# Instagram Comment Scraper - Get ALL Comments (`claredigital/ig-comment-scraper`) Actor Extract ALL comments from Instagram posts & reels - not just the first 24. Most scrapers have broken pagination and fail. This one works. Full data: username, replies, likes, timestamps, verified status. Residential proxy support. Handles posts with 10,000+ comments. - **URL**: https://apify.com/claredigital/ig-comment-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Tim Shea](https://apify.com/claredigital) (community) - **Categories:** Social media - **Stats:** 39 total users, 3 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $10.00 / 1,000 comment-scrapeds This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Instagram Comment Scraper Pro Extract comments from Instagram posts and reels - even without login cookies. ### Why This Scraper? Most Instagram scrapers on Apify fail because they: - Make direct API calls that Instagram blocks - Require complex cookie setup - Only return ~24 comments - Break when Instagram changes their API **This scraper is different.** It uses **network interception** - capturing Instagram's own responses as the page loads naturally. This approach: - Looks like normal browser behavior to Instagram - Works with OR without cookies - Handles Instagram's frequent API changes gracefully - Gets ALL comments through UI interaction ### Features | Feature | Without Cookies | With Cookies | |---------|----------------|--------------| | Comments per post | ~24 | Unlimited | | Reply threads | Limited | Full access | | Rate limits | Stricter | More lenient | - **Network Interception** - Captures data from Instagram's own responses - **DOM Interaction** - Clicks "load more" buttons like a real user - **Stealth Mode** - Browser fingerprint randomization, anti-detection headers - **Multiple Extraction Methods** - Page data, GraphQL, REST API fallbacks - **Residential Proxies** - Enabled by default for best results ### Quick Start #### Without Cookies (Basic) Just provide the post URLs: ```json { "postUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/", "https://www.instagram.com/reel/XYZ789/" ] } ```` This will scrape up to ~24 comments per post. #### With Cookies (Full Access) For unlimited comments, provide your Instagram session cookies: ```json { "postUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/"], "cookies": "[your cookies here]", "maxComments": 0, "includeReplies": true } ``` ##### How to Get Cookies **Option A: EditThisCookie Extension (Easiest)** 1. Install [EditThisCookie](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/editthiscookie/fngmhnnpilhplaeedifhccceomclgfbg) for Chrome 2. Log into Instagram in your browser 3. Click the EditThisCookie icon 4. Click "Export" (copies JSON to clipboard) 5. Paste into the "cookies" field **Option B: Browser DevTools** 1. Log into Instagram 2. Open DevTools (F12 or Cmd+Option+I) 3. Go to Application > Cookies > instagram.com 4. Copy `sessionid` and `csrftoken` values 5. Format as: `sessionid=YOUR_VALUE; csrftoken=YOUR_VALUE` ### Input Options | Field | Required | Default | Description | |-------|----------|---------|-------------| | `postUrls` | Yes | - | Instagram post/reel URLs to scrape | | `cookies` | No | - | Instagram session cookies for full access | | `maxComments` | No | 0 | Max comments per post (0 = unlimited) | | `includeReplies` | No | true | Also fetch reply threads | | `maxRepliesPerComment` | No | 0 | Max replies per comment (0 = unlimited) | | `delayBetweenRequests` | No | 2000 | Delay in ms between pagination | | `proxyConfiguration` | No | Residential | Proxy settings | ### Output Format #### Post Summary ```json { "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/", "postShortcode": "ABC123", "totalComments": 1547, "scrapedComments": 1547, "scrapedAt": "2026-01-24T15:30:00Z", "comments": [...] } ``` #### Individual Comment ```json { "_type": "comment", "id": "17912345678901234", "text": "This is amazing!", "timestamp": "2026-01-20T10:15:00Z", "username": "user_handle", "userId": "987654321", "isVerified": false, "likeCount": 42, "replyCount": 3, "parentCommentId": null, "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/", "postShortcode": "ABC123" } ``` #### Reply ```json { "_type": "reply", "id": "17912345678901235", "text": "Thanks!", "timestamp": "2026-01-20T10:20:00Z", "username": "post_author", "userId": "123456789", "isVerified": true, "likeCount": 15, "parentCommentId": "17912345678901234", "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/", "postShortcode": "ABC123" } ``` ### Pricing **$2.00 per 1,000 comments** - Pay only for successfully scraped comments - Failed runs don't cost anything - Replies count as separate items ### Troubleshooting #### "Only getting ~24 comments" This is expected without cookies. Instagram limits unauthenticated access. To get all comments: 1. Provide valid session cookies (see "How to Get Cookies" above) 2. Make sure both `sessionid` AND `csrftoken` are included #### "0 comments scraped" 1. **Post might be private** - This scraper only works on public posts 2. **Post might be deleted** - Check if the URL still works in your browser 3. **Cookies might be expired** - Get fresh cookies from Instagram 4. **IP might be blocked** - Try enabling residential proxies #### "Request failed" or timeout errors Instagram may be rate limiting or blocking requests. Try: 1. Increase `delayBetweenRequests` to 5000+ 2. Enable residential proxies 3. Process fewer posts per run 4. Wait and try again later #### Cookies not working The scraper accepts multiple cookie formats: - **JSON array**: `[{"name": "sessionid", "value": "xxx"}, ...]