Manually gathering data and insights from Instagram posts can take time and effort. This is where Instagram post scrapers come in handy.
An Instagram post scraper is a tool used to extract data from Instagram posts. It helps to scrape Instagram posts, including images, videos, captions, comments, and hashtags.
With the right Instagram post data extractor, users can extract real-time data and insights from Instagram posts. So I will reveal the top 6 best Instagram post scrapers in 2025. Let’s dive into the game.
Key Takeaways
- Don't scrape private accounts or posts that aren't meant to be public.
- Make sure your scraping activities follow Instagram’s terms of service to avoid account bans.
- Avoid making too many requests too quickly to prevent being flagged for suspicious activity.
- Choose trusted and secure scraping tools to avoid malware or data leaks.
- Instagram often changes its system, so make sure your scraper is up to date to keep working smoothly.
- Be mindful of how you use the scraped data, especially for commercial or marketing purposes.
Best for What? Each Tool's Strongest Feature
Here’s a table showing the six best post scrapers for Instagram and why they are the best:
Scraper Name | Best For | Why It’s Best |
---|---|---|
Bright Data | 🌍 Large-scale scraping | Offers fast, reliable scraping with many proxies. |
Apify | 🤖 Custom automation | Great for automating tasks with easy setup. |
PhantomBuster | 📱 Social media scraping | Easy to use with a variety of pre-built tools. |
ScrapingBee | ⚡ Fast data collection | Handles JavaScript-heavy websites well. |
SmartProxy | 🔒 Privacy protection | Strong proxy network to avoid detection. |
What is an Instagram Post Scraper?
An Instagram post scraper is a tool that helps you collect public posts from Instagram. It can grab —
- pictures,
- captions,
- hashtags,
- and more from accounts that share them openly.
Benefits of Using an Instagram Post Scraper
- Save Time ⏱️: It collects posts automatically, so you don’t have to do it manually.
- Gather Insights 🔍: It helps you see trends and popular content.
- Boost Marketing 📈: Scrape posts to understand what works for your audience.
- Stay Organized 📊: Collect data in one place for easy analysis.
How Do These Tools Work?
Instagram post scrapers use a method called "scraping" to pull data from Instagram’s public posts. They act like a robot that —
- reads the website,
- collects what you need,
- and organizes it for you.
Some tools use proxies to avoid getting blocked by Instagram.
Here are the Top Six Post Scrapers for Instagram
I’ve made a list of what I consider to be the best post scrapers for Instagram based on my experience and some tests I ran.
Comparison Table: Starting Price and Free Trials
API Provider | Starting Price | Free Trial |
---|---|---|
Bright Data | $1 per 1,000 records | 20 free API calls |
Apify | $2.30 per 1,000 results | Yes, free trial available |
PhantomBuster | $63/month (Starter Plan) | 14-day free trial |
ScrapingBee | $49/month (150,000 API credits) | 1,000 free API calls |
SmartProxy | $2 per 1K requests | 7-day free trial or 14-day money-back |
ScraperAPI | $49 per month | 1,000 free API credits monthly or 7-day free trial |
Now, get into the details of this topic
1. Bright Data
Recommended: Bright Data Review.
Bright Data is one of the best tools for scraping Instagram posts. You can grab data from public profiles, like posts, usernames, hashtags, and more. You can collect Instagram posts by —
- Collect posts by URL
- Collects posts from a specific URL by using the profile URL
The best part?
You don’t have to worry about things like proxies or CAPTCHAs – Bright Data handles all that for you. It’s super easy to use, whether you’re working on a small or big project.
Plus, you can get the data in formats like JSON or CSV and start scraping without any blocks.
Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
---|---|
Global coverage with 72M+ IPs | Can be expensive for some users |
High-speed scraping | Advanced features may need help to set up |
Follows privacy laws, like GDPR and CCPA, | Requires understanding of API integration |
Accurate, validated, real-time data | Cell |
Has flexibility to scale as needed | Cell |
Avoids IP blocks and CAPTCHAs | Cell |
Easy integration with your tools. | Cell |
Compatible with all popular programming languages. | Cell |
Starting Price & Free Trials
- Starting Price: $1 per 1,000 records, with no monthly commitment.
Free Trial: They also provide a free trial with 20 free API calls to test the service.
My Performance Test 📈
I tested Bright Data by using the "Collect posts by URL " feature to collect Instagram posts. In just a short time, I gathered data from three profiles.
