# Reddit Search — Posts, Subreddits & Users (up to 500) (`red_crawler/reddit-search`) Actor

FREE — Search Reddit for posts, subreddits, or users with filters for sort, time, and subreddit scope. Returns up to 500 results per run — Reddit stops each search at ~250 (every sort), so search multiple subreddits (comma-separated) to go higher. No Reddit account or OAuth required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-search.md
- **Developed by:** [Red Crawler](https://apify.com/red_crawler) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, SEO tools, Social media
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 308 total users, 118 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 4 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-usage

## 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

## Reddit Search — Posts, Subreddits & Users

![Endpoints](https://img.shields.io/badge/endpoints-3-blue) ![Anonymous](https://img.shields.io/badge/no_auth-required-green) ![Proxy](https://img.shields.io/badge/proxy-managed-blue) ![Price](https://img.shields.io/badge/price-FREE-brightgreen)

> **This actor is free.** There is no per-result fee. You only pay Apify's normal platform usage (the compute time of your run), and Apify's free plan gives you $5 of usage credit every month.

Search Reddit and get back fully-structured results. Three result types — posts, subreddits, or users — with sort, time-window, and subreddit-scope filters. **No Reddit account or proxy required.**

Pick what you want to find, type your query, hit Start.

***

### What you can fetch

This actor mirrors Reddit's native search across three result types. Choose the type, type your query, optionally narrow with filters.

> **About the result limit — Reddit stops each search at ~250.** This actor uses Reddit's classic search, which returns **at most ~250 posts for one search**, for **every sort** (relevance, hot, top, new, comments) and whether you search all of Reddit or one subreddit — measured live, November 2026. That's a hard limit on Reddit's side, not ours, and we don't pad runs with duplicates. `search_limit` goes up to **500**, and you only *reach* numbers above ~250 when you search **multiple subreddits**: each subreddit you add contributes up to ~250, and `search_limit` is the **total**, split evenly across them (e.g. 2 subreddits ≈ up to ~500). Need more from one search? **Reddit Search V2** uses Reddit's app search, which goes to ~500 per sort.

#### 1. Posts

Reddit posts matching the query. Supports sort, time window, and subreddit scope.

**Inputs**

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `search_query` | Full-text search string. Reddit search syntax is supported: `wordpress` (keyword), `"exact phrase"` (exact match), `wordpress -plugin` (exclude term), `flair:"Help needed"` (by flair), `author:username` (by author), `selftext:typescript` (match in post body). |
| `search_subreddit` *(optional)* | One or more subreddit names (no `r/` prefix). Pass several comma-separated — e.g. `cats,dog,aww` — to search across multiple communities at once; `search_limit` is then the **total**, split evenly across them. |
| `search_sort` | `relevance` (default) / `hot` / `top` / `new` / `comments` (most-discussed). |
| `search_time_filter` *(optional)* | `hour` / `day` / `week` / `month` / `year` / `all`. Leave blank for Reddit's default window. |
| `search_limit` | 1 to 500 (default 25). One search returns ~250 posts max, for every sort — scope to several subreddits (above) to gather more, up to your limit. |

**Returns per post:** Reddit ID, fullname, title, body / selftext, author, subreddit, score, ups / downs / upvote ratio, comment count, crosspost count, created + edited timestamps, permalink, external URL, domain, post-type flags (`is_self`, `is_video`, `over_18`, `spoiler`, `locked`, `stickied`, `pinned`, `archived`), distinguished status, removal category, link & author flair, thumbnail, media (images / video / gallery), awards.

**Use it when:** brand monitoring (mentions of your product), trend discovery (`top` over `week` / `month`), competitor research, content discovery for a niche.

**Example**

**Input**

```json
{
  "search_type": "posts",
  "search_query": "wordpress",
  "search_sort": "relevance",
  "search_time_filter": "week",
  "search_limit": 25
}
```

**Output** *(one dataset record — `selftext` truncated for readability)*

```json
{
  "result_kind": "post",
  "id": "1tbitiv",
  "name": "t3_1tbitiv",
  "title": "A story about Newton",
  "author": "HopDavid",
  "subreddit": "HistoryMemes",
  "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/HistoryMemes",
  "score": 11934,
  "ups": 11934,
  "upvote_ratio": 0.96,
  "num_comments": 442,
  "created_utc": 1778629629.0,
  "permalink": "https://reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/1tbitiv/a_story_about_newton/",
  "url": "https://i.redd.it/ui0xs090ms0h1.jpeg",
  "over_18": false,
  "link_flair_text": null,
  "selftext": "Isaac Newton was undoubtedly one of the greats. However some myths have grown around Newton's memory over time…",
  "total_awards_received": 0
}
```

#### 2. Subreddits

Subreddit communities matching the query.

