# Instagram Story Scraper (`parsebird/instagram-story-scraper`) Actor

Scrape live Instagram stories from public accounts without logging in: image and video URLs, post and expiry time, link stickers and mentions, plus profile info. Optional file download for archiving.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-story-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseBird](https://apify.com/parsebird) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 50.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $13.49 / 1,000 account checkeds

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 Story Scraper

Instagram Story Scraper **downloads the live stories of public Instagram accounts** without logging in: direct image and video links, when each story was posted and when it expires, link stickers and @mentions, plus the account's profile info. One row per account, with all of its current stories inside.

<table><tr>
<td style="border-left:4px solid #E1306C;padding:12px 16px;font-weight:600">
Enter up to 100 accounts and get every story they posted in the last 24 hours, with media URLs ready to download and an optional copy saved to Apify storage. No Instagram account, cookies or login needed.
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<table>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" style="padding:10px 14px;background:#E1306C;border:none;border-radius:4px 4px 0 0">
<span style="color:#FFFFFF;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.5px">ParseBird Instagram Suite</span>
<span style="color:#FFD1E3;font-size:13px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;Profiles, stories, Reels, highlights &amp; lookalikes</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding:10px 14px;border:1px solid #E7E5E4;border-right:none;border-top:none;vertical-align:top;width:33%;background:#FFFFFF">
<a href="https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-profile-scraper" style="color:#1C1917;text-decoration:none;font-weight:700;font-size:13px">Instagram Profile Scraper</a><br>
<span style="color:#78716C;font-size:11px">Profiles, emails, phones, socials</span>
</td>
<td style="padding:10px 14px;border:1px solid #E7E5E4;border-top:none;vertical-align:top;width:33%;background:#FFFFFF">
<a href="https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-reels-search-scraper" style="color:#1C1917;text-decoration:none;font-weight:700;font-size:13px">Instagram Reels Search &amp; Trend Discovery</a><br>
<span style="color:#78716C;font-size:11px">Reels by keyword, trending content</span>
</td>
<td style="padding:10px 14px;border:1px solid #E7E5E4;border-top:none;vertical-align:top;width:33%;background:#FFFFFF">
<a href="https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-reels-audio-scraper" style="color:#1C1917;text-decoration:none;font-weight:700;font-size:13px">Instagram Reels Audio Scraper</a><br>
<span style="color:#78716C;font-size:11px">Reels using any sound or song</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding:10px 14px;border:1px solid #E7E5E4;border-radius:0 0 0 4px;border-right:none;border-top:none;vertical-align:top;width:33%;background:#FFFFFF">
<a href="https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-highlights-scraper" style="color:#1C1917;text-decoration:none;font-weight:700;font-size:13px">Instagram Highlights Scraper</a><br>
<span style="color:#78716C;font-size:11px">Story highlights, photos &amp; videos</span>
</td>
<td style="padding:10px 14px;border:1px solid #E7E5E4;border-top:none;vertical-align:top;width:33%;background:#FFFFFF">
<a href="https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-related-profiles-scraper" style="color:#1C1917;text-decoration:none;font-weight:700;font-size:13px">Instagram Related Profiles Scraper</a><br>
<span style="color:#78716C;font-size:11px">Similar accounts &amp; lookalikes</span>
</td>
<td style="padding:10px 14px;border:1px solid #E7E5E4;border-radius:0 0 4px 0;border-top:none;vertical-align:top;width:33%;background:#FDEBF2">
<a href="https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-story-scraper" style="color:#E1306C;text-decoration:none;font-weight:700;font-size:13px">Instagram Story Scraper</a><br>
<span style="color:#E1306C;font-size:11px;font-weight:600">You are here</span>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

##### Copy to your AI assistant

Copy this block into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any LLM to start using this actor.

```
Use the Apify Actor "parsebird/instagram-story-scraper" (call it via ApifyClient) to get the live Instagram stories (last 24 hours) of public accounts without logging in. Example (JavaScript): const { ApifyClient } = require('apify-client'); const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<APIFY_TOKEN>' }); const run = await client.actor('parsebird/instagram-story-scraper').call({ usernames: ['natgeo', 'espn'], saveMediaToStorage: false }); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); Inputs: usernames (required array, up to 100: usernames, @handles, profile or story URLs), saveMediaToStorage (boolean, default false; also saves every story file to the run's key-value store). Each row is one account: username, userId, displayName, profilePicUrl, profileUrl, isVerified, isPrivate, followersCount, followingCount, postsCount, biography, storiesCount, stories (array of {storyId, storyUrl, mediaType image/video, mediaUrl, thumbnailUrl, width, height, durationSec, hasAudio, timestamp (unix seconds), takenAt, expiresAt, links (link sticker URLs, omitted if none), mentions (omitted if none), storageKey and storageUrl when saving files}), status (ok/not_found/private/failed/invalid_input), error, scrapedAt. API docs: https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-story-scraper/api. Get a token at https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations.
```

### What is Instagram Story Scraper?

**Instagram Story Scraper** is an [Apify Actor](https://apify.com/actors) that collects the stories currently live on public [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/) accounts. Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours and Instagram shows them only to logged-in users, so this Actor is a simple way to view and save Instagram stories anonymously, at scale, without using your own account.

