# Instagram Post Scraper — Posts, Carousels & Reels, No Login (`yugenox/instagram-post-scraper`) Actor

Scrape posts from public Instagram profiles and post links: photos, carousels and reels with likes, comment count, plays, caption, hashtags, mentions, location, media URLs, date and the owner's follower count. Date filter, and monitor mode for new posts only. No login or cookies.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-post-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Yugenox Corp](https://apify.com/yugenox) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing
- **Stats:** 8 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.90 / 1,000 posts

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
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

## Instagram Post Scraper — Posts, Carousels & Reels, No Login

Scrape the posts of any public Instagram profile, or of post links you paste. Photos, carousels and reels all come back as rows with **likes, comment count, plays for videos, caption, hashtags, mentions, location, image and video URLs, the date, and the owner's username and follower count**. You don't need an account, cookies or an API key.

### Why this one

- **Built to finish.** It runs on the same engine as [yugenox/instagram-scraper](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-scraper), and 100 of that Actor's 100 public runs in the 30 days to 2026-10-03 succeeded (Apify Store run stats). Every run ends with the posts it saved and a plain status message. A short timeout, a blocked request or an unexpected error stops the run early and keeps what was read, instead of failing it.
- **The whole timeline, newest first.** Profiles are read from Instagram's own profile grid, with every carousel item, real pinned flags, and play counts on videos.
- **Fast, even with short timeouts.** In a local test with a 20-second timeout, 213 posts from one profile were saved. On Apify, container start-up counts against the timeout, so a very short timeout saves fewer.
- **Only new posts on a schedule.** Monitor mode remembers what earlier runs saved and returns only new posts. Posts you already have are never charged again.
- **No login, no cookies, no account risk.** It only reads what Instagram shows to any visitor.

### Input

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `urls` | Usernames (`nasa`, `@nasa`), profile URLs (the whole timeline, newest first), post or reel URLs (`/p/…/`, `/reel/…/`) or numeric user IDs. A profile's `/reels/` URL scrapes only its reels tab. |
| `maxPosts` | Hard cap on posts for the whole run. This limits your cost. Empty: 100, or `maxPostsPerProfile` × the number of profiles when that is set. |
| `maxPostsPerProfile` | Cap per profile, so one big account can't use up the run. |
| `newerThan` | Only posts after a date (`2026-09-01`) or within a period (`7 days`, `3 months`). On profiles, paging stops at the first older post. |
| `skipPinnedPosts` | Leave out posts pinned to the top of a profile. |
| `monitor`, `monitorKey` | For scheduled runs: return only posts earlier runs didn't save. |

```json
{
  "urls": ["https://www.instagram.com/nasa/", "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHyaYAifb6/"],
  "maxPosts": 50,
  "newerThan": "30 days",
  "skipPinnedPosts": true
}
```

Hashtag, location, keyword, trend and audio pages are not accepted here. Use [yugenox/instagram-scraper](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-scraper) for those.

Inputs written for apify/instagram-post-scraper work here too: `username`, `resultsLimit` (per profile), `onlyPostsNewerThan` and `skipPinnedPosts`.

### Output

Each row is one post. Here is an example row (a carousel), shortened:

```json
{
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHyaYAifb6/",
  "code": "DdHyaYAifb6",
  "createdAt": "2026-09-10T21:20:24.000Z",
  "mediaType": "carousel",
  "caption": "Cementing their names in history. The Artemis III crew is leaving their mark…",
  "hashtags": [],
  "mentions": ["NASAKennedy", "EuropeanSpaceAgency", "Astro_Luca"],
  "likeCount": 120004,
  "commentCount": 978,
  "isPinned": true,
  "image": { "url": "https://scontent…jpg", "width": 1440, "height": 1800 },
  "carousel": [{ "type": "image", "url": "https://scontent…jpg", "videoUrl": null, "width": 1440, "height": 1800 }],
  "carouselCount": 4,
  "video": null,
  "owner": { "username": "nasa", "fullName": "NASA", "isVerified": true, "followerCount": 104294370 },
  "engagementRate": 0.116
}
```

`mediaType` is `image`, `carousel` or `video`. Videos and reels add `video` (`playCount`, `duration`, `url`, `width`, `height`) and `audio`. Rows also carry `location`, `coowners` (collab posts), `taggedUsers`, `isPaidPartnership`, `sponsors`, `accessibilityCaption` and `source` (which of your inputs found the post). `engagementRate` is likes plus comments divided by the owner's followers, in percent.

**Plays:** videos on a profile get Instagram's play count from the profile's reels tab. Instagram doesn't show a play count on a single post's page to logged-out visitors, so for a pasted post or reel URL `video.playCount` is `null`. A video pinned long ago may also be further back than the reels tab is read; the run report notes it.

**Share counts and transcripts are not included.** For the spoken words of reels, use [Instagram Reels Transcript](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-reels-transcript).

