# Instagram Reel Transcript & Script Extractor (`firsthand/instagram-reel-transcripts`) Actor

Turn Instagram Reels into text by link or username, in many languages. Optional AI script breakdown: hook, on-screen text, beats, CTA, format and topics. Reels without speech are not billed as transcripts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/firsthand/instagram-reel-transcripts.md
- **Developed by:** [Firsthand](https://apify.com/firsthand) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos, AI
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 59 total users, 28 monthly users, 99.7% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $6.00 / 1,000 reel transcripts

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 Reel Transcript & Script Extractor

Turn Instagram Reels into text. Paste reel links or usernames and get what was **said** in each
reel, in its own language. Turn on **Analyze reels** to also get the script behind it: the hook,
on-screen text with timestamps, beat-by-beat structure, call to action, format and topics.

Use it to study what works for a creator or a niche, to repurpose reels into posts and
newsletters, to research competitors' content, or to feed reel scripts into your AI workflow.

### Why use it

- **Links or usernames.** Transcribe single reels, or a creator's video posts in one go.
- **Many languages.** Whisper large-v3 turbo, about 100 languages. Tested on English and Hindi.
- **No charge for reels without speech.** Music-only reels come back with `speech: false` and are
  not billed as transcripts. Speech models like to invent a "Thank you." on music; the Actor
  double-checks before it says "no speech".
- **Script analysis that also reads the screen.** Works on music-only reels too, where the
  on-screen text is the whole script.
- **No login, no cookies, no proxies to set up.**

### What you get

One row per reel.

**Transcript:** `transcript`, `speech`, `language`, `duration`, `wordsPerMinute`, and with
**Include timestamps** also `segments`.

**Reel data:** `url`, `username`, `postedAt`, `caption`, `hashtags`, `mentions`, `likes`,
`comments`. In username mode also `likesVsCreatorMedian` and `isOutlier` (3x the creator's median
likes or more), and the sound: original audio or licensed music.

**Analysis** (with **Analyze reels**): `hookSpoken`, `hookOnScreen`, `hookType`, `onScreenText`,
`beats`, `cta`, `ctaType`, `contentFormat`, `topics`, `summary`, `takeaways`, `entities`.

```json
{
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdVSJYSuZoc/",
  "username": "recipeincaption",
  "postedAt": "2026-09-16T03:10:40Z",
  "duration": 30.4,
  "language": "en",
  "transcript": "Dinners You'll Actually Make, episode 57, Hot Honey Chicken Tenders with Buttermilk Ranch.",
  "likes": 213478,
  "hookSpoken": "Dinners you'll actually make, episode 57: Hot honey chicken tenders with buttermilk ranch.",
  "hookType": "bold_claim",
  "onScreenText": [
    {"t": 0.5, "text": "dinners you'll actually make"},
    {"t": 29, "text": "try the osta app :)"}
  ],
  "beats": [
    {"start": 0, "end": 4.8, "label": "Hook", "summary": "The creator introduces hot honey chicken tenders with buttermilk ranch."},
    {"start": 17.8, "end": 30, "label": "App Promotion", "summary": "The creator demonstrates how to save the recipe from social media into the Osta app."}
  ],
  "cta": "try the osta app :)",
  "contentFormat": "product_demo",
  "topics": ["recipe", "fried chicken", "hot honey", "recipe organizer", "mobile app"]
}
```

A real row from a test run, shortened.

### How to use it

1. Paste reel links (`instagram.com/reel/…` or `instagram.com/p/…`) into **Reel links**, or
   usernames (`natgeo` or `instagram.com/natgeo/`) into **Usernames** and set
   **Max reels per username**. One per line. Paste links and usernames only, not captions or
   post texts: the actor reads the reel itself.
2. Turn on **Analyze reels** if you need the script breakdown.
3. Run, then export to JSON, CSV or Excel, or connect via API, Make, Zapier or n8n.

Tip: sort a creator's reels by `likesVsCreatorMedian` to find the scripts that outperformed.

#### Chain it after an Instagram scraper

Put the dataset ID of a finished `apify/instagram-scraper` or `instagram-reel-scraper` run into
**Dataset ID**, or pass its rows as `datasetItems`. Every video post is transcribed straight from
its video file, with the scraper's caption, likes and date kept. Video file links expire in 1 to 3
days; an expired one is fetched again by its reel link. With the "Connect actor" integration put
`{{resource.defaultDatasetId}}` into `datasetId`. One run reads up to 10,000 reels from a dataset.

#### Input fields of other reel transcript actors are read too

If your API calls or integrations were built for another Instagram transcript actor, you can send
the same input fields. The output fields are this actor's own (see above).

| Field | Read as |
|---|---|
| `startUrls` | reel and post links, usernames, `@handles`, profile links and Instagram video file links, as strings or `{"url": ...}` objects, mixed in one list |
| `handles` | usernames, `@handles` or profile links |
| `videoUrls` | Instagram video file links (`.mp4` on `cdninstagram.com` or `fbcdn.net`), the `videoUrl` / `audioUrl` of a scraper row |
| `datasetId`, `datasetItems` | rows of an Instagram scraper run |
| `maxReelsPerHandle`, `resultsLimit` | max reels per username |
| `videoUrl`, `bulkUrls` | reel and post links |

A bare reel code (the `shortCode` column, like `DdVSJYSuZoc`) is read as its reel link. Fields
this actor does not use are ignored.

