Reddit Comments Scraper

What does Reddit Comments Scraper do?

Reddit Comments Scraper collects available comments from public Reddit threads through the Arctic Shift public Reddit data API and returns the existing structured dataset with author details, scores, timestamps, threading depth, flair, moderation flags, and post context. Provide a Reddit post URL and set a comment limit. The output works with JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, and connected platforms for research, monitoring, or data pipelines.

Why use Reddit Comments Scraper?

• Fast comment collection - Collect available comments from a public Reddit post through a dedicated Reddit data provider.
• Rich per-comment metadata - Each record includes author, score, timestamps, depth, parent references, flair, moderation flags, awards, and post context.
• Automation-ready output - Export results to JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or send them through webhooks, Google Sheets, Make, or Zapier.
• No Reddit credentials required - The Actor uses Arctic Shift, a separate public Reddit data service, without Reddit cookies, login state, or Reddit API credentials.
• Schedule-friendly - Run on demand or set recurring schedules to track discussions over time.

What data can you extract from Reddit?

Field	Description
id	Reddit comment ID
author	Comment author or [deleted]
body	Comment text or [removed]
score	Comment score
depth	Reply depth in the thread
permalink	Direct URL to the comment
post_title	Parent post title
subreddit	Subreddit name
created_at	ISO timestamp
stickied	Whether the comment is stickied

How to use Reddit Comments Scraper

1. Open the Actor on Apify Store.
2. Paste a public Reddit post URL into the Reddit Post URL field.
3. Set the Maximum number of comments (optional, defaults to 20).
4. Choose proxy settings (Apify Residential Proxy is the default).
5. Click Start and wait for the extraction to complete.
6. Download the dataset or connect it to your workflow.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrl	String	Yes	-	Full URL of the Reddit thread to collect comments from
results_wanted	Integer	No	20	Maximum number of unique comments to collect; 0 skips comment requests
skipComments	Boolean	No	false	Skip all comment requests
sort	String	No	desc	Comment order: desc for newest first or asc for oldest first
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	Apify Residential Proxy	Proxy settings for reliable collection

Output Data

Field	Type	Description
id	String	Reddit comment ID
comment_fullname	String	Full Reddit thing name
author	String	Comment author or [deleted]
author_fullname	String	Reddit fullname for the author
body	String	Comment text or [removed]
body_html	String	Comment body in HTML format
score	Number	Comment score
ups	Number	Upvote count
downs	Number	Downvote count
created_utc	Number	Unix timestamp
created_at	String	ISO timestamp
edited	Boolean or Number	Edit status or timestamp
depth	Number	Reply depth in the thread
parent_id	String	Parent thing ID
parent_comment_id	String	Parent comment ID
parent_type	String	Parent type (t1 for comment, t3 for post)
link_id	String	Parent post fullname
permalink	String	Absolute URL to the comment
subreddit	String	Subreddit name
subreddit_id	String	Subreddit ID
subreddit_name_prefixed	String	Prefixed name like r/AskReddit
subreddit_type	String	Subreddit visibility type
post_id	String	Parent post ID
post_title	String	Parent post title
post_author	String	Parent post author
post_permalink	String	Parent post URL
is_submitter	Boolean	Author is the post creator
distinguished	String	Mod or admin distinction
stickied	Boolean	Comment is stickied
locked	Boolean	Comment is locked
archived	Boolean	Comment is archived
collapsed	Boolean	Comment is collapsed
controversiality	Number	Controversiality score
score_hidden	Boolean	Score visibility
gilded	Number	Legacy gild count
total_awards_received	Number	Total awards
all_awardings_count	Number	Award entry count
author_premium	Boolean	Premium status
author_is_blocked	Boolean	Blocked status
author_flair_text	String	Flair text
author_flair_type	String	Flair type
author_flair_text_color	String	Flair text color
author_flair_background_color	String	Flair background color
comment_type	String	Comment classification
treatment_tags	Array	Reddit treatment tags
retrieval_source	String	Source (arctic_shift)
source_url	String	Input thread URL

Usage Examples

Basic Extraction

Collect 20 comments from a single Reddit thread:

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1pqgcx9/whats_the_most_unexpected_way_someone_you_know/",
  "results_wanted": 20,
  "sort": "desc"
}

Larger Collection

Increase the limit for threads with active discussions:

