Instagram Posts Scraper

Instagram Posts Scraper

Scrape Instagram posts from any profile, reel, or post URL, up to a million per run. Every post comes with its caption, timestamp, media type, and engagement metrics. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Instagram's official API requires app approval, rate limits, and OAuth tokens. This scraper reads public post feeds directly from user profiles, reels, or individual post URLs, filtered by media type and date, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

Who uses it	What they scrape Instagram for
Social media managers	Track a brand's post performance and engagement over time.
Market researchers	Analyze competitor content strategies and audience reactions.
Influencer marketers	Evaluate potential partners by their post history and engagement rates.
Data analysts	Build datasets of Instagram content for trend analysis or machine learning.

What it does

This Actor collects Instagram posts by profile username, profile URL, reel URL, or post URL, and returns each one as a flat row with caption, timestamp, media type, and engagement data.

• 📊 Media type filter: Choose images, videos, reels, or carousels only.
• 📅 Date filter: Limit results to posts from a specific date range, absolute or relative.
• 🔢 Post limits: Set max posts per profile and total across all profiles.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Instagram data

📈 Monitor brand post performance.

A social media manager runs the scraper on their brand's profile weekly to track engagement trends and adjust content strategy.

🔍 Analyze competitor content.

A market researcher scrapes competitor profiles to see what post types and captions drive the most engagement.

🤝 Evaluate influencer partners.

An influencer marketer scrapes a candidate's profile to review post history, engagement rates, and content quality before signing a deal.

📊 Build training datasets.

A data scientist collects thousands of Instagram posts with captions and media types to train a content classification model.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No login required	Scrape public Instagram posts without any authentication.
Flexible input	Accept usernames, profile URLs, or direct post/reel URLs.
Media type filter	Get only images, videos, reels, or carousels.
Date filter	Limit results to posts from a specific date range.

How it compares

Compared to other Instagram scrapers on Apify, this actor focuses specifically on posts with flexible media type and date filters.

Feature	ParseForge	Instagram Scraper	Instagram Reel Scraper	Instagram Profile Scraper
Scrapes posts from profiles	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Scrapes reels	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not listed
Media type filter (image/video/reel/carousel)	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Date filter	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Scrapes profile metadata (bio, followers)	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Downloads reel video files	Not listed	Not listed	Yes	Not listed
Scrapes comments	Not listed	Yes	Yes	Not listed

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from Instagram usernames, profile URLs, or post/reel URLs, alone or together, and filters run as each post is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/"
  ],
  "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.1 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$10.00
1,000 results	$100.00
10,000 results	$1000.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the Instagram Posts Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Instagram through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/instagram-posts-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that the profile is public and the username or URL is correct. Also verify that the date filter is not excluding all posts.

The scraper stops early or returns fewer posts than expected.

Check your maxItems and maxItemsTotal limits. Free accounts are capped at 10 posts per profile and 10 total.

Can I scrape posts from a hashtag or location?

No. This scraper only supports profile URLs, post URLs, and reel URLs. For hashtag or location scraping, consider a different actor.

The date filter is not working as expected.

Ensure the date is in YYYY-MM-DD format or a valid relative string like '2 months'. All times are UTC.

I get an error about invalid URL format.

Make sure your input is a valid Instagram username, profile URL (https://instagram.com/username), or post/reel URL (https://instagram.com/p/... or /reel/...).

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need an Instagram account or login?	No. The scraper reads public posts without any authentication. You only need the profile username or URL.
Can I scrape private profiles?	No. Only public profiles are accessible. Private profiles require login, which this scraper does not support.
What is the difference between maxItems and maxItemsTotal?	maxItems limits posts per profile, while maxItemsTotal limits the total across all profiles. Both can be set simultaneously.
How do I filter by date?	Use the dateFilter field with an absolute date (e.g., 2024-01-15) or a relative one (e.g., 3 months). Only posts after that date are returned.
Can I scrape reels only?	Yes. Set mediaTypeFilter to 'reel' to get only reels from the profile.
What export formats are available?	You can export results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML directly from the Apify platform.
Is there a limit on how many posts I can scrape?	Free users are limited to 10 posts per profile and 10 total. Paid users can scrape up to 1,000,000 per profile and total.
Can I scrape posts from multiple profiles at once?	Yes. Provide multiple usernames or URLs in the startUrls field, and the scraper will process them all.
Does the scraper handle carousel posts?	Yes. Carousel posts are returned as a single post entry with the media type 'carousel'.
What data does each post include?	Each post includes caption, timestamp, media type, engagement metrics (likes, comments), and more. The full field list is shown in the dataset preview.

Related actors

• instagram-reel-scraper: Use this if you only need reels and want to download the video files.
• instagram-profile-scraper: Use this if you need profile metadata (bio, follower count, etc.) rather than individual posts.

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.