### Pricing

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Transcript, per reel with speech | $0.006 on paid Apify plans; on the Free plan $0.006 until November 13, 2026, $0.02 from November 14, 2026 |
| Analysis, per reel up to 2 minutes | $0.04 on paid Apify plans, $0.06 on the Free plan (up to 5 reels per run) |
| Run start | $0.00005 per run |

Not charged: reels without speech (as transcripts), failed reels, duplicates. Set **Max reels in
total** for a hard cap; the Actor also stops before your maximum cost per run.

### Good to know

- Public reels and profiles only. Private and age-restricted reels return an error row.
- Video file links are read from Instagram's own servers only (https on `cdninstagram.com` or
  `fbcdn.net`). A file on any other host is not processed and not charged.
- Videos longer than 10 minutes are not transcribed and not charged.
- No view counts; outliers are measured by likes.
- Username mode reads the profile's video posts in Instagram's order (pinned posts may come first), not the
  separate Reels tab. Tested up to 120 reels per profile.
- On the Apify Free plan, analysis is limited to 5 reels per run; the other reels in the run get
  transcripts as usual, are marked `analysisStatus: skipped` and are not charged for analysis.
  Transcripts have no such limit. Any paid Apify plan removes it.
- Reels longer than 2 minutes get a transcript but no analysis. From a carousel post, only the
  first video is processed.
- Every row has a `status`: `ok`, `error` with the reason, `empty` for a profile with no videos,
  or `skipped` when a limit was reached.
- Audio and video are processed by third-party AI models through OpenRouter (Whisper, OpenAI,
  Google Gemini). The Actor keeps nothing after the run except your dataset.
- If a run fails or times out, Apify sends the run record to the developer (it has no input and
  no results). Only the status, error type and place in the code, memory use, run settings and
  input counts are kept (how many links and usernames, not the links or usernames themselves).
  They are used only to find and fix the cause.

### FAQ

**Is it legal?** The Actor reads only public content without logging in. Instagram's terms
restrict automated collection, what creators say is their copyrighted content, and GDPR applies
if you store personal data. You are responsible for how you use the data.

**How fast is it?** About 2 minutes for 8 reels with analysis in our tests.

**Something missing or wrong?** Open an issue with the reel link. We read every issue.

***

Instagram is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc. This Actor is not affiliated with Meta.

# Actor input Schema

## `reelUrls` (type: `array`):

Links to Instagram reels or video posts, one per line, e.g. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdVSJYSuZoc/ or https://www.instagram.com/p/DdrAGMwowmZ/. Only links: do not paste the caption or the text of a post.

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

Instagram usernames or profile links, one per line, e.g. natgeo or https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/. The video posts of each profile are transcribed in the order Instagram lists them (pinned posts can come first). Only usernames: do not paste the caption or the text of a post. To transcribe a single reel, put its link into Reel links.

## `maxReelsPerUser` (type: `integer`):

How many video posts to transcribe per username.

## `analyzeReels` (type: `boolean`):

Adds a script breakdown for each reel up to 2 minutes: spoken and on-screen hook with its type, all on-screen text with timestamps, beat-by-beat structure, call to action, format, topics, summary and takeaways. Charged as a separate event per analyzed reel. Works for music-only reels too. On the Apify Free plan, up to 5 reels per run are analyzed; transcripts are not limited.

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

Hard cap on reels processed in this run, across links and usernames. 0 means no cap. The run also stops before your maximum cost per run is exceeded.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Optional ISO 639-1 code (en, es, hi...). Leave empty to detect automatically.

## `includeSegments` (type: `boolean`):

Add segments with start and end seconds.

## `datasetId` (type: `string`):

Default dataset ID of a finished Instagram scraper run (apify/instagram-scraper, instagram-reel-scraper and similar). Every video post in it is transcribed, up to 10,000 reels or Max reels in total. Video file links in the dataset expire in 1 to 3 days; older rows are fetched again by their reel link. With the 'Connect actor' integration put {{resource.defaultDatasetId}} here.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "reelUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdVSJYSuZoc/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdrAGMwowmZ/"
  ],
  "maxReelsPerUser": 10,
  "analyzeReels": false,
  "maxItems": 0,
  "includeSegments": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `transcripts` (type: `string`):

Transcript and reel data for every reel.

## `analysis` (type: `string`):

Hook, on-screen text, beats, CTA, format and topics for analyzed reels.

# 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 = {
    "reelUrls": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdVSJYSuZoc/",
        "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdrAGMwowmZ/"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("firsthand/instagram-reel-transcripts").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 = { "reelUrls": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdVSJYSuZoc/",
        "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdrAGMwowmZ/",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("firsthand/instagram-reel-transcripts").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 '{
  "reelUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdVSJYSuZoc/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdrAGMwowmZ/"
  ]
}' |
apify call firsthand/instagram-reel-transcripts --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,firsthand/instagram-reel-transcripts"
        }
    }
}
```

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/16CoAQ3fN8jE5b2io/builds/NxNZLNPekJf2guRrn/openapi.json