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.reddit.com/r/webscraping/comments/1qs66k0/couldnt_find_proxy_directory_with_filters_so/",
  "results_wanted": 200
}

With Residential Proxies

Use Apify Residential Proxy for more reliable runs across many threads:

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1pqgcx9/whats_the_most_unexpected_way_someone_you_know/",
  "results_wanted": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

Sample Output

{
  "id": "nuuw9it",
  "comment_fullname": "t1_nuuw9it",
  "author": "Agua_Frecuentemente",
  "body": "The guy who invented Smartfood lives in my town.",
  "score": 2851,
  "created_utc": 1766150326,
  "created_at": "2025-12-19T18:25:26.000Z",
  "depth": 0,
  "parent_id": "t3_1pqgcx9",
  "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1pqgcx9/whats_the_most_unexpected_way_someone_you_know/nuuw9it/",
  "subreddit": "AskReddit",
  "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/AskReddit",
  "post_id": "1pqgcx9",
  "post_title": "What's the most unexpected way someone you know became wealthy?",
  "is_submitter": false,
  "stickied": false,
  "locked": false,
  "archived": false,
  "retrieval_source": "arctic_shift",
  "source_url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1pqgcx9/whats_the_most_unexpected_way_someone_you_know/"
}

Tips for Best Results

• Use public Reddit thread URLs only. Subreddit feeds, search pages, and private posts are not supported.
• Start with a small results_wanted value to verify the thread loads correctly before scaling up.
• Larger threads (500+ comments) may need a higher limit to capture more discussion data.
• Residential proxies help maintain stable runs when collecting from many threads or high-traffic posts.
• Some fields may be empty when the source does not publish that information. Check multiple results before assuming the Actor failed.

Integrations

• Google Sheets - Export comment data to spreadsheets for analysis.
• Webhooks - Send run results to downstream systems after each completion.
• Make or Zapier - Connect results to no-code automations and workflows.
• API - Access datasets programmatically from your own applications.
• Export formats - JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, and other Apify-supported formats.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many comments can I collect from a single thread?

The results_wanted parameter sets the maximum number of comments for the selected post. Use sort: "desc" for newest-first comments or sort: "asc" for oldest-first comments. The Actor paginates through Arctic Shift results until that limit is reached or the provider has no more available comments.

Does this collect nested replies or just top-level comments?

It can include both top-level comments and nested replies when Arctic Shift has them available. The depth field preserves each comment's position in the reply tree, and the parent_id and parent_comment_id fields let you reconstruct the thread structure.

How are duplicate comments handled?

The Actor deduplicates by comment ID and merges additional fields into a single record per ID. This prevents duplicates when Reddit returns the same comment through multiple expansion calls.

What happens when a comment author is deleted or the body is removed?

Deleted authors are replaced with [deleted] and removed bodies with [removed]. All other fields remain intact so your dataset stays usable even when Reddit's moderation removes content.

How long does a typical run take?

Arctic Shift is a separate public data service and may not contain the newest Reddit comments immediately. Run duration depends on the requested limit, provider response, and pagination depth; the source is not guaranteed to be real-time.

Can I scrape private or restricted communities?

No. The Actor is designed for public Reddit threads only. Private communities and quarantined subreddits require authorization that this tool does not support.

Do I need an API key or authentication?

No API key or Reddit account login is required. The Actor works with public Reddit thread URLs directly.

What should I do if some fields are missing in the output?

Some fields may be empty when the source page does not publish that information. Check multiple results before assuming the Actor failed. If you consistently see missing data for fields that should exist, report it through the Issues tab.

Related Actors

• Reddit Community Scraper - Extract posts, listings, and metadata from subreddits and Reddit communities.
• YouTube Comments Scraper - Collect comments, replies, author details, and engagement metrics from YouTube videos.
• Instagram Post Comments Scraper - Extract comments, likes, replies, and user profiles from Instagram posts.
• Hacker News Data Scraper - Collect stories, comments, and job postings from Hacker News categories.

Support

For issues, feature requests, or custom Actor work, use the Issues tab on the Actor page or contact the developer through Apify.

Legal Notice

This Actor is designed for legitimate data collection from publicly available Reddit threads. Users are responsible for using the data responsibly and complying with applicable laws, Reddit's terms of service, and privacy rules.