### Pricing

**$1.20 per 1,000 posts on the Free and Starter plans, less on bigger plans**, plus a $0.001 start fee per run.

| Your Apify plan (discount tier) | Per post | Per 1,000 posts |
|---|---:|---:|
| Free (FREE) | $0.0012 | $1.20 |
| Starter (BRONZE) | $0.0012 | $1.20 |
| Scale (SILVER) | $0.0010 | $1.00 |
| Business (GOLD) | $0.0009 | $0.90 |
| Enterprise (PLATINUM, DIAMOND) | $0.0009 | $0.90 |

- **Start fee:** $0.001 per run (charged per GB of memory; the default 512 MB is one).
- **You pay only for posts saved.** Posts older than `newerThan`, posts left out by `skipPinnedPosts`, and posts monitor mode already delivered are free.
- **Your spending limit is respected up front.** The run stops at the number of posts your limit covers.
- Free Apify plans are limited to 100 posts per run.
- **Example:** the last 200 posts of 5 profiles (1,000 posts) on Starter cost $1.20 + $0.001.

### FAQ

**Do I need an Instagram account or cookies?** No.

**Does a profile URL include reels?** Yes. The profile timeline has photos, carousels and reels together, newest first, as on Instagram. Paste the profile's `/reels/` URL to get only its reels.

**Why is `playCount` empty for some videos?** A pasted post or reel URL has no play count (see Output), and neither does a video pinned long ago that is further back than the reels tab is read.

**Can I get only the new posts each day?** Yes. Schedule the Actor with `monitor: true` (and a `monitorKey` per watchlist), or with `newerThan: "24 hours"`.

**What about private accounts?** Private accounts are skipped. The run report marks them `private`, and nothing is charged for them.

**Can I get tagged posts or stories?** No. Instagram shows those only to logged-in users.

**Is it legal to scrape Instagram?** This Actor only collects publicly available data: posts from public Instagram accounts and the public profiles of the accounts that posted them, which anyone can see without logging in. Collecting publicly available data is generally legal, but you're responsible for how you use it. Results can include usernames, names, captions and tagged accounts, and that counts as personal data. You must follow privacy laws such as GDPR, PIPEDA and CCPA, as well as Instagram's terms. If you're unsure, check with a lawyer. More on this: [Is web scraping legal?](https://blog.apify.com/is-web-scraping-legal/)

If you contact people you find, anti-spam laws apply: CASL in Canada, CAN-SPAM in the US, and GDPR/ePrivacy in the EU. Get consent before sending commercial messages.

**Does it access any private data?** No. Everything comes from pages Instagram shows to any visitor without logging in. It never uses a login, never touches private or restricted accounts, and never reaches password-protected areas.

### Use it from code, n8n, Make or an AI agent

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/yugenox~instagram-post-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"urls":["https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"],"maxPosts":20}'
```

- **n8n / Make:** use the Apify node, choose "Run Actor and get dataset items" and pick `yugenox/instagram-post-scraper`.
- **MCP (Claude, Cursor and others):** add `https://mcp.apify.com?actors=yugenox/instagram-post-scraper` as an MCP server.

### More Instagram tools

- [Instagram Scraper](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-scraper): posts, reels, profiles, hashtags, locations and audio, with AI summaries.
- [Instagram Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-comments-scraper): every public comment on posts and reels.
- [Instagram Reels Transcript](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-reels-transcript): the spoken words of reels as text, $0.004 per minute.
- [Instagram Trends](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-trends-scraper): Instagram's own trending keywords and rising profiles.
- [Instagram Influencer Analytics](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-creator-analytics): median reel plays, engagement and brand deals per creator.

# Actor input Schema

## `urls` (type: `array`):

Instagram usernames (nasa or @nasa), profile URLs (https://www.instagram.com/nasa/ — the whole timeline: photos, carousels and reels, newest first), post or reel URLs (https://www.instagram.com/p/…/, /reel/…/) or numeric user IDs. A profile's /reels/ URL scrapes only its reels tab.

## `maxPosts` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many posts across the whole run — a hard cap on the cost. Empty: 100, or "Max posts per profile" × the number of profiles when that is set. Free Apify plans get up to 100 per run.

## `maxPostsPerProfile` (type: `integer`):

Cap for each profile, so one big account can't use up the whole run. Leave empty for no per-profile cap.

## `newerThan` (type: `string`):

A date (YYYY-MM-DD) or a period such as "7 days", "2 weeks" or "3 months". On profiles, paging stops at the first older post, so old posts cost nothing.

## `skipPinnedPosts` (type: `boolean`):

Leave out posts pinned to the top of a profile (they are often old).

## `monitor` (type: `boolean`):

For scheduled runs: remember the posts earlier runs saved and return only new ones. Posts already seen are skipped and not charged, and profile paging stops at the newest post delivered last time. The memory is a key-value store in your own Apify account.

## `monitorKey` (type: `string`):

Names this watchlist's memory (letters, digits and dashes). Use a different name for each schedule. Default: "default".

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"
  ],
  "maxPosts": 5,
  "skipPinnedPosts": false,
  "monitor": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Every post this run saved, as JSON.

## `resultsCsv` (type: `string`):

The same posts as CSV, ready for a spreadsheet.

## `resultsTable` (type: `string`):

The same posts narrowed to the key columns (the "posts" view).

# 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 = {
    "urls": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"
    ],
    "maxPosts": 5
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("yugenox/instagram-post-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 = {
    "urls": ["https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"],
    "maxPosts": 5,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("yugenox/instagram-post-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 '{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"
  ],
  "maxPosts": 5
}' |
apify call yugenox/instagram-post-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,yugenox/instagram-post-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/Dur8oarh6lZQbMDHF/builds/C81sIpmwC3tD7aPNb/openapi.json