# Instagram Trends Scraper — Trending Keywords & Rising Profiles (`yugenox/instagram-trends-scraper`) Actor

Instagram's own Trends board in one run: ~400 ranked trending keywords with post counts and a featured reel, rising profiles with follower counts, and trending categories — optionally with the top posts of each keyword. No login.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-trends-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Yugenox Corp](https://apify.com/yugenox) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing, For creators
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 28.6% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.10 / 1,000 results

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 Trends — Trending Keywords, Post Counts & Rising Profiles

Instagram publishes its own Trends board at [instagram.com/popular](https://www.instagram.com/popular/). This Actor returns the whole board as data in a single run, with no login:

- **Trending keywords**, each with its rank, how many posts Instagram holds for it, a thumbnail and a featured reel.
- **Rising profiles** ("Profiles to look out for"), each with follower count and verified badge.
- **Categories** people browse, plus themed boards: pop culture, get inspired, learn something new, and shop the trends.

The full board is about 400 ranked entries across 8 sections. Optionally, the Actor also collects the top public posts for every trending keyword.

### What you can use it for

- **Content and social teams:** catch a trend on day one, with the top reels already making it.
- **Brands and agencies:** a daily feed of what's rising for briefs, newsjacking and ad angles.
- **Influencer scouts:** Instagram's own list of rising profiles, with follower counts.
- **Analysts:** run it on a schedule and track each keyword's rank and post count over time.

### Input

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `sections` | Which parts of the board to return (default: all 8). |
| `postsPerKeyword` | Also collect this many top posts for each trending keyword (0–60, default 0). |
| `newerThan` | With `postsPerKeyword`: only posts after a date or within a period (`7 days`). |
| `maxItems` | Hard cap on rows, counting trend entries and posts (default 1,000). |

```json
{ "sections": ["TRENDING_NOW"], "postsPerKeyword": 3 }
```

### Output

There is one row per board entry. These examples come from a real run on 2026-09-26:

```json
{
  "dataType": "trend",
  "section": "TRENDING_NOW",
  "sectionTitle": "Trending now",
  "rank": 1,
  "kind": "keyword",
  "keyword": "noreaster",
  "postCount": 1220294,
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/popular/noreaster/",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent…",
  "featuredReel": { "code": "DVG4tppAeQ0", "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVG4tppAeQ0/", "videoUrl": "https://scontent…" },
  "profile": null,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-26T…"
}
```

```json
{
  "dataType": "trend",
  "section": "CELEBRITIES",
  "sectionTitle": "Profiles to look out for",
  "rank": 1,
  "kind": "profile",
  "keyword": null,
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/cindycrawford/",
  "profile": { "id": "177759908", "username": "cindycrawford", "fullName": "Cindy Crawford", "followerCount": 8266172, "isVerified": true, "profilePicUrl": "https://scontent…" }
}
```

The eight sections are Trending now, What's happening now, Pop culture moments, Profiles to look out for, Find what you're into (categories), Get inspired, Learn something new, and Shop the trends.

With `postsPerKeyword`, the trend rows come first. They're followed by post rows (likes, comments, plays, caption, media, creator) whose `source` is `{ "type": "trend", "keyword": …, "section": … }`.

### Pricing

**$1.90 per 1,000 rows ($0.0019 each), with volume discounts by Apify plan.** A row is one board entry or one post. These are the same prices as [yugenox/instagram-scraper](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-scraper).

| Your Apify plan (discount tier) | Per row | Per 1,000 rows |
|---|---:|---:|
| Free (FREE) | $0.0019 | $1.90 |
| Starter (BRONZE) | $0.0019 | $1.90 |
| Scale (SILVER) | $0.0015 | $1.50 |
| Business (GOLD) | $0.0011 | $1.10 |
| Enterprise (PLATINUM) | $0.0008 | $0.80 |
| Enterprise (DIAMOND) | $0.0006 | $0.60 |

- **Examples** (Free and Starter prices): a full board snapshot of about 400 rows costs about **$0.76**. Adding 3 posts for each of the 50 "Trending now" keywords adds 150 rows, or $0.29.
- There is no start fee, and your spending limit is respected up front.
- Free Apify plans are limited to 100 rows per run, so a full board needs a paid plan. "Trending now" alone (50 rows) fits.
- The pricing tab also lists `transcript-minute` and `creator-report`. Those are optional add-ons of the shared engine, and trend runs never use them.

