# Facebook Comments Scraper - Replies & Reactions (`parseforge/facebook-comments-scraper`) Actor

Scrape comments from any public Facebook post, including nested replies. Each comment returns the text, author name and profile URL, publish time, reaction count and reply count, as one flat row ready for analysis. Export to CSV, Excel, JSON or XML.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-comments-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, Marketing
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 56 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $13.00 / 1,000 result items

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

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner-v4.webp)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### Facebook Comments Scraper

**Scrape Facebook comments from any public post URL, up to a million per run.** Each comment comes with its text, author, timestamp, likes, and its replies. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Facebook's official Graph API requires app review, page tokens, and strict rate limits. This reads the public comment feeds directly from post URLs, filters by count and replies, and returns each match in one fixed schema. No authentication needed for public posts.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Facebook for |
|---|---|
| Social media managers | Monitor audience sentiment on competitor posts |
| Market researchers | Analyze public reaction to product launches |
| Journalists | Gather public opinion on breaking news stories |
| Data analysts | Build datasets for sentiment analysis models |

### What it does

This Actor collects Facebook comments from public post URLs and returns each one as a row, with the comment's replies nested in it when Include Replies is on.

- 💬 **Comment extraction:** Pulls top-level comments with text, author name, timestamp, and like count.
- 🔄 **Reply threads:** With Include Replies on, each comment's `replies` array holds its replies (text, author, timestamp, reactions and `parentCommentId`), including the nested replies Facebook shows. `repliesCount` gives Facebook's own total.
- 📊 **Volume control:** Set a global comment limit or a per-post cap to manage dataset size.
- 🔗 **Multi-URL input:** Feed it a list of post URLs from profiles, groups, or permalinks in one run.

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

### What you can do with Facebook data

**📈 Track campaign feedback.**

A social media manager scrapes comments on a brand's launch post to gauge initial public reaction and adjust messaging.

**🔍 Research competitor engagement.**

A market analyst collects comments from a rival's top posts to compare sentiment and identify trending complaints.

**📰 Archive public discourse.**

A journalist scrapes comments on a viral news post to preserve public opinion before threads are deleted or hidden.

**🧠 Train sentiment models.**

A data scientist gathers thousands of comments across topics to build a labeled dataset for natural language processing.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API setup** | Skip app registration, tokens, and review queues |
| **Public data only** | Scrapes what any logged-out user can see |
| **Residential proxies** | Built-in proxy support reduces blocks on Facebook |
| **Structured output** | Clean JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML with a consistent schema |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets Facebook the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | Facebook Comments Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When Facebook changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a list of Facebook post URLs, and set per-post comment limits so only the volume you need reaches your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/NASA/posts/pfbid02xjv7Q883ue9TVumoLk5NfGEgEbkGVf8o2iR9u6mJAdvjSZYoS5xGxHYZacvXRem5l"
    }
  ],
  "maxComments": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/NASA/posts/pfbid02xjv7Q883ue9TVumoLk5NfGEgEbkGVf8o2iR9u6mJAdvjSZYoS5xGxHYZacvXRem5l"
    }
  ],
  "maxComments": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.0195 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Two add-ons are billed per row on top of the result price (Free plan prices; paid plans pay less): **Engagement data, $0.0156** for a comment delivered with its replies (Include Replies on), and **Rich content, $0.0078** for a comment with a media attachment or tagged users. A small start fee is billed once per run.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $1.95 |
| 1,000 results | $19.50 |
| 10,000 results | $195.00 |

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](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [Facebook Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-comments-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
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](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

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

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/facebook-comments-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 post URLs are public and accessible without login. Private posts, deleted content, or incorrect URL formats will return zero comments. Try opening the URL in an incognito browser to verify.

**Why does the run stop early with fewer comments than expected?**

Facebook may hide comments behind 'View more' buttons or rate-limit requests. Increase the maxItems limit, use residential proxies, and ensure the post is still public. Some comments may be filtered by Facebook's own moderation.

**Why does a comment have fewer replies than its repliesCount?**

`repliesCount` is Facebook's total. Logged-out visitors are shown only part of some threads (replies from private profiles or hidden as less relevant), and the Actor returns exactly what Facebook shows. `Max Replies Per Comment` (default 100) also caps each thread. With Include Replies off, the `replies` array is always empty.

