Instagram Reel Scraper

Instagram Reel Scraper

Scrape Instagram Reels from any profile, hashtag, or direct URL, up to a million per run. Every reel comes with its caption, timestamp, transcript, hashtags, mentions, and engagement metrics. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Instagram's official API needs app registration, OAuth, and rate-limits you. This reads the public reel feeds directly, filtered by date and pinned status, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

Who uses it	What they scrape Instagram for
Social media managers	Monitor competitor reel performance and content strategies.
Market researchers	Analyze trending audio, hashtags, and formats across niches.
Content creators	Archive their own reels with full metadata for repurposing.
Data journalists	Collect public reel data for reporting on platform trends.

What it does

This Actor collects Instagram Reels by profile URL, username, or direct reel URL, and returns each one as a flat row.

• 📅 Date filtering: collect only reels newer than a specific date or relative period like '30 days'.
• 📌 Skip pinned reels: ignore pinned reels for a more chronological view of recent uploads.
• 💬 Comment extraction: optionally fetch the top comments per reel, up to about 15 from the public page.
• 🔗 Flexible input: accepts usernames, profile URLs, or direct reel links in the same run.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Instagram data

📈 Monitor competitor content.

A social media manager scrapes reels from three competitor profiles newer than 30 days to analyze their posting frequency and top-performing formats.

🎵 Track trending audio and hashtags.

A market researcher collects reels from a set of influencer profiles to identify which audio clips and hashtags are gaining traction this week.

🗄️ Archive your own reel library.

A content creator scrapes all reels from their own profile, including captions and transcripts, to build a searchable backup of their content.

📊 Gather data for a platform report.

A data journalist scrapes reels from a specific hashtag to quantify engagement rates and content themes for a story on social media trends.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API registration	Scrape public reel data without OAuth or app setup.
Bulk extraction	Collect up to 1,000,000 reels in a single run.
Fixed output schema	Every reel returns the same fields for easy analysis.
Date and pin filters	Target only recent reels and skip pinned content.

How it compares

This Actor focuses exclusively on Instagram Reels with dedicated filters for date and pinned content, while the general Instagram Scraper covers more content types and the Instagram Reel Scraper includes video downloading.

Feature	ParseForge	Instagram Scraper	Instagram Reel Scraper	Instagram Profile Scraper
Scrapes reels exclusively	Yes	Not listed	Yes	Not listed
Date filtering for reels	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Skip pinned reels option	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Comment extraction per reel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not listed
Downloads reel video files	Not listed	Not listed	Yes	Not listed
Scrapes profile metadata	Not listed	Yes	Not listed	Yes

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from Instagram usernames, profile URLs, and direct reel URLs, alone or together, and filters run as each reel is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "urls": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
  "urls": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.01734 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$1.73
1,000 results	$17.34
10,000 results	$173.40

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the Instagram Reel Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Instagram through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/instagram-reel-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that the profile is public and the username or URL is spelled correctly. Also verify your date filter isn't excluding all recent reels.

Why is the scrape so slow?

Extracting comments adds one extra page fetch per reel. Set 'Comments Per Reel' to 0 for the fastest extraction speed.

Why are some reels missing from the output?

The profile might have fewer reels than your 'maxItems' setting, or your 'newerThan' and 'skipPinnedReels' filters are excluding them.

Why did I get an error about the URL format?

Ensure your input is a valid Instagram username, a full profile URL like 'https://www.instagram.com/username/', or a direct reel URL.

Why are comments not appearing even though I set a number?

The public page only displays a limited number of comments. If the reel has fewer comments than your setting, you will only get what is publicly visible.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Can I scrape reels from a private Instagram profile?	No. This Actor only accesses publicly available data. Private profiles cannot be scraped.
Do I need an Instagram login or API key?	No login or API key is required. The Actor reads the public web version of Instagram.
How many reels can I scrape in one run?	You can set the maximum up to 1,000,000 reels per run. The actual number collected depends on the profiles you target and your filters.
Can I download the reel videos?	This Actor extracts metadata like captions, metrics, and transcripts. It does not download video files.
What input formats are accepted?	You can provide Instagram usernames (e.g., 'natgeo'), profile URLs, or direct reel URLs all in the same run.
How do I filter reels by date?	Use the 'newerThan' field with an absolute date like '2024-01-01' or a relative string like '30 days' or '3 months'.
Why would I skip pinned reels?	Pinned reels are often older and sit at the top of a profile. Skipping them gives you a more chronologically accurate list of recent uploads.
How many comments can I extract per reel?	You can set the number of top comments to extract, up to a maximum of about 15, which is what the public page typically shows.
Does extracting comments slow down the scrape?	Yes. Each reel requires an additional page fetch to load comments, so setting it to 0 is the fastest option.
Can I scrape reels from a hashtag or location?	This Actor is designed for profile and direct reel URLs. For hashtag or location searches, consider the general Instagram Scraper.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.