### How it compares

| | **This Actor** | s-r / Instagram Trending Scraper | agentx / Instagram Trending Scraper | khadinakbar / Trending Reels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source | **Instagram's own Trends board, all 8 sections** | Instagram trending topics | Explore feed by country | Trending reels sample |
| Rising profiles with follower counts | **Yes (Instagram's own list)** | Creators behind topics | No | No |
| Keyword post counts | **Yes** | Reel counts | No | No |
| Top posts per trend in the same run | **Yes (0–60)** | No | Yes (posts) | Yes (reels) |
| Price | **$0.0019 per row** ($0.0006 on the top tier) | $0.002 per topic | $0.0039 per result + $0.01 start | $0.005 per reel |

Prices are from the Apify Store listings on 2026-09-26, at Free-plan rates.

### FAQ

**Is the board different per country?** No. Instagram's Trends board is global, and it was the same list from the US, India and the UK when we checked. The posts under each keyword come from all over the world.

**How often does it change?** "Trending now" moves within hours. "What's happening now" covers roughly the month. For a time series, schedule the Actor daily or hourly and compare `rank` and `postCount`.

**Why do some keywords have no `postCount`?** Instagram doesn't show a count for every entry, including category entries.

**Do I need an Instagram account?** No. The Trends board and keyword pages are public.

**Is it legal to scrape Instagram?** This Actor only collects publicly available data: posts, reels and profiles from public Instagram accounts, 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, profile details, captions and comments from public 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 profiles you find here, anti-spam laws apply: CASL in Canada, CAN-SPAM in the US, and GDPR/ePrivacy in the EU.

**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. Private accounts are never accessed.

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

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

- **n8n / Make:** use the Apify node, choose "Run Actor and get dataset items" and pick `yugenox/instagram-trends-scraper`. Schedule it daily to post trends to Slack or a Google Sheet.
- **MCP (Claude, Cursor and others):** add `https://mcp.apify.com?actors=yugenox/instagram-trends-scraper` as an MCP server, then ask "what's trending on Instagram today?"

### More Instagram tools

- [Instagram Scraper](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-scraper): posts, reels, profiles, hashtags, locations and audio.
- [Instagram Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-comments-scraper): every public comment, top comments first.
- [Instagram Reels Transcript](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-reels-transcript): spoken words of reels as text, $0.004 per minute.
- [Instagram Influencer Analytics](https://apify.com/yugenox/instagram-creator-analytics): median reel plays, engagement and brand deals per creator.

# Actor input Schema

## `sections` (type: `array`):

Which parts of Instagram's Trends board to return. Leave empty for all eight (~400 entries).

## `postsPerKeyword` (type: `integer`):

Also collect this many of the top public posts for each trending keyword (0 = the board only). Instagram shows up to ~60 posts per keyword to logged-out visitors.

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

With posts per keyword: only posts after a date (YYYY-MM-DD) or within a period such as "7 days".

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

Stop after this many rows (trend entries + posts) — a hard cap on the cost of the run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sections": [
    "TRENDING_NOW"
  ],
  "postsPerKeyword": 0,
  "maxItems": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Every row this run saved, as JSON.

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

The same rows as CSV, ready for a spreadsheet.

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

The same rows narrowed to the key columns (the "trends" 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 = {
    "sections": [
        "TRENDING_NOW"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("yugenox/instagram-trends-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 = { "sections": ["TRENDING_NOW"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("yugenox/instagram-trends-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 '{
  "sections": [
    "TRENDING_NOW"
  ]
}' |
apify call yugenox/instagram-trends-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,yugenox/instagram-trends-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/Hpy0r5DXLtCZGn7x5/builds/QhhZJVdDM6rxwJTob/openapi.json