Paste usernames, click **Start**, and get each account's stories with direct media links, timestamps, link stickers and mentions. Run it on a [schedule](https://docs.apify.com/platform/schedules) to monitor accounts and archive every story before it expires.

### What can Instagram Story Scraper do?

- 📸 **Live stories of any public account**: every image and video story from the last 24 hours, oldest first.
- 🔗 **Link stickers and mentions**: the URLs behind link stickers and the accounts tagged in each story.
- ⏰ **Post and expiry time**: unix timestamp plus ISO `takenAt` and `expiresAt`.
- 💾 **Archive before it disappears**: turn on **Save story files to storage** to keep a copy of every image and video after Instagram's links expire.
- 👤 **Profile info included**: name, picture, verified badge, followers, following, posts and bio.
- 🙈 **No login**: no Instagram account, cookies or session needed, and the account owners don't see your view.
- ⏱️ **Platform features**: [schedule](https://docs.apify.com/platform/schedules) hourly runs, call it from the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2), get [webhooks](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/webhooks), and send results to [Google Drive, Slack, Make, Zapier, n8n and more](https://apify.com/integrations). Export as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML.

### What data can you extract from Instagram stories?

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `username`, `displayName`, `userId`, `profileUrl`, `profilePicUrl` | The account |
| `isVerified`, `isPrivate`, `followersCount`, `followingCount`, `postsCount`, `biography` | Profile details |
| `storiesCount` | Number of live stories |
| `stories[].storyId`, `stories[].storyUrl` | Story ID and its Instagram link |
| `stories[].mediaType`, `stories[].mediaUrl`, `stories[].thumbnailUrl` | `image` or `video`, the direct file link and the preview image |
| `stories[].width`, `height`, `durationSec`, `hasAudio` | Size, and length and sound for videos |
| `stories[].timestamp`, `takenAt`, `expiresAt` | When it was posted (unix seconds and ISO) and when it disappears |
| `stories[].links` | URLs from link stickers (left out when there are none) |
| `stories[].mentions` | Accounts tagged in the story (left out when there are none) |
| `stories[].storageUrl` | Saved copy of the file, when **Save story files to storage** is on |
| `status`, `error` | `ok`, `not_found`, `private`, `failed` or `invalid_input`, and why |

### How to scrape Instagram stories

1. Open [Instagram Story Scraper](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-story-scraper) in Apify Console and create a free Apify account if you don't have one.
2. Add the accounts: `natgeo`, `@espn`, `https://www.instagram.com/bbcnews/` or `https://www.instagram.com/stories/cnn/` all work.
3. Turn on **Save story files to storage** if you want to keep the files.
4. Click **Start**. 20 accounts take well under a minute.
5. Download the results from the **Output** tab, or schedule the run to check the accounts every few hours.

### Input example

```json
{
    "usernames": ["natgeo", "@espn", "https://www.instagram.com/bbcnews/"],
    "saveMediaToStorage": true
}
```

### Output example

A real row for `bbcnews` (October 18, 2026; 2 of its 7 stories shown, media URLs shortened):

```json
{
    "username": "bbcnews",
    "userId": "16278726",
    "displayName": "BBC News",
    "profilePicUrl": "https://instagram.flca1-4.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.2885-19/...",
    "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/bbcnews/",
    "isVerified": true,
    "isPrivate": false,
    "followersCount": 30996213,
    "followingCount": 59,
    "postsCount": 32436,
    "biography": "For the stories that matter to you - \ntap this link 👇",
    "storiesCount": 7,
    "stories": [
        {
            "storyId": "4009796696971981839",
            "storyUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/stories/bbcnews/4009796696971981839/",
            "mediaType": "video",
            "mediaUrl": "https://scontent-gig4-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m78/....mp4?...",
            "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-gig4-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/....jpg?...",
            "width": 720,
            "height": 1280,
            "durationSec": 6,
            "hasAudio": false,
            "timestamp": 1792225035,
            "takenAt": "2026-10-17T08:17:15Z",
            "expiresAt": "2026-10-18T08:17:15Z",
            "links": ["https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxr5yvzv7rp0o?fbclid=..."]
        },
        {
            "storyId": "4009796842541904288",
            "storyUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/stories/bbcnews/4009796842541904288/",
            "mediaType": "image",
            "mediaUrl": "https://scontent-gig4-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/....jpg?...",
            "...": "..."
        }
    ],
    "status": "ok",
    "error": null,
    "scrapedAt": "2026-10-18T01:23:40Z"
}
```

Accounts with no live story come back with `storiesCount: 0` and an empty `stories` array.