` - **Cookie string**: `sessionid=xxx; csrftoken=yyy` Make sure you include both `sessionid` AND `csrftoken`. ### How It Works Unlike other scrapers that make direct API calls (which Instagram blocks), this scraper: 1. **Navigates to the post** like a normal browser 2. **Intercepts network responses** - captures comment data from Instagram's own GraphQL and REST API responses 3. **Clicks "load more" buttons** - triggers pagination through normal UI interaction 4. **Extracts embedded data** - parses comments from the initial page HTML This approach is more resilient to Instagram's anti-bot measures because it mimics real user behavior. ### Use Cases - **Brand monitoring** - Track what people say about your brand - **Competitor analysis** - Analyze engagement on competitor posts - **Influencer research** - Evaluate comment quality and engagement - **Sentiment analysis** - Feed comments into NLP models - **Lead generation** - Find engaged users in your niche ### Limitations - Only works on **public** posts and accounts - Rate limited by Instagram (~200 requests/hour) - Cookie sessions expire and need to be refreshed periodically - Cannot access comments on private accounts without being a follower ### Legal & Ethical Use This scraper extracts publicly available data only. By using this scraper, you agree to: - Comply with Instagram's Terms of Service - Not use data for harassment, spam, or illegal purposes - Respect user privacy and applicable data protection laws - Not scrape private accounts without authorization ### Support Having issues? Open an issue with: 1. Your input configuration (without cookies/secrets) 2. The error message 3. The post URL you tried to scrape Average response time: < 24 hours ### Changelog #### v2.0.0 (2026-01-28) - Complete rewrite using network interception - Works without cookies (limited to ~24 comments) - Enhanced stealth with fingerprint randomization - Better error messages and troubleshooting tips - Automatic residential proxy fallback #### v1.0.0 (2026-01-24) - Initial release # Actor input Schema ## `postUrls` (type: `array`): Instagram post or reel URLs to scrape comments from ## `cookies` (type: `string`): Your Instagram session cookies. REQUIRED for more than 24 comments. Get them from browser DevTools > Application > Cookies > instagram.com. Copy all cookies as JSON or use the 'EditThisCookie' extension. ## `maxComments` (type: `integer`): Maximum comments to scrape per post. Set to 0 for unlimited. ## `includeReplies` (type: `boolean`): Also scrape reply threads for each comment ## `maxRepliesPerComment` (type: `integer`): Maximum replies to fetch per comment. Set to 0 for unlimited. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Residential proxies are recommended for best results. Instagram blocks datacenter IPs. ## `delayBetweenRequests` (type: `integer`): Delay between pagination requests. Higher = safer but slower. Instagram rate limits at ~200 requests/hour. ## Actor input object example ```json { "postUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/EXAMPLE/" ], "maxComments": 0, "includeReplies": true, "maxRepliesPerComment": 0, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] }, "delayBetweenRequests": 2000 } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "postUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/EXAMPLE/" ], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("claredigital/ig-comment-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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "postUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/EXAMPLE/"], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"], }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("claredigital/ig-comment-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "postUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/EXAMPLE/" ], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }' | apify call claredigital/ig-comment-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=claredigital/ig-comment-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Instagram Comment Scraper - Get ALL Comments", "description": "Extract ALL comments from Instagram posts & reels - not just the first 24. Most scrapers have broken pagination and fail. This one works. Full data: username, replies, likes, timestamps, verified status. \n\nResidential proxy support. \n \nHandles posts with 10,000+ comments.", "version": "2.0", "x-build-id": "wjmfxeqMbVaZuJXyZ" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/claredigital~ig-comment-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-claredigital-ig-comment-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/claredigital~ig-comment-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-claredigital-ig-comment-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/claredigital~ig-comment-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-claredigital-ig-comment-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "postUrls" ], "properties": { "postUrls": { "title": "Post URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Instagram post or reel URLs to scrape comments from", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "cookies": { "title": "Instagram Cookies", "type": "string", "description": "Your Instagram session cookies. REQUIRED for more than 24 comments. Get them from browser DevTools > Application > Cookies > instagram.com. Copy all cookies as JSON or use the 'EditThisCookie' extension." }, "maxComments": { "title": "Max Comments Per Post", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum comments to scrape per post. Set to 0 for unlimited.", "default": 0 }, "includeReplies": { "title": "Include Replies", "type": "boolean", "description": "Also scrape reply threads for each comment", "default": true }, "maxRepliesPerComment": { "title": "Max Replies Per Comment", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum replies to fetch per comment. Set to 0 for unlimited.", "default": 0 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Residential proxies are recommended for best results. Instagram blocks datacenter IPs." }, "delayBetweenRequests": { "title": "Delay Between Requests (ms)", "minimum": 500, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Delay between pagination requests. Higher = safer but slower. Instagram rate limits at ~200 requests/hour.", "default": 2000 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```