# Reddit Scraper & Keyword Monitor (`tacps126/reddit-monitor`) Actor

Scrape Reddit posts and comments by keyword, subreddit or user — title, text, author, subreddit, links, dates. Built for brand and topic monitoring: schedule it and get only new mentions. Fast, low-cost, no login. From $1 per 1,000 posts and comments.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tacps126/reddit-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [Tapaswai Ashok Choudhary](https://apify.com/tacps126) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.80 / 1,000 post or comments

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?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Reddit Scraper & Keyword Monitor

Find what Reddit is saying about your brand, product, competitors or topic. Collect **posts and comments** by **keyword**, **subreddit** or **user** — title, text, author, subreddit, links, images and dates — as a clean dataset. Schedule it and get **only new mentions**, straight to Slack, e-mail or a spreadsheet. No Reddit account or API keys needed.

**Built for** marketers and brand managers, PR and community teams, founders listening for feedback and leads, and researchers tracking discussions.

### Why this scraper

- **Made for monitoring.** Turn on *Only new posts and comments*, schedule it hourly or daily, and each run delivers just the mentions you haven't seen — you pay only for those.
- **Search, subreddits and users in one run.** Search all of Reddit for your keywords, search within chosen subreddits, follow subreddits' latest posts, or a user's submissions.
- **Comments too.** Optionally collect each post's comments, each linked to its post.
- **Less noise.** Require or exclude words, skip bots and your own accounts, set a start date, and choose text discussions or link posts — filtered-out items are free.
- **Fast and cheap to run.** A small native program — no browser — that runs in 256 MB; 100 posts take a couple of seconds.
- **Handles Reddit's limits for you.** Reddit only allows a few requests per minute from one address. The Actor waits exactly as long as Reddit asks, and with the (default) residential proxy it rotates addresses so runs stay fast.
- **Never loses or double-bills work.** Results are saved as each source finishes; if a run is moved to another server it resumes without charging twice, and it stops cleanly at your maximum charge.

### How to use it

1. Add **Keywords** (e.g. your brand name), and/or **Subreddits** and **Users**.
2. Choose **Sort by** and **Time range**; tick **Include comments** if you want them. Use the **Filters** to require or exclude words, skip authors like AutoModerator, set a start date, or keep only text or link posts.
3. Keep the **residential proxy** on for speed, and press **Start**.

#### Example input

```json
{
  "keywords": ["\"your brand\"", "competitor name"],
  "subreddits": ["startups", "SaaS"],
  "sort": "new",
  "time": "week",
  "includeComments": true,
  "onlyNew": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] }
}
```

### What you get

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `type` | `post` or `comment` |
| `id` / `url` | Reddit id and link to the post or comment |
| `subreddit` / `author` | Where it was posted and by whom |
| `title` | Post title (posts) |
| `text` | Post body or comment text (plain text) |
| `link` / `thumbnail` | The external link or image a post shares, and its preview image |
| `postId` / `postTitle` | For comments: the post they belong to |
| `publishedAt` | When it was posted (ISO 8601) |
| `source` | Which keyword, subreddit or user found it |
| `scrapedAt` | When it was collected |

Example:

```json
{
  "type": "post",
  "id": "1wta476",
  "subreddit": "MCPservers",
  "author": "Impressive-Owl3830",
  "title": "allMCPservers now lists all official MCP servers",
  "text": "As MCP servers community is growing, we have added few more tools …",
  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/MCPservers/comments/1wta476/…",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-29T13:28:01+00:00",
  "source": { "keyword": "apify" }
}
```

Vote scores and comment counts aren't included.

### Mention alerts on a schedule

Turn on **Only new posts and comments** and schedule the Actor. Each run returns only new items — connect Slack, e-mail, Google Sheets, Zapier or Make to get alerts where your team works.