### Use Instagram Story Scraper from Python or JavaScript

Install the Apify client (`pip install apify-client` or `npm install apify-client`) and use your [API token](https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

#### Python

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<APIFY_TOKEN>")

run = client.actor("parsebird/instagram-story-scraper").call(run_input={
    "usernames": ["natgeo", "espn", "bbcnews"],
})

for account in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    for story in account["stories"]:
        print(account["username"], story["takenAt"], story["mediaType"], story["mediaUrl"])
```

#### JavaScript

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

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<APIFY_TOKEN>' });

const run = await client.actor('parsebird/instagram-story-scraper').call({
    usernames: ['kyliejenner', 'cnn'],
    saveMediaToStorage: true,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((a) => a.stories.forEach((s) => console.log(a.username, s.takenAt, s.storageUrl, s.mentions ?? [])));
```

### Use cases

- **Brand and competitor monitoring**: see the promotions, launches and links competitors post in their stories.
- **Influencer marketing**: check that sponsored stories went live, with the right link sticker and @mentions.
- **Story archiving**: keep a copy of a brand's or creator's stories for compliance, research or content planning.
- **News and trend tracking**: follow what publishers and public figures share in stories during the day.
- **Social listening**: collect story links and mentions to see which products and accounts are being promoted.

### How it works

Instagram shows live stories only to logged-in viewers. To avoid needing an Instagram account, the Actor opens a public anonymous story-viewer service in a headless browser, looks up each account there and reads the story data the page receives. That data comes from Instagram, with the original Instagram media links. If a lookup doesn't answer, the Actor retries in a fresh browser session. On October 18, 2026, a run of 20 well-known accounts matched Instagram's own "latest story" time for every account: 12 had live stories, and the 8 without a story correctly returned none.

Because the Actor depends on an outside viewer service, a change on that service can break it for a while; we watch it and fix issues as they come up.

### How much does it cost to scrape Instagram stories?

Instagram Story Scraper uses pay-per-event pricing: you pay for each account checked, whether it has live stories or not. Platform usage (browser, compute and proxies) is included in the price.

| Plan | Price per account | Price per 1,000 accounts |
|------|-------------------|--------------------------|
| Free | $0.01499 | **$14.99** |
| Bronze | $0.01449 | **$14.49** |
| Silver | $0.01399 | **$13.99** |
| Gold | $0.01349 | **$13.49** |

Accounts that aren't found, are private, or fail aren't charged. Checking 20 accounts costs about $0.30 on the Free plan; checking them every 6 hours costs about $1.20 a day. All stories of an account are included in its price, and saving the files to storage doesn't cost extra.

### Is it legal to scrape Instagram stories?

This Actor only reads stories that public accounts share with everyone. Scraping publicly available data is generally legal, but stories are copyrighted content and can contain personal data, so you are responsible for how you use and store them, including under GDPR and similar laws. Don't republish other people's stories without permission. If you aren't sure, consult a lawyer. Read more on the [Apify blog about web scraping legality](https://blog.apify.com/is-web-scraping-legal/).

This Actor is unofficial and isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Instagram or Meta.

### Other Instagram scrapers from ParseBird

- [Instagram Highlights Scraper](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-highlights-scraper): story highlights that stay on a profile after the 24 hours.
- [Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-profile-scraper): profile details, bio links, emails and phones.
- [Instagram Related Profiles Scraper](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-related-profiles-scraper): accounts similar to any profile.
- [Instagram Reels Search Scraper](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-reels-search-scraper): Reels for any keyword.

### FAQ

**Can I view Instagram stories anonymously with this?**
Yes. The Actor never uses your Instagram account, so your name never appears in the account owner's viewer list.

**Does it work for private accounts?**
No. Private accounts' stories are visible only to approved followers. They come back with `status: "private"` and aren't charged.

**How long do the media links work?**
Instagram's links are signed and expire after some days, and the story itself disappears from Instagram after 24 hours. Turn on **Save story files to storage** to keep a permanent copy in Apify storage.

**Why did an account return 0 stories?**
It has no live story right now. Stories expire 24 hours after posting, so schedule the Actor (for example every 6 hours) to catch every story.

**Does it include highlights?**
No, only live stories. For saved highlights use the [Instagram Highlights Scraper](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-highlights-scraper).

**Are music, polls or view counts included?**
No. View counts and viewer lists are visible only to the account owner, and music, poll and question stickers aren't returned.

**Can I use it through the API?**
Yes. Use the [API tab](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-story-scraper/api) or the Python and JavaScript examples above. You can also run it from Make, Zapier or n8n.

**Something is missing or broken?**
Open an issue on the [Issues tab](https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-story-scraper/issues).

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/parsebird/instagram-story-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

Add up to 100 public accounts: usernames (natgeo), @handles (@nasa) or profile and story links (https://www.instagram.com/stories/espn/).

## `saveMediaToStorage` (type: `boolean`):

Also download every story image and video into the run's key-value store, so you keep a copy after Instagram's links expire. Adds storageKey and storageUrl to each story. Makes runs slower for accounts with many video stories.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo",
    "espn"
  ],
  "saveMediaToStorage": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (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 = {
    "usernames": [
        "natgeo",
        "espn"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parsebird/instagram-story-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 = { "usernames": [
        "natgeo",
        "espn",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parsebird/instagram-story-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 '{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo",
    "espn"
  ]
}' |
apify call parsebird/instagram-story-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parsebird/instagram-story-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/VbNQEFJY7VZL5bffK/builds/LTx6TcX8L2Tc5z1Ju/openapi.json