**Inputs**

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `search_query` | Search string (matched against subreddit names + descriptions). |
| `search_limit` | 1 to 500 (default 25). Reddit returns ~250 communities max per search (often fewer). |

**Returns per subreddit:** ID, fullname, display name (raw + prefixed), title, subscriber count, active user count, public + full description, created timestamp, language, type (public / private / restricted), NSFW flag, URL, header / icon / banner images, primary + key colors, submit text, allowed submission types (videos / images / polls / galleries).

**Use it when:** discovering communities for a topic before you post, building niche directories, finding the right place to advertise.

**Note:** Sort, time filter, and subreddit scope are ignored for this type — Reddit returns subreddit results in its own default order.

**Example**

**Input**

```json
{
  "search_type": "subreddits",
  "search_query": "wordpress",
  "search_limit": 25
}
```

**Output** *(one dataset record)*

```json
{
  "result_kind": "subreddit",
  "id": "2qhjq",
  "name": "t5_2qhjq",
  "display_name": "Wordpress",
  "display_name_prefixed": "r/Wordpress",
  "title": "WordPress",
  "subscribers": 303179,
  "public_description": "The place for news, articles and discussion regarding WordPress, the open source software.",
  "created_utc": 1205874670.0,
  "lang": "en",
  "subreddit_type": "public",
  "over18": false,
  "url": "/r/Wordpress/",
  "header_img": "https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/0kVhB7E5deeOgVbr.png",
  "primary_color": "#00749a",
  "allow_videos": false,
  "allow_images": true,
  "allow_polls": true,
  "allow_galleries": true
}
```

#### 3. Users

Reddit user accounts matching the query.

**Inputs**

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `search_query` | Search string (matched against usernames + profiles). |
| `search_subreddit` *(optional)* | Only return users active in that subreddit. Pass several comma-separated (`cats,dog,aww`) to search across communities — `search_limit` is the **total**, split evenly. |
| `search_limit` | 1 to 500 (default 25). Reddit returns one page of users per search (~100 max, often fewer). |

**Returns per user:** ID, name, total karma split into post / comment / award / awardee karma, account creation timestamp, employee / mod / Reddit-Gold / verified / verified-email flags, profile icon, snoovatar image, mini subreddit info, accept-followers flag.

**Use it when:** finding influencers in a niche, brand accounts, lead generation, mapping who's active in a community.

**Note:** Sort and time filter are ignored for this type.

**Example**

**Input**

```json
{
  "search_type": "users",
  "search_query": "python",
  "search_limit": 25
}
```

**Output** *(one dataset record)*

```json
{
  "result_kind": "user",
  "id": "32tit",
  "name": "python",
  "total_karma": 1,
  "link_karma": 1,
  "comment_karma": 0,
  "created_utc": 1201533046.0,
  "is_employee": false,
  "is_mod": false,
  "is_gold": false,
  "verified": true,
  "has_verified_email": false,
  "icon_img": "https://www.redditstatic.com/avatars/defaults/v2/avatar_default_5.png",
  "snoovatar_img": "",
  "accept_followers": true
}
```

***

### How to run

1. **Pick the search type** — Posts, Subreddits, or Users.
2. **Enter your query.**
3. **Optionally narrow** with subreddit scope (Posts / Users), sort + time (Posts only), or limit.
4. **Click Start.**

***

### Output

Results are pushed to the actor's default dataset, **one record per result**. View as a table or download as JSON / CSV / Excel / XML.

Every record is tagged with a `result_kind` field (`post`, `subreddit`, or `user`) so you can tell them apart at a glance and route them downstream. The most useful columns are placed first (id, title / name, score / subscribers / karma, created date, etc.) so the dataset Table view is readable without scrolling.

***

### Common edge cases

- **Safe Search is always ON.** NSFW results are filtered out at the source — there is no toggle. If you need NSFW search results, use **Reddit Search V2** which has a `safe_search` toggle.
- **~250 results per search.** Reddit's classic search returns at most ~250 posts per search, for every sort (~250 communities, ~100 users). To gather more, scope **multiple subreddits** (comma-separated in `search_subreddit`, Posts / Users) — the actor searches each one and merges, so the ceiling becomes ~250 × the number of subreddits, capped at your `search_limit` (up to 500).
- **One run = one search.** For multiple queries, kick off separate runs (or use the Apify scheduler / API).
- **Private subreddits / quarantined content** — not searchable from anonymous calls.
- **Empty results** — return zero records. The actor reports an empty result rather than failing.
- **Sort + time filter on non-Post types** — silently ignored. Reddit ranks subreddit / user results in its own order.

***

### Why this actor is fast

- **Speed — 1–3 seconds per call, end-to-end.** Pure HTTP to Reddit's API. No browser to boot, no Playwright / Selenium / Puppeteer overhead. Competing browser-based scrapers