Instagram Comments Scraper

Instagram Comments Scraper

Instagram Comments Scraper is a production-ready Apify actor that extracts structured Instagram comment data at scale — including usernames, comment text, timestamps, likes, and replies — from post and reel URLs. It eliminates manual copy‑paste and turns public conversations into clean, analyzable records. Built for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers, this Instagram comments extractor helps you scrape Instagram comments, automate Instagram comment data extraction, and export insights for social listening, UGC mining, sentiment analysis, and influencer tracking — all in a workflow-ready format and an Instagram comments API alternative that scales.

📊 What data / output can you get?

Below are the exact fields this Instagram comments scraping software outputs for each comment. Data streams in real time to the Apify Dataset and is also saved as a single JSON array under the Key-Value Store key “OUTPUT”.

Data type	Description	Example value
postUrl	Source Instagram post or reel URL	https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/
commentUrl	Direct link to the comment (constructed)	https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/c/17894957058162897
id	Comment ID (string)	17894957058162897
text	Comment text content	Someone point me to the Instagram logo ferris wheel NEOW!!
timestamp	UTC ISO date-time string	2025-08-29T21:07:02.000Z
ownerUsername	Commenter’s Instagram handle	sokarlnerry
ownerProfilePicUrl	Public profile picture URL	https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/...jpg
likesCount	Number of likes on the comment	12
repliesCount	Number of replies to this comment	2
replies	Array of reply objects (same shape: id, text, timestamp, likesCount, ownerUsername, etc.)	[ { "id": "18138927151425955", ... } ]
owner	Nested owner object with user metadata (public)	{ "username": "sokarlnerry", "is_verified": false, ... }

Notes:

• Replies include the same core fields as comments (id, text, timestamp, likesCount, ownerUsername, ownerProfilePicUrl, repliesCount, replies[], owner, commentUrl).
• Export your dataset to CSV, JSON, or Excel via Apify. A single-file JSON export is available at Key-Value Store key “OUTPUT”. This makes it easy to download Instagram post comments and export Instagram comments to CSV.

🚀 Key features

• 🧭 GraphQL-powered extraction with replies
  Uses Instagram’s comment GraphQL endpoints to collect comments and, optionally, fetch nested replies per comment for deeper conversation context — ideal for automated Instagram comments scraping.

• 🧩 Structured records with rich metadata
  Each item includes postUrl, commentUrl, id, text, timestamp, likesCount, repliesCount, replies[], ownerUsername, ownerProfilePicUrl, and a detailed owner object — perfect for Instagram comment data extraction and analytics.

• 📦 Real-time streaming + single-file export
  Pushes each comment to the Apify Dataset as it’s collected and writes the full result as one JSON array to Key-Value Store key “OUTPUT” — great for bulk Instagram comments downloader workflows and API consumption.

• 📚 Batch scraping from multiple URLs
  Provide an array of direct post/reel URLs (directUrls) to scrape Instagram comments in bulk in one run. Supports both /p/ and /reel/ URLs for posts and Reels.

• 🧵 Reply control and depth limits
  Configure includeNestedComments and maxReplies to tailor how many nested replies are fetched per parent comment.

• 🔒 Session ID–aware reliability
  Supply your Instagram sessionid cookie (sessionId) for reliable doc_id and media_id detection. Without it, Instagram may serve different content and block extraction — essential for robust runs.

• 🛡️ Smart proxy fallback (optional)
  If direct requests are blocked, the actor can automatically fallback to Apify datacenter and then residential proxies (proxyConfiguration) with up to 3 residential retries.

• 📈 Scoping & pagination controls
  Limit workload with maxComments (per post) and maxReplies (per comment). Internally capped for stability to 500 comments per post and 50 replies per comment.

• 🧭 Sorting behavior (compatibility setting)
  Popular sorting is used. The isNewestComments input is kept for compatibility but is not supported by the current GraphQL endpoint.

🪄 How to use Instagram Comments Scraper — step by step

1. Sign in to Apify
   Create a free Apify account or log in.

2. Open the Instagram Comments Scraper actor
   You’ll run it directly on the Apify platform.

3. Add your input URLs
   Paste post/reel URLs into directUrls (e.g., https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/). Only /p/ and /reel/ URLs are supported.