Here’s a quick overview of my results:
Feature | Result |
URLs Scraped | 500 Instagram posts |
Success Rate | 98.9% |
Average Response Time | 4 seconds per request |
Data Accuracy | 99% |
Task Completion Time | 20 minutes |
If you’re interested, you can visit this blog for a detailed Bright Data Scraping Browser Review.
2. Apify
Apify is another great Instagram post scraper that makes collecting Instagram data super easy. All you have to do is enter one or more Instagram usernames, and it will pull all the important info like post text, hashtags, comments, likes, images, and more.
You can then download this data in formats like JSON, CSV, or Excel. It works really fast, and you can even automate and schedule your scraping.
Plus, this web scraping tool integrates with other tools like Google Sheets, Slack, and Zapier, so it’s super flexible for whatever you need.
Pros and Cons of Bright Data
Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
Easy to use | 500 Instagram posts |
Fast results | 98.9% |
Flexible exports (CSV, JSON, etc.) | 4 seconds per request |
Integrates with other tools | 99% |
No code required | 20 minutes |
API access for advanced customization | Cell |
You can build your own scraper if needed | Cell |
Starting Price & Free Trials
Starting Price: $2.30 per 1,000 results
- Free Trial: Yes, you can try it for free!
- Free usage is $5.00 after subscription.
My Performance Test 📈
Here’s the test performance explained simply:
- Results Collected: It scraped 30 Instagram posts successfully.
- Requests Made: It processed all 33 requests without issues.
- Cost: The total price for this scrape was $0.069.
- Time Taken: It finished in just 59 seconds.
This shows that Apify works fast, is affordable, and handles tasks efficiently. 😊
3. PhantomBuster
Okay, let's talk about PhantomBuster. It's another social media automation tool that helps you collect data from Instagram posts. Think of it as a robot that does specific tasks called "Phantoms."
One Phantom can grab post data, another can collect hashtags, and so on. Basically, this Instagram post scraper will use the link of one or more Instagram posts and collect all the public data available on Instagram.
It's cloud-based, so it works even when your computer is off. You need a browser extension for it to work.
Pros and Cons of Bright Data
Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
Easy to use, no coding needed. | Needs a browser extension. |
Uses proxies to avoid getting blocked. | You must stay logged in to Instagram. |
Automates many Instagram tasks. | Requires cookie for connecting to Instagram. |
Works with multiple posts at once | Risk of hitting Instagram rate limits if not careful |
Exports data in CSV or JSON | Cell |
Cloud-based; no local setup needed | Cell |
Starting Price & Free Trials
Starting Price: $63/month (Starter Plan)
- Free Trial: Yes, they offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
My Performance Summary 📈
Category | Details |
Setting | Scraped 10 Instagram post URLs |
Authentication | Instagram cookie required |
Posts Scraped | 10 out of 10 successfully |
Works with multiple posts at once | 100% |
Exports data in CSV or JSON | 1.5 posts per minute |
Cloud-based; no local setup needed | ~7 minutes |
Errors | None |
You can also check this insightful blog to learn how to scrape emails from Instagram using PhantomBuster.
4. ScrapingBee
ScrapingBee is another smart tool for scraping Instagram posts. It helps you collect data like posts, comments, likes, and followers easily. It works well with tricky websites using proxy rotation and JavaScript support.
You don’t need to be a tech expert to use it. The API is simple, and there’s even a no-code option. ScrapingBee takes care of blocks and tricky setups, so you can focus on getting the data you need.
It’s quick, easy, and reliable.
Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
Easy to use, even for non-techies. | Slight learning curve for advanced features |
Built-in proxy rotation to avoid blocks | Primarily an API; may need coding for some. |
Handles JavaScript-heavy sites | Cell |
Works with multiple data formats | Cell |
Manages headless browsers well | Cell |
Starting Price & Free Trials
- Starting Price: $49/month (150,000 API credits)
Free Trial: Yes, with 1,000 free API calls (no credit card needed).
My Performance Summary 📈
Category | Details |
Setting | Scraped 25 Instagram post URLs |
Posts Scraped | 24 out of 25 successfully |
Success Rate | 96% |
Speed Rate | 4 posts per minute |
Time Taken | ~6 minutes |
Errors | 1 post blocked (private post) |
5. SmartProxy
Let's talk about Smartproxy. They offer a special tool called the Social Media Scraping API. This tool helps you collect information from Instagram. It grabs things like profiles, follower counts, posts, and hashtags.
You can use it like a regular proxy or use their API directly. They offer two ways to get data:
- instantly (synchronous)
- or later (asynchronous).