### Use it as an instant API

The Actor also runs in **Standby mode** — an always-ready endpoint that returns results straight in the response. Find the URL on the **Standby** tab:

```bash
curl "https://<standby-url>/?q=apify&maxItems=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>"
```

### Pricing

Pay per result: about **$1 per 1,000 posts or comments** (lower on higher Apify plans) plus a tiny start fee; duplicates and already-delivered items are free. Residential proxy traffic is billed by Apify separately and is small — about 0.4 MB per 100 posts. See the **Pricing** tab, and set a maximum charge per run to cap spend.

On Apify's **free plan** each run returns up to 300 results — enough to try everything. Any paid Apify plan removes the limit.

### FAQ

**Do I need the proxy?** No, but without it Reddit allows only about one request per minute, so each keyword, subreddit or post with comments adds a minute. Keep it on for anything beyond a quick test.

**How far back can I go?** Reddit's listings go back about 1,000 posts per source; use *Time range* and *Top* for older highlights.

**Is it legal?** The Actor collects publicly posted content. Follow Reddit's terms and the privacy rules that apply to you when you use it.

### Support

Found a problem or need a field that isn't there yet? Open an issue on the **Issues** tab — requests genuinely decide what gets built next.

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Search all of Reddit for these — brand names, products, topics. `"exact phrase"` works.

## `subreddits` (type: `array`):

Subreddit names or links, e.g. `webscraping`, `r/python`. Their latest posts are collected.

## `searchInSubreddits` (type: `boolean`):

Search the keywords only within the listed subreddits (instead of collecting their latest posts).

## `users` (type: `array`):

Usernames or profile links — their submitted posts are collected.

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Order of posts.

## `time` (type: `string`):

For searches and “Top”: only posts from this period.

## `mustInclude` (type: `array`):

Keep only posts/comments whose title or text mentions any of these — useful to cut noise from broad subreddits.

## `excludeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Drop posts/comments mentioning any of these, e.g. `hiring`, `meme`.

## `excludeAuthors` (type: `array`):

Ignore these users, e.g. `AutoModerator` or your own team's accounts.

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Only posts and comments from this date on.

## `postType` (type: `string`):

Keep only text discussions, or only posts that share a link or image.

## `includeComments` (type: `boolean`):

Also collect each post's comments (one extra request per post).

## `maxCommentsPerPost` (type: `integer`):

Comments to collect per post.

## `maxPostsPerSource` (type: `integer`):

Posts to collect from each source.

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

Maximum posts and comments in total.

## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`):

Return only posts and comments no earlier run with the same input has delivered — for brand and keyword alerts. You pay only for new ones.

## `monitorName` (type: `string`):

Optional name for the “only new” history, so several monitors can run side by side.

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

Residential proxy recommended: without it Reddit allows only about one request per minute, so larger runs are slow. Proxy traffic is small (about 0.4 MB per 100 posts).

## `tenantId` (type: `string`):

Optional label used to keep separate histories for different clients or teams.

## `debug` (type: `boolean`):

Save extra diagnostics with the run (for support requests).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "apify"
  ],
  "subreddits": [
    "webscraping"
  ],
  "searchInSubreddits": false,
  "sort": "new",
  "time": "week",
  "excludeAuthors": [
    "AutoModerator"
  ],
  "postType": "any",
  "includeComments": false,
  "maxCommentsPerPost": 50,
  "maxPostsPerSource": 100,
  "maxItems": 500,
  "onlyNew": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  },
  "debug": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `items` (type: `string`):

Every post and comment found, in one format.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Counts, warnings, and whether the run stopped early.

# 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 = {
    "keywords": [
        "apify"
    ],
    "subreddits": [
        "webscraping"
    ],
    "excludeAuthors": [
        "AutoModerator"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tacps126/reddit-monitor").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 = {
    "keywords": ["apify"],
    "subreddits": ["webscraping"],
    "excludeAuthors": ["AutoModerator"],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tacps126/reddit-monitor").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 '{
  "keywords": [
    "apify"
  ],
  "subreddits": [
    "webscraping"
  ],
  "excludeAuthors": [
    "AutoModerator"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call tacps126/reddit-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tacps126/reddit-monitor"
        }
    }
}
```

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/fzYsQiQtmwxktt0Yt/builds/tUb9xSpxJKNXNWg8t/openapi.json