4. Provide your Instagram Session ID (recommended)
   Set sessionId to your sessionid cookie from instagram.com after logging in. This is required for reliable extraction of doc_id and media_id.

5. Configure limits and replies

   • maxComments: limit comments per post (runtime cap 500)
   • includeNestedComments: true/false to fetch replies
   • maxReplies: limit replies per comment (runtime cap 50)

6. (Optional) Configure proxy fallback
   Use proxyConfiguration if you encounter blocks. The actor will attempt datacenter, then residential proxies with up to 3 retries.

7. Run the actor
   The scraper fetches comments and pushes each record to the Dataset in real time. It also writes a single JSON array to the Key-Value Store key “OUTPUT”.

8. Export results

   • Dataset: export to CSV, JSON, or Excel
   • Key-Value Store: download the single JSON array from key “OUTPUT”

Pro tip: Automate runs and pull data via the Apify API to schedule, monitor, and feed downstream pipelines that download Instagram comments, export Instagram comments to CSV/JSON, or sync into analytics tools.

🎯 Use cases

Use case	Description
Social listening & sentiment	Monitor audience tone and topics by scraping IG post comments at scale for brand and campaign tracking.
UGC mining & trend research	Extract comments from Instagram posts to surface ideas, product feedback, and emerging trends.
Influencer & campaign analysis	Compare engagement across posts/reels by aggregating comments, likesCount, and repliesCount.
Community management	Highlight FAQs and high-impact feedback to streamline responses and improve engagement.
Competitor monitoring	Track competitor posts’ comments to benchmark sentiment and messaging impact.
Data science & NLP	Build labeled datasets for sentiment or topic models with structured fields (text, timestamp, owner).
Academic & market research	Perform longitudinal studies on public discourse using exportable Instagram comments datasets.
API pipelines & automation	Orchestrate bulk Instagram comments downloader workflows and feed CSV/JSON exports into BI or CRM systems.

💎 Why choose Instagram Comments Scraper?

This Instagram comment scraper tool prioritizes precision, automation, and reliability for production workflows.

• 🎯 Accurate, structured extraction with replies for deeper context
• 📚 Batch-ready input (directUrls) to scrape IG post and Reels comments in bulk
• 🔌 Developer-friendly outputs: Dataset per-record + Key-Value Store single JSON array (“OUTPUT”)
• 🧰 Works seamlessly with the Apify API for automation and data delivery
• 🛡️ Smart proxy fallback and sessionId support to improve reliability when platforms block direct requests
• 🧭 Clear sorting/limits behavior to keep runs predictable (popular sorting; caps on comments/replies)
• 🧱 More reliable than browser extensions or unstable scripts — built as a compact Apify actor

In short, it’s a production-grade Instagram comments scraper online that delivers clean, consistent outputs for analytics and automation.

⚖️ Is it legal / ethical to use Instagram Comments Scraper?

Yes — when done responsibly. This actor is intended to collect publicly available Instagram comments for research and analysis.

Guidelines:

• Only extract publicly visible content.
• Avoid collecting private or sensitive information.
• Comply with Instagram’s Terms of Service and applicable data protection laws (e.g., GDPR/CCPA).
• Use your own session cookie and respect rate limits and platform access policies.
• Consult your legal team for edge cases or jurisdiction-specific rules.

🧩 Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

{
  "directUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/"
  ],
  "maxComments": 25,
  "maxReplies": 5,
  "sessionId": "YOUR_SESSIONID_COOKIE_HERE",
  "includeNestedComments": true,
  "isNewestComments": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

Parameters

Field	Type	Description	Default	Required
directUrls	array	Instagram post or reel URLs (e.g. https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/)	—	No
maxComments	integer	Maximum comments to scrape per URL (1–500)	10	No
maxReplies	integer	Maximum replies per comment (0–50)	5	No
sessionId	string	Instagram sessionid cookie. Required for reliable extraction: without it, doc_id and media_id often cannot be found (Instagram serves different content when unauthenticated). Get it from your browser after logging in to instagram.com.	—	No
includeNestedComments	boolean	Fetch replies for each comment	true	No
isNewestComments	boolean	Kept for compatibility with provided script. Instagram GraphQL here only supports popular sorting.	false	No
proxyConfiguration	object	Optional. Used only when platform blocks direct requests: fallback to datacenter proxy, then residential proxy (3 retries). By default no proxy is used.	—	No

Notes:

• Runtime caps are 500 comments per post and 50 replies per comment for stability.
• Without sessionId, Instagram may present a login wall or omit required identifiers, leading to incomplete or empty results.