The tool is easy to set up, and it handles tricky blocks with advanced anti-bot protection. With no request limits and flexible data formats (HTML or JSON), Smartproxy is great for anyone needing structured Instagram data quickly.
Pros and Cons of Bright Data
Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
High success rate | Basic plan might feel costly for small-scale use |
Flexible data formats: JSON, HTML, or table | Requires some setup knowledge |
Ready-made scrapers for faster setup | Doesn't support batch data retrieval. |
Real-time data scraping | 4 posts per minute |
No concurrency limits | ~6 minutes |
Advanced anti-bot protection | 1 post blocked (private post) |
Starting Price & Free Trials
Starting Price: $2 per 1K requests
Free Trial: 7-day free trial ($0/ 1K req) or a 14-day money-back option.
My Performance Test 📈
Test Parameter | Result |
Data Accuracy | 99% Clean Data |
Success Rate | 99.48% |
Response Time | 23.46 seconds per request |
CAPTCHA Bypass | Yes |
Errors | 1 minor error (network delay) |
6. ScraperAPI
ScraperAPI is a great tool for scraping Instagram data. It offers flexible integration methods like proxies, SDKs, and APIs. Also, it supports geotargeting in 12 countries, with the option to expand to over 50.
This tool is easy to use and works well for simple scraping tasks. While its success rate is lower on platforms with strict anti-bot measures like Instagram, it’s affordable and offers a free trial for testing.
Pros and Cons of Bright Data
Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
Handles proxies and CAPTCHAs automatically | Complex targets use more credits |
Easy to integrate using popular languages | Limited geolocation compared to others for free. |
Offers free credits for testing | Cell |
Supports geolocation targeting (12+ regions) | Cell |
GDPR and CCPA compliant | Cell |
Easy to use with simple requests | Cell |
Starting Price & Free Trials
Starting Price: $49 per month (credit-based pricing).
Free Trial: 1,000 free API credits monthly or a 7-day free trial.
My Performance Test 📈
Feature | ScraperAPI |
Profiles Scraped | 50 Instagram posts |
Success Rate | 79.33% |
Response Time | 21.90 seconds |
Anti-bot Bypass | 95% of requests |
CAPTCHA Handling | 90% of cases |
Rendering Support | Yes (JS Rendering) |
Need More Instagram Scraping Tools ?
Wrapping Up: Choosing the Right Instagram Post Scraper
So, these were the 6 best Instagram post scrapers for 2025. Each one shines in its own way. Let me quickly help you decide which one suits you best:
- Bright Data is great if you need a lot of data fast.
- Apify works well if you want to customize things.
- PhantomBuster is awesome for automating tasks.
- ScrapingBee makes scraping easy for beginners.
- SmartProxy gives high success rates every time.
- ScraperAPI is perfect if you want something affordable for smaller tasks.
Pick the one that fits your needs and start scraping! 😊
Want to learn about the best Instagram Profile Scrapers? Then you can check out this insightful blog now!
Frequently Asked Questions
Scraping Instagram is not outright illegal, but it’s tricky. You can scrape public data that isn’t behind a login.
However, each case is unique, so it’s best to ask a lawyer for advice.
Instagram tracks your IP address and browser fingerprint. It detects bots through patterns, request limits, and mismatched device details.
For that, using good proxies and anti-detection tools is key to avoiding blocks.
No-code tools are easy but slow for big tasks. On the other hand, web scraping APIs handle proxies and blocks.
Also, these work well for all projects. Custom-built scrapers give control but need technical skills to manage issues.
Instagram scrapers help you gather valuable data that shows user behavior, trending content, and engagement. This information can be used to make better decisions, like improving marketing strategies or targeting the right audience.
They also help you keep an eye on your competitors by tracking their posts, hashtags, and audience reactions.
When looking for a scraper, you want one that handles JavaScript well so it can scrape dynamic pages. It should also be easy to use, whether through a simple interface or an API for integration.
Don’t forget to check the cost and customer support. It’s worth testing the scraper first to make sure it works for you.
To avoid getting blocked, slow down your scraping speed. Mimic human behavior by adding delays between requests.
You can also rotate IP addresses to spread out the requests and follow Instagram's "robots.txt" rules to stay within their guidelines.
Start by defining exactly what data you need and why so you don't waste resources. For bigger tasks, use tools with AI or Machine Learning to handle complex data better.
If you're stuck, join online forums and ask for help; many people share solutions there.