# Facebook Groups Scraper - Posts & Member Counts (`parseforge/facebook-groups-scraper`) Actor

Reads public Facebook groups by URL. One row per group with 19 fields: name, group ID, category, city and country, description, cover photo, creation date, admins, verification, primary language, join approval, posts per day and per month, and previews of recent and pinned posts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-groups-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 48 total users, 4 monthly users, 99.5% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $8.00 / 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 Groups Scraper

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

Facebook's official Graph API requires app review, permissions, and rate limits that block most group scraping. This reads the public group feeds directly, filtered by group URL or slug, and returns each post in one fixed schema. It works without a Facebook account or API key.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Facebook Groups for |
|---|---|
| Market researchers | Which topics a niche community is discussing this week |
| Community managers | Monitor engagement and top posts across multiple groups |
| Journalists | Track public conversations in local or interest-based groups |
| Social media analysts | Measure post frequency and reactions over time |

### What it does

This Actor collects Facebook group posts by group URL or slug, and returns each one as a flat row with post text, author, timestamp, and engagement metrics.

- 📋 **Bulk group scraping:** provide a list of group URLs or slugs and collect posts from all of them in one run.
- 🔍 **Post filtering:** set a maximum number of posts per run to control dataset size.
- 📊 **Engagement metrics:** each post includes reactions, comments, and shares when available.
- ⚡ **Fast mode:** disable group enrichment to scrape basic post data more quickly.

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

### What you can do with Facebook Groups data

**📈 Track topics and trends.**

A market researcher runs the Actor on several niche groups weekly to see which discussions are gaining traction and adjust product messaging.

**🛡️ Monitor community health.**

A community manager scrapes posts from their own groups to identify top contributors and flag posts with unusually high negative reactions.

**📰 Gather local news leads.**

A journalist scrapes local buy-and-sell or neighborhood groups to find stories about community issues or events.

**📊 Benchmark engagement.**

A social media analyst compares post frequency and reaction counts across competitor groups to benchmark their own community's performance.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Scrape public groups without registering a Facebook app or dealing with OAuth. |
| **Fixed schema** | Every post returns the same fields, so your dataset is clean and ready for analysis. |
| **Scalable** | Collect up to a million posts per run across multiple groups. |
| **Flexible export** | Download results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |

### How it compares

This Actor focuses on Facebook groups, while the competitors below target pages, ads, or general contact extraction.

| Feature | ParseForge | Facebook Posts Scraper | Facebook Ad Library Scraper | Contact Details Scraper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrapes Facebook groups | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Scrapes Facebook pages | Not listed | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Scrapes Facebook ads | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| Extracts emails and phone numbers | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| No login or API key required | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Exports to CSV, JSON, Excel, XML | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a list of Facebook group URLs or slugs, and set a maximum number of posts to collect per run. Optionally enrich group metadata like rules and admins. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/buynothingproject",
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/humansofnewyork"
  ]
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/buynothingproject",
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/humansofnewyork"
  ]
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.015 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $1.50 |
| 1,000 results | $15.00 |
| 10,000 results | $150.00 |

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 Groups Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-groups-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 Groups 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-groups-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 group URLs are correct and that the groups are public. Also ensure you have not set maxItems too low.

**Why are some posts missing?**

Facebook may limit how far back public feeds are accessible. The Actor scrapes what is currently visible without login.

**Why is the run slow?**

Disable group enrichment to speed up scraping if you only need basic post data.

**Why do I get an error about invalid URL?**

Make sure the URL starts with https://www.facebook.com/groups/ or is a valid group slug.

**Can I scrape comments on posts?**

Currently the Actor does not scrape comments, only top-level posts. Use Facebook Posts Scraper for page posts with comments.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a Facebook account or API key? | No. The Actor scrapes public group feeds directly and does not require login or an API key. |
| Can I scrape private groups? | No, only public groups are accessible. Private groups require authentication and are not supported. |
| What data does each post include? | Each post includes text, author, timestamp, and engagement metrics like reactions, comments, and shares when available. |
| How many posts can I scrape? | You can set a maximum of up to 1,000,000 posts per run. |
| Can I scrape multiple groups at once? | Yes, provide a list of group URLs or slugs in the startUrls input. |
| What is group enrichment? | When enabled, the Actor fetches additional group metadata such as rules, admins, and recent post previews. Disable it for faster basic scraping. |
| How do I find a group's URL or slug? | Open the group on Facebook and copy the URL from the address bar. It looks like https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourgroupname. |
| Is this legal? | You are responsible for complying with Facebook's terms of service and applicable laws. Only scrape public data you are authorized to access. |
| Can I schedule this Actor to run regularly? | Yes, you can schedule runs via the Apify platform or API. |
| What output formats are supported? | You can export results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |

### Next step

Use these results as input for other ParseForge actors:

- [Facebook Search Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-search-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp): search posts by keyword to find what groups in your niche are talking about.
- [Facebook Pages Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-pages-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp): get followers and contact details for the pages that run or post in these groups.
- [Facebook Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/facebook-comments-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp): get the comments on posts you find in these groups.

### 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`):

Maximum number of group posts to collect per run.

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

List of Facebook group URLs (e.g. https://www.facebook.com/groups/12345) or group slugs.

## `enrichGroup` (type: `boolean`):

Fetch detailed metadata (rules, admins, recent post preview). Disable for faster basic scraping.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/buynothingproject",
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/humansofnewyork"
  ],
  "enrichGroup": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Complete dataset

# 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": [
        "https://www.facebook.com/groups/buynothingproject",
        "https://www.facebook.com/groups/humansofnewyork"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/facebook-groups-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": [
        "https://www.facebook.com/groups/buynothingproject",
        "https://www.facebook.com/groups/humansofnewyork",
    ],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/facebook-groups-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": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/buynothingproject",
    "https://www.facebook.com/groups/humansofnewyork"
  ]
}' |
apify call parseforge/facebook-groups-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/facebook-groups-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/6fg93FZgktyH9rZHC/builds/ZO1BasiJGQCRBcl4K/openapi.json