Example JSON output

[
  {
    "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/",
    "commentUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/c/17894957058162897",
    "id": "17894957058162897",
    "text": "Someone point me to the Instagram logo ferris wheel NEOW!!",
    "ownerUsername": "sokarlnerry",
    "ownerProfilePicUrl": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/example.jpg",
    "timestamp": "2025-08-29T21:07:02.000Z",
    "repliesCount": 2,
    "replies": [
      {
        "id": "18138927151425955",
        "text": "NO to AI images! YES to human craftsmanship!",
        "ownerUsername": "lizziemontgomerydesign",
        "ownerProfilePicUrl": "https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/example2.jpg",
        "timestamp": "2025-08-29T20:48:20.000Z",
        "repliesCount": 0,
        "replies": [],
        "likesCount": 5,
        "owner": {
          "fbid_v2": "",
          "full_name": "",
          "id": "",
          "is_mentionable": true,
          "is_private": false,
          "is_verified": false,
          "latest_reel_media": 0,
          "profile_pic_id": "",
          "profile_pic_url": "https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/example2.jpg",
          "username": "lizziemontgomerydesign"
        },
        "commentUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/c/17894957058162897/r/18138927151425955"
      }
    ],
    "likesCount": 12,
    "owner": {
      "fbid_v2": "",
      "full_name": "",
      "id": "",
      "is_mentionable": true,
      "is_private": false,
      "is_verified": false,
      "latest_reel_media": 0,
      "profile_pic_id": "",
      "profile_pic_url": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/example.jpg",
      "username": "sokarlnerry"
    }
  }
]

Delivery:

• Dataset: one record per comment, pushed as they are scraped.
• Key-Value Store: key “OUTPUT” contains a single JSON array with the same item shape.

Fields that may be empty/unknown:

• owner.fbid_v2, owner.id, and owner.full_name may be empty when not present in the public response.

❓ FAQ

Do I need to log in or provide cookies?

✅ For reliable extraction, provide your Instagram sessionId in the sessionId input. Without it, Instagram may hide required identifiers (doc_id, media_id) or present a login wall, resulting in partial or empty results.

Can I scrape Instagram Reels comments?

✅ Yes. Provide /reel/ URLs in directUrls to scrape IG Reel comments. Post URLs with /p/ are also supported.

Can I sort comments by newest first?

❌ Not with this actor. The isNewestComments flag is kept for compatibility, but the current GraphQL endpoint here only supports popular sorting.

How many comments and replies can I extract?

📈 You can set maxComments and maxReplies, but the actor caps runs to 500 comments per post and 50 replies per comment for stability.

Does it fetch replies to comments?

✅ Yes. Set includeNestedComments to true and control depth with maxReplies. Replies include id, text, timestamp, likesCount, ownerUsername, and more.

How is the output delivered and how can I export it?

💾 Each comment is pushed to the Apify Dataset during the run, and the full array is saved under Key-Value Store key “OUTPUT”. You can export datasets to CSV, JSON, or Excel or access both storages via the Apify API.

Do I need to use a proxy?

🛡️ Not by default. If the platform blocks requests, enable proxyConfiguration. The actor will fallback to Apify datacenter and then residential proxies with up to 3 retries.

Is there a way to automate and integrate with my stack?

🔌 Yes. Use the Apify API to trigger runs, fetch the Dataset or the “OUTPUT” JSON, and integrate with pipelines that download Instagram comments or export to CSV for BI/CRM systems.

Is there a free trial?

🎟️ Apify provides trial minutes, and this actor’s listing includes trial time (e.g., 120 minutes). Check the actor’s page on Apify for current plan details before running large jobs.

🚀 Final thoughts

Instagram Comments Scraper is built to extract structured Instagram comment data — complete with replies — from post and reel URLs at scale. Configure limits, add your sessionId for reliability, and stream clean records to the Dataset plus a single-file JSON for fast export. Marketers, developers, analysts, and researchers can automate Instagram comment scraping, export Instagram comments to CSV/JSON, or pull data via API for sentiment and campaign insights. Start today and power automated Instagram comment data extraction with a workflow-ready, production-grade tool.