**I'm getting blocked or seeing captchas. What should I do?**

Switch to residential proxies in the proxy configuration. Datacenter IPs are easily detected by Facebook. If blocks persist, reduce concurrency or add delays between requests.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a Facebook account or login to scrape comments? | No. This Actor scrapes public post comments that are visible to anyone without logging in. No Facebook account, app, or token is required. |
| Can I scrape comments from private groups or profiles? | No. Only public posts accessible without authentication are supported. Private groups, friends-only posts, and age-restricted content cannot be scraped. |
| How many comments can I scrape in one run? | Paid users can scrape up to 1,000,000 comments total. Free users are limited to 10 items for preview. You can also set a per-post cap with the maxComments field. |
| Does it scrape replies to comments? | Yes, when Include Replies is on. Each comment's `replies` array holds the replies Facebook shows to logged-out visitors, with the same fields as a comment plus `parentCommentId`. A row that comes back with at least one reply is billed one Engagement data event; rows without replies, and all rows when Include Replies is off, are not. |
| What URL formats are accepted? | Public post URLs in any common form: facebook.com/{page}/posts/pfbid..., facebook.com/{page}/posts/{id}, permalink.php?story_fbid=..., story.php?story_fbid=..., groups/{id}/posts/{id}, photo/?fbid=..., {page}/videos/{id}, reel/{id}, watch/?v={id}, and m.facebook.com links. |
| Why do I need residential proxies? | Facebook aggressively blocks datacenter IPs. Residential proxies are strongly recommended to maintain access and avoid captchas during large runs. |
| What data fields does each comment row include? | Each row returns the comment text, author name, timestamp, like count, reply count, and the replies themselves when enabled. The exact schema is shown in the dataset preview after a test run. |
| Can I export the data to Google Sheets? | You can export results as CSV or Excel from the Apify dataset tab, then import into Google Sheets. Direct integration is not built in. |
| Is this legal for scraping Facebook comments? | You are responsible for complying with Facebook's terms of service and local laws. This Actor only accesses publicly visible data. Consult legal counsel for your use case. |
| How do I scrape comments from multiple posts at once? | Add all post URLs to the startUrls array. The Actor processes each URL sequentially, applying the same comment limits and reply settings to every post. |

### Next step

Use these results as input for other ParseForge actors:

- [Facebook Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-posts-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp): find more posts from the same pages, then feed their URLs back here.
- [Facebook Pages Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-pages-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp): get followers, category and contact details for the pages behind these comments.

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) 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.

# Actor input Schema

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

Free users: Limited to 10 items (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

List of public Facebook post URLs to scrape comments from. Supported formats: /{page}/posts/pfbid..., /{page}/posts/{id}, /permalink.php?story_fbid=..., /story.php?story_fbid=..., /groups/{id}/posts/{id}, /photo/?fbid=..., /{page}/videos/{id}, /reel/{id}, /watch/?v={id} and m.facebook.com links. Posts must be visible without logging in.

## `maxComments` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of comments to scrape per post. Leave empty to use maxItems as the global limit.

## `includeReplies` (type: `boolean`):

Fetch the replies of every returned comment that has replies and put them in its replies array (depth-1 replies plus the nested replies Facebook shows to logged-out visitors). Each row that delivers at least one reply is billed one engagement-data event. Turn off for top-level comments only, with no engagement-data charge.

## `maxRepliesPerComment` (type: `integer`):

Maximum replies kept in each comment's replies array when Include Replies is on. Replies do not count toward Maximum comments.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Residential proxies recommended for reliable extraction. If left empty, Apify RESIDENTIAL proxies are used.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/NASA/posts/pfbid02xjv7Q883ue9TVumoLk5NfGEgEbkGVf8o2iR9u6mJAdvjSZYoS5xGxHYZacvXRem5l"
    }
  ],
  "maxComments": 50,
  "includeReplies": true,
  "maxRepliesPerComment": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Dataset with scraped Facebook comments

# 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 = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.facebook.com/NASA/posts/pfbid02xjv7Q883ue9TVumoLk5NfGEgEbkGVf8o2iR9u6mJAdvjSZYoS5xGxHYZacvXRem5l"
        }
    ],
    "maxComments": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/facebook-comments-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 = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.facebook.com/NASA/posts/pfbid02xjv7Q883ue9TVumoLk5NfGEgEbkGVf8o2iR9u6mJAdvjSZYoS5xGxHYZacvXRem5l" }],
    "maxComments": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/facebook-comments-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 '{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/NASA/posts/pfbid02xjv7Q883ue9TVumoLk5NfGEgEbkGVf8o2iR9u6mJAdvjSZYoS5xGxHYZacvXRem5l"
    }
  ],
  "maxComments": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call parseforge/facebook-comments-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/facebook-comments-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/Ob40pPCUlyUqTfkn4/builds/lr7DYDh2qQb2jx7Ov/openapi.json