Reddit Search API

Reddit Search API is a reddit search api that executes one keyword query across communities returned by Reddit search and returns 52-field post records with configurable ordering, time windows, media, polls, crossposts, and optional comments. The user supplies no Reddit OAuth credential or Reddit application key.

• Five explicit required inputs define the query, source sort, source time window, post limit, and retained comment depth.
• 52 top-level Dataset fields preserve post, author, community, engagement, state, media, poll, relationship, and provenance values.
• Source boundaries remain visible: requested limits can return less, unavailable fields stay null, and comments retained can be fewer than comments collected when the event budget is reached.
• The same renewable energy input is used below for Console, API, MCP, and Dataset inspection.

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For a smaller post-only check, request one post and set max_comments to 0. One minimum Actor Start plus one FREE-tier Result is configured at $0.01650; set a maximum total charge before scaling.

What does Reddit Search API do?

Reddit Search API sends a keyword, sort mode, and time window to Reddit's search surface and stores each returned post as one structured Dataset row. It supports questions that begin with a subject, product, organization, event, or phrase instead of a known username or single known community.

The returned row combines source text and identifiers with public community context, source-reported engagement, media references, video properties, gallery items, polls, crosspost relationships, duplicate target links, state flags, and processing provenance. When comments are requested, the Actor attaches a bounded structured array to the corresponding post.

The Actor does not predict virality, classify sentiment, verify author identity, recover deleted content, or turn Reddit scores into audited vote counts. Those decisions belong in a downstream workflow that can record its assumptions.

How do I run Reddit Search API?

Open the Actor input page, enter the query, choose the ordering and time window, and start with small numeric limits. The public prefill below completed in an isolated built-image run in 93.35 seconds and returned two Dataset items:

{
  "keyword": "renewable energy",
  "sort_by": "top",
  "time_filter": "year",
  "max_posts": 2,
  "max_comments": 1
}

All five fields are required. Set max_comments to 0 when post-level records are enough. After completion, inspect the original URLs and the fields your downstream system will rely on before raising either limit.

What data does Reddit Search API return?

Each result is one Dataset row with 52 documented top-level fields.

Field group	Fields	Purpose
Community	subreddit, subreddit_id, subreddit_type, subreddit_subscribers	Identifies the community and its source-reported audience context
Post and author	id, url, title, body, flair_text, created, edited, author, author_id, author_flair	Identifies the post, text, timestamps, and author
Engagement and spread	score, score_hidden, upvote_ratio, comment_count, crossposts, crosspost_id, crosspost_url, duplicates	Preserves source response and cross-community relationships
State	archived, locked, stickied, over_18, spoiler, original, removed_by, gilded, distinguished, categories	Records available moderation and classification state
Media	media_type, domain, thumbnail, images, gallery, media_url, video_url, video_duration, video_width, video_height, video_bitrate, has_audio, is_gif, is_self, is_video, is_gallery	Describes linked, image, gallery, and Reddit-hosted video content
Discussion and polls	poll, comments	Stores poll options/totals/end time and retained nested comments
Provenance	processor, processed_at	Records runtime attribution and processing time

This abbreviated row came from the renewable energy prefill run:

{
  "subreddit": "cats",
  "subreddit_id": "2qhta",
  "id": "1td5abq",
  "author": "belltown99",
  "created": "2026-05-14T17:35:25+00:00",
  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/1td5abq/kittens_in_storm_drain_successfully_rescued/",
  "title": "Kittens in storm drain successfully rescued. Thanks, everyone!",
  "score": 56976,
  "upvote_ratio": 0.98,
  "comment_count": 754,
  "crossposts": 2,
  "media_url": "https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1td5abq",
  "duplicates": [
    "https://www.reddit.com/r/topofreddit/comments/1td7cw4/kittens_in_storm_drain_successfully_rescued/"
  ],
  "comments": [],
  "processed_at": "2026-08-12T11:33:52+00:00"
}

Reddit can approximate, hide, or change engagement values. Nulls and empty arrays are normal when a field is unavailable, inapplicable, deleted, or not retained by the requested event budget.

What inputs can I configure?

All five inputs are required and follow the schema order below.

Input	Type and range	Effect	Prefill
keyword	Non-empty string, up to 512 characters	Query sent to Reddit search	renewable energy
sort_by	relevance, hot, top, new, or comments	Requests Reddit's ordering	top
time_filter	all, hour, day, week, month, or year	Restricts the source search window	year
max_posts	Integer, minimum 1	Maximum Dataset post rows requested	2
max_comments	Integer, minimum 0	Maximum comments retained per post; 0 skips comment requests	1

The schema imposes no numeric maximum. Both values are request boundaries, not availability promises. In one broad-query probe, asking for 300 and 1,000 posts produced the same 230 unique posts because the source ended after three pages.

What platforms and markets does Reddit Search API cover?

This Actor covers public post records exposed by Reddit search across the communities Reddit returns for the query. It has no country input and makes no promise of complete geographic, language, community, historical, or demographic coverage.

It is not a general web search engine, private-community access tool, deleted-content recovery service, live firehose, or subreddit-specific crawler. Use a related community Actor when a known subreddit is the primary key.

Why use Reddit Search API?

The main advantage is a repeatable, reviewable input and output contract around topic search. A saved run records the exact keyword, ordering, time window, and numeric boundaries used for the snapshot.

Dataset exports remove the need to parse a visual Reddit page, while API, schedule, webhook, and MCP entry points make it easier to pass records into an approved system. Optional comments let a post-only workflow avoid discussion work while still supporting bounded thread context when needed.

Use the Actor as one evidence source. Ranking changes, moderation, deletions, source availability, and sampling bias can affect the result set.

Who is Reddit Search API for?

• Developers building bounded ingestion, classification, or alerting workflows.
• Researchers collecting a topic sample with original source URLs.
• Product and support teams reviewing public discussion around a phrase.
• Analysts comparing source ordering or engagement across scheduled snapshots.
• Trust and safety teams working under an appropriate policy and legal basis.

It is not designed for harassment, deanonymization, credential collection, access-control evasion, or unreviewed high-stakes decisions about individuals.

How can I use Reddit Search API through the API or MCP?

The Actor can run from Console, Apify API, schedules, webhooks, or an MCP-capable client. Its Actor ID is Xzx9cQ28OerGtBV3o; the full name is truefetch/reddit-search-api.

For a synchronous Dataset response:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/truefetch~reddit-search-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"keyword":"renewable energy","sort_by":"top","time_filter":"year","max_posts":2,"max_comments":1}'

Equivalent JSON body:

{
  "keyword": "renewable energy",
  "sort_by": "top",
  "time_filter": "year",
  "max_posts": 2,
  "max_comments": 1
}

For MCP, connect an authorized client through the official Apify MCP integration, expose truefetch/reddit-search-api, inspect the current input schema, and send the same bounded object. Keep tokens in environment variables or a secret manager.

How much does Reddit Search API cost?

Reddit Search API uses pay-per-event pricing. One start event applies to a run, one Result event applies to each returned Dataset post, and a Comment event applies to each comment retained inside a post result.

Event	FREE	BRONZE	SILVER	GOLD / PLATINUM / DIAMOND
Actor Start, minimum	$0.01000	$0.01000	$0.01000	$0.01000
Result, per returned post	$0.00650	$0.00585	$0.00520	$0.00488
Retained Comment	$0.00125	$0.00113	$0.00100	$0.00094

A no-result run can still incur the start event. Requested caps can multiply Result and Comment events, so confirm the live pricing page, use maxTotalChargeUsd, and begin with a small run.

How does Reddit Search API compare with alternatives?

Choose the access path that fits the workflow and authorization model.

Alternative	Best when	Trade-off
Reddit Data API	You have OAuth credentials and the permissions required for your use	Official access surface; commercial uses may require approval or a contract under Reddit's data access guidance
Reddit Viral Scraper by AgentX	Your research language centers on viral/topic discovery	Same source capability with AgentX positioning and a different price
Reddit Community Post	The subreddit is already known	Community-first rather than keyword-first collection
Manual Reddit search	You need a few results once	No stable Dataset, scheduling, API, or processing provenance

This Actor is not Reddit's official API and is not affiliated with Reddit.

What are the limits and troubleshooting steps?

• No results: broaden the keyword or time window, try another sort, and retry later if the run reports temporary source unavailability.
• Fewer rows than requested: the cap cannot extend Reddit's source inventory; a measured broad search stopped at 230.
• Slow comment runs: set max_comments to 0 or a small value. A built-image 2,000-comment probe completed in about 24 seconds, but network and source conditions vary.
• Collected but empty comments: an event budget can retain fewer comments than were collected; the terminal status reports both quantities.
• Null media or author fields: text-only posts, deleted authors, and source state expose different values. The Actor does not invent replacements.
• Changed repeated results: source rankings and engagement can change between runs with identical input.
• Charge limit reached: lower post/comment limits or raise the maximum total charge only after reviewing the live price.

Report a reproducible issue with the run ID, exact five-field input, expected behavior, and observed status. Remove tokens and unrelated personal information before sharing logs.

Frequently asked questions

How do I scrape reddit search results?

Send one keyword with a sort mode, time window, post cap, and comment cap; each matching source post becomes one 52-field Dataset row.

Can I use a reddit search api without api key setup?

Yes. The user supplies no Reddit application key or OAuth credential; an Apify account and token are still required for API-based Actor runs.

Can I restrict the search to one subreddit?

No subreddit input is exposed. Use Reddit Community Post when one known community is the target.

Are comments required?

No. Set max_comments to 0 to skip comment network requests and return post-level data only.

Does one result equal one unique topic?

No. Multiple posts can discuss the same subject, and duplicates can list other posts sharing the same target link. Apply a downstream identity rule that matches your use case.

Are scores exact vote counts?

No. Reddit can fuzz, hide, or change displayed engagement values; treat them as source-reported observations at processed_at.

Can I request one million posts?

The schema has no configured maximum, but the source, runtime, event budget, and platform limits still apply. A larger number does not create more source inventory.

Related TrueFetch Actors

• Reddit User Profile for one known username and optional activity.
• Reddit Community Profile for identity, audience, rules, and settings of a known subreddit.
• Reddit Community Post for post collection from a known subreddit.

Support

Use the Actor issue page for a reproducible technical problem. For general questions, contact TrueFetch community support. Review Apify MCP documentation for client setup and authentication.

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Last Updated: August 15, 2026