# Instagram Search Scraper - Users, Tags & Places (`parseforge/instagram-search-scraper`) Actor

Searches Instagram by keyword for hashtags and places, ranked as Instagram returns them, with several queries per run. Hashtag rows carry the tag, its post count and top post IDs; place rows carry the place title, subtitle, ID and URL. Use it to pick which tags and locations to scrape next.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/instagram-search-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, Marketing
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 167 total users, 3 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.27 / 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)

### Instagram Search Scraper

**Scrape Instagram Search results for users, hashtags, and places, up to a million per run.** Every result comes with its ID, name, profile picture, and follower count. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

**No minimum charge:** you only pay for the results you get.

Instagram's official API needs app registration, OAuth, and rate-limits you. This reads the public search feeds directly, filtered by search type, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Instagram for |
|---|---|
| Market researchers | Identify trending hashtags and influential accounts in a niche. |
| Brand managers | Find user-generated content and brand mentions across Instagram. |
| Lead generation specialists | Build lists of businesses and creators by location or category. |
| Social media analysts | Track the growth and reach of competitor accounts and campaigns. |

### What it does

This Actor collects Instagram search results by query and search type, and returns each one as a flat row.

- 👤 **User search:** find Instagram accounts by username or display name.
- 🏷️ **Hashtag search:** discover trending and niche hashtags with post counts.
- 📍 **Place search:** locate businesses, landmarks, and venues by name or address.
- 📊 **Bulk queries:** run multiple search terms in a single Actor run.
- ⚙️ **Flexible limits:** set a maximum number of results to collect per run.

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

### What you can do with Instagram data

**📈 Monitor competitor accounts.**

A social media analyst searches for competitor brand names to track their follower counts and profile changes over time.

**🏷️ Discover niche hashtags.**

A content strategist searches for topic keywords to find the most-used hashtags and their post volumes.

**📍 Build a local business list.**

A lead generation specialist searches for a city and business type to compile a list of Instagram places with contact details.

**👤 Find influencers by name.**

A brand manager searches for relevant usernames to identify potential influencer partners and review their follower counts.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API registration** | Access public Instagram search data without an app or OAuth. |
| **Fixed output schema** | Every result is a flat row, ready for analysis. |
| **Multi-type search** | Search for users, hashtags, and places in one run. |
| **Scalable collection** | Collect up to a million results per run. |

### How it compares

This Actor focuses on Instagram's search endpoint, while the general Instagram Scraper is built for scraping content from specific URLs.

| Feature | ParseForge | Instagram Scraper | Instagram Profile Scraper | Instagram Reel Scraper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search by keyword query | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Search for users | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Search for hashtags | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Search for places | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Scrape posts from a profile URL | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Download reel videos | Not listed | Yes | Not listed | Yes |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from search queries and search types, alone or together, and filters run as each result is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "nike",
    "travel"
  ],
  "searchTypes": [
    "user",
    "hashtag",
    "place"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "nike",
    "travel"
  ],
  "searchTypes": [
    "user",
    "hashtag",
    "place"
  ],
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.00255 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.26 |
| 1,000 results | $2.55 |
| 10,000 results | $25.50 |

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 [Instagram Search Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/instagram-search-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 Instagram 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/instagram-search-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results for my search query?**

Check that your search query is spelled correctly and is not too specific. Instagram's search may not return results for very obscure terms. Try a broader query.

**The Actor is running but collecting results very slowly.**

Instagram may be rate-limiting the requests. Reduce the maximum number of results or run the Actor with a longer timeout. Using Apify proxies can also help.

**Some results seem to be missing data fields.**

Instagram does not always expose every data field for every search result. If a profile is private or a place has limited information, some fields may be empty.

**I received an error about invalid input.**

Ensure you have provided at least one search query in the 'queries' field and that the 'searchTypes' array contains only valid values: 'user', 'hashtag', or 'place'.

**Why are the follower counts different from what I see on the app?**

Follower counts are cached and may have a slight delay. The scraper returns the count available at the exact moment of the request.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I search for multiple queries at once? | Yes, you can provide a list of search queries in the input, and the Actor will run them all in a single run. |
| What search types are supported? | The Actor supports searching for users, hashtags, and places on Instagram. |
| Do I need an Instagram login to use this scraper? | No, this Actor scrapes public search data and does not require an Instagram account or login. |
| How many results can I get per search? | You can set the maximum number of results to collect per run, up to one million. |
| What data fields are returned for a user search? | A user search returns fields like username, full name, profile picture URL, and follower count. |
| What data fields are returned for a hashtag search? | A hashtag search returns the hashtag name and the total number of posts using it. |
| What data fields are returned for a place search? | A place search returns the place name, address, category, and its Instagram ID. |
| Can I export the scraped data? | Yes, you can export your results in CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML formats. |
| Is this an official Instagram API? | No, this is an unofficial scraper that reads public Instagram search feeds directly. |
| Can I schedule this Actor to run automatically? | Yes, you can use Apify's scheduling feature to run this Actor at regular intervals. |

### 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

## `queries` (type: `array`):

List of search queries

## `searchTypes` (type: `array`):

Types of entities to search

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

How many results to collect per run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "nike",
    "travel"
  ],
  "searchTypes": [
    "user",
    "hashtag",
    "place"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# 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 = {
    "queries": [
        "nike",
        "travel"
    ],
    "searchTypes": [
        "user",
        "hashtag",
        "place"
    ],
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/instagram-search-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 = {
    "queries": [
        "nike",
        "travel",
    ],
    "searchTypes": [
        "user",
        "hashtag",
        "place",
    ],
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/instagram-search-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 '{
  "queries": [
    "nike",
    "travel"
  ],
  "searchTypes": [
    "user",
    "hashtag",
    "place"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/instagram-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/instagram-search-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/IPMHwMtx1fusnR8lD/builds/F88MJLmbLbzKgdWac/openapi.json