrape Zhihu comments and replies?

Yes, with the comments mode and **Include comment replies** on (paid plans).

#### Can I get the Zhihu hot list (知乎热榜)?

Yes, with heat scores, in one call.

#### Can I scrape Zhihu articles (知乎专栏)?

Yes: one article by link, or all articles of a user.

#### Do I need a Chinese proxy?

No.

#### Is there a free tier?

Yes. On the free Apify plan each run returns up to 10 results. Comment replies need a paid plan.

#### Can I use it from Python, JavaScript or an AI agent?

Yes, through the Apify API, the client libraries, or MCP.

### API, Python, JavaScript and MCP

**Python**

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("openclawai/zhihu-scraper").call(run_input={"mode": "question_answers", "urls": ["https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084", "https://www.zhihu.com/question/19550225"], "maxItems": 20})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

**JavaScript**

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: "YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" });
const run = await client.actor("openclawai/zhihu-scraper").call({"mode": "question_answers", "urls": ["https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084", "https://www.zhihu.com/question/19550225"], "maxItems": 20});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

**MCP** (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients): `https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=openclawai/zhihu-scraper`

Works with Zapier, Make, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack, webhooks and scheduled runs.

### 🛡️ Legal

Collects **public** data only. You are responsible for complying with Zhihu's terms and with privacy laws such as GDPR, CCPA and PIPL when you store personal data.

### ⭐ Support

Something not working? Check the `hint` / `error` rows, then open an issue with the run link. We reply fast.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Links, @usernames or IDs: question_answers, question_detail, video_detail, article_detail, video_comments, user_profile, user_posts, user_articles, followers, following. Keywords: search_videos, search_users. No input: hot_search.

## `urls` (type: `array`):

One per line: question links (zhihu.com/question/…), answer links, article links (zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/…), profile links (zhihu.com/people/…) or IDs.

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Keywords for the search modes, one per line. Chinese keywords give the best results.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many rows per link or keyword (comments include their replies).

## `includeReplies` (type: `boolean`):

In video_comments mode, also fetch the replies under each comment that has 3 or more replies (TikTok, Douyin, Bilibili). Replies are billed as comments. Paid Apify plans only.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "question_answers",
  "urls": [
    "https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "includeReplies": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 = {
    "mode": "question_answers",
    "urls": [
        "https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084"
    ],
    "maxItems": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("openclawai/zhihu-scraper").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 = {
    "mode": "question_answers",
    "urls": ["https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084"],
    "maxItems": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("openclawai/zhihu-scraper").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 '{
  "mode": "question_answers",
  "urls": [
    "https://www.zhihu.com/question/2092283931764552084"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20
}' |
apify call openclawai/zhihu-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,openclawai/zhihu-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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/WqgGkHgt9I1eRcoxg/builds/37evsKEJgQ5Bb2eNg/openapi.json