# Facebook Reel Saves Scraper (`rainminer/facebook-reel-saves-scraper`) Actor

Extract public Facebook Reel engagement — viewsCount, likes, comments, shares, and savesCount when publicly available — plus caption, page name, thumbnail, and video CDN URL. Focused Reel-detail Actor when broader Facebook scrapers omit saves. Paste Reel URLs and export JSON/CSV. No login required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/rainminer/facebook-reel-saves-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [rainminer](https://apify.com/rainminer) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.37 / 1,000 facebook reels

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
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?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

### What does Facebook Reel Saves Scraper do?

**Facebook Reel Saves Scraper** is a focused Apify Actor for [Facebook Reels](https://www.facebook.com/reel/). Paste public Reel URLs and export engagement metrics — including **savesCount when Meta exposes it publicly** — plus views, likes, comments, shares, caption text, page name, thumbnail, and public video CDN URL.

Broader Facebook Posts / Reels scrapers often leave **savesCount** unclear or missing. This Actor is the narrow Reel-detail job: one URL in, structured engagement out, with honest `completenessNotes` when a metric is login-gated.

No Facebook login, cookies, or session inputs. Cookie consent and bot challenges are handled as public-surface scraping only.

### Why scrape Facebook Reel saves and views?

1. **Creator analytics** — Compare public view and reaction totals across competitor Reels.
2. **Content research** — Capture captions, thumbnails, and share/comment depth for viral formats.
3. **Campaign monitoring** — Track public Reel URLs after ads or organic posts go live.
4. **Pipeline fill** — Add `savesCount` (or an explicit null + note) beside views when general Facebook scrapers omit saves.
5. **Save-rate proxies** — Flag Reels where saves are exposed vs views-only peers.
6. **Competitive boards** — Build a weekly table of rival page Reel engagement.
7. **Ad creative QA** — Snapshot public metrics after a paid Reel launches.
8. **Thumbnail audits** — Export `imageUrl` alongside engagement for creative review.
9. **Archive jobs** — Keep `videoUrl` CDN links with metrics for offline analysis.
10. **Dataset finishers** — Enrich a list of Reel URLs with structured engagement fields.

### What data can you extract?

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| url / reelId | Canonical Reel URL and numeric Reel id |
| pageName / pageUrl | Public page or profile that owns the Reel |
| text / description | Caption / Open Graph description |
| imageUrl | Primary thumbnail (absolute HTTPS) |
| videoUrl | Public CDN MP4 when present (`browser_native_*`) |
| viewsCount | Public “N views” from Open Graph title (see notes) |
| playsCount | Same public metric as viewsCount on logged-out HTML |
| likesCount | Reaction / liker count when present |
| commentsCount | Public comment total |
| sharesCount | Public share total |
| **savesCount** | Aggregate saves when publicly available; otherwise `null` |
| createTime | ISO publish time when present |
| scrapedAt | ISO scrape timestamp |
| completenessNotes\[] | Explains missing or aliased fields (e.g. saves login-only) |

#### viewsCount vs playsCount

On public (logged-out) Reel HTML, Meta labels the metric in Open Graph as **views** (for example `42K views · 406 reactions`). A separate numeric `play_count` is typically **not** present. This Actor sets `viewsCount` from that public label and mirrors it to `playsCount`, documenting both in `completenessNotes`.

#### savesCount availability

Aggregate **savesCount** is often **not** included in logged-out Relay / Open Graph payloads (pages usually expose only `save_info.viewer_save_state`). When the count is absent, the Actor still returns the Reel row with `savesCount: null` and a completeness note — so you get a dedicated saves/views detail dataset without inventing numbers.

### How to scrape Facebook Reel engagement

1. Open **Facebook Reel Saves Scraper** in Apify Console.
2. Paste one or more public Reel URLs (`https://www.facebook.com/reel/{id}/`).
3. Keep **Maximum items** small for a test run (default 5).
4. Leave **Proxy** on Apify Proxy **RESIDENTIAL** (recommended for Facebook).
5. Run the Actor and download JSON/CSV/Excel from the dataset.

### Input

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/916623766125417/" },
    { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1312298446823817/" }
  ],
  "maxItems": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}
```

- **Reel URLs** (`startUrls`) — public `facebook.com/reel/{id}` links (and compatible video/share URLs that resolve to a Reel id).
- **Maximum items** — per start URL (default 5).
- **Proxy configuration** — defaults to Apify Proxy residential.

### Output example

```json
{
  "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/916623766125417/",
  "reelId": "916623766125417",
  "pageName": "Jordan Matter Photography",
  "pageUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/JordanMatterPhotography",
  "text": "Get in and out quick …",
  "description": "Get in and out quick …",
  "imageUrl": "https://scontent…/…jpg",
  "videoUrl": "https://video…/….mp4",
  "viewsCount": 42000,
  "playsCount": 42000,
  "likesCount": 406,
  "commentsCount": 4,
  "sharesCount": 8,
  "savesCount": null,
  "createTime": "2023-04-17T18:20:48.000Z",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-31T12:00:00.000Z",
  "completenessNotes": [
    "viewsCount is taken from the public Open Graph title label (\"N views\"). Facebook does not expose a separate numeric play_count in logged-out Reel HTML.",
    "playsCount mirrors viewsCount for public Reels — Meta labels the public metric as views, not plays.",
    "savesCount is not exposed on public (logged-out) Reel HTML; Meta only returns viewer save_info.state without an aggregate count."
  ]
}
```

You can download results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or HTML table from the run dataset.

### How much does it cost?

This Actor is **pay per result plus Apify platform usage** (compute and residential proxies). You pay a maintenance fee for each Reel row (from **$0.49 per 1,000 results** on the FREE Store plan) and you also pay Apify usage for the run. Residential proxies are the default because Facebook often blocks datacenter IPs — that is the main usage driver.

### FAQ

#### Does this require a Facebook login?

No. Only publicly reachable Reel pages are scraped. There is no username, password, or cookie-jar input.

#### Why is savesCount null?

Meta frequently omits aggregate save counts from logged-out HTML. The Actor records `null` and explains why in `completenessNotes` rather than guessing. If a public save count appears in the page payload, it is returned.

#### How is this different from a general Facebook posts scraper?

General posts scrapers target page posts and broader Facebook content workflows. This Actor is a **Reel-only detail** scraper aimed at **savesCount + viewsCount clarity** for users who need that wedge.

#### Is it legal to scrape Facebook Reels?

Only scrape publicly available data and respect Facebook’s terms, robots rules, and applicable laws (including GDPR where personal data may appear). Use results for legitimate purposes and consult counsel if unsure.

### Image Credit

Image credit: [facebook.com](https://www.facebook.com/)

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Public Facebook Reel URLs (facebook.com/reel/{id}, fb.watch links that resolve to reels, or /share/r/… permalinks). No login required.

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

Maximum number of Reels to return per start URL. Defaults to 5 for quick test runs.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Facebook often blocks datacenter IPs. Apify Proxy with RESIDENTIAL is enabled by default.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/916623766125417/"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1312298446823817/"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (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 = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/916623766125417/"
        },
        {
            "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1312298446823817/"
        }
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("rainminer/facebook-reel-saves-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 = {
    "startUrls": [
        { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/916623766125417/" },
        { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1312298446823817/" },
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("rainminer/facebook-reel-saves-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 '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/916623766125417/"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1312298446823817/"
    }
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call rainminer/facebook-reel-saves-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,rainminer/facebook-reel-saves-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/at3ts8CwKPd5a6if5/builds/855OuayL7N0wBOWTG/openapi.json