Instagram Posts & Comments Scraper

Instagram Posts & Comments Scraper

Scrape Instagram posts, comments, hashtags, and profiles without an API key. Collect up to a million items per run with media type and date filters. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Instagram's official API requires a Facebook app, business verification, and strict rate limits. This Instagram scraper reads public data directly from profile pages, post URLs, and hashtag feeds. Filter by image, video, or reel, set a date range, and get every matching item in one consistent row.

Who uses it	What they scrape Instagram for
Social media managers	Track competitor content calendars and post frequency.
Market researchers	Analyze trending hashtags and audience engagement on specific topics.
Influencer agencies	Audit a creator's recent posts and media mix before outreach.
E-commerce brands	Monitor user-generated content tagged with a campaign hashtag.

What it does

This Actor collects Instagram posts, comments, hashtag posts, or profile metadata and returns each item as a flat row.

• 📸 Posts mode: Collect posts from one or more public profiles with full caption text and media URLs.
• 💬 Comments mode: Extract all comments from a list of post URLs, including replies and timestamps.
• #️⃣ Hashtags mode: Gather every post under a hashtag, filtered by media type and date.
• 👤 Profile mode: Pull profile metadata like bio, follower count, website, and post count.

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

What you can do with Instagram data

📈 Track competitor content strategies.

A social media manager enters a list of competitor @usernames in posts mode with a 90-day date filter and exports a CSV of posting frequency and media types.

🔍 Research trending hashtags.

A market researcher runs hashtags mode on a niche tag, filters to the last 30 days, and analyzes which posts get the most engagement.

📋 Audit influencer profiles before outreach.

An agency runs profile mode on a batch of @usernames to compare follower counts, bios, and recent post counts in one spreadsheet.

💬 Collect feedback from campaign posts.

A brand takes the URLs of its latest campaign posts, runs comments mode, and reads every user reply in a single dataset.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Reads public pages directly, no app registration or OAuth flow.
Four modes	One scraper for posts, comments, hashtags, and profiles.
Media filters	Keep only images, videos, or reels with one dropdown.
Date filter	Collect posts from the last 30 days, 3 months, or a fixed date onward.
Per-source caps	Set a max items limit per profile or hashtag when scraping many sources.

How it compares

This Actor combines posts, comments, hashtags, and profiles in one scraper, while the competitors below each focus on a single data type.

Feature	ParseForge	Instagram Scraper	Instagram Reel Scraper	Instagram Profile Scraper
Posts mode	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
Comments mode	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
Hashtags mode	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
Profile metadata mode	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Media type filter (image/video/reel)	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Date filter	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Video file download	Not listed	Not listed	Yes	Not listed

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from profile URLs, @usernames, post URLs, or hashtags, alone or together. Filters run as each item is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "mode": "posts",
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/apple/"
  ],
  "maxItems": 1000,
  "mediaTypeFilter": "all"
}

A larger pull:

{
  "mode": "posts",
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/apple/"
  ],
  "maxItems": 200,
  "mediaTypeFilter": "all"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.0026 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.26
1,000 results	$2.60
10,000 results	$26.00

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 Posts & Comments 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-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 or post URL is public and spelled correctly. If you are using a date filter, try widening the range. Also confirm your max items is set above zero.

The run stopped early and I did not hit my max items.

Instagram may rate-limit requests. The Actor handles this with automatic retries. If the profile has fewer posts than your max items, the run finishes when all posts are collected.

Why are some posts missing captions?

Some posts have no caption text. The caption field will be empty in those cases. This is expected behavior.

I get an error when using a hashtag.

Enter the hashtag without the # symbol. For example, use 'travel' not '#travel'. Also ensure the hashtag is still active and public.

The comments mode is not collecting replies.

The Actor collects top-level comments and threaded replies. If a post has a very large number of comments, increase your max items to ensure replies are captured.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need an Instagram login or API key?	No. The Actor reads public pages directly. You do not need to register an app, provide a password, or manage an access token.
Can I scrape private profiles?	No. The Actor can only access public profiles and posts. Private accounts require authentication and are not supported.
How many items can I collect per run?	Free users are limited to 100 items. Paid Apify plans can collect up to 1,000,000 items per run.
What format does the data export to?	You can export your dataset to CSV, JSON, Excel, XML, or push it directly to a webhook or cloud storage.
Can I filter posts by date?	Yes. Use the date filter to collect only posts published after a specific date or within a relative window like 30 days or 3 months.
Does it download images or videos?	The Actor returns media URLs in the dataset. It does not download the binary files. For video downloads, use the Instagram Reel Scraper.
Can I scrape multiple profiles at once?	Yes. Add as many profile URLs or @usernames as you need in the start URLs field. Use the per-source cap to limit items from each one.
What is the difference between posts mode and profile mode?	Posts mode collects the actual posts from a profile. Profile mode collects only the account metadata like bio, follower count, and website.
Can I scrape Instagram Reels?	Yes. Set the media type filter to 'Reels Only' in posts or hashtags mode to collect only reels.
How do I scrape comments on a post?	Switch the mode to 'Comments', paste the post URLs into the start URLs field, and run. The Actor will collect every comment and reply.

Related actors

• instagram-reel-scraper: Use this if you need to download the actual video files from Instagram Reels.
• instagram-profile-scraper: Use this if you only need profile metadata and related profiles, without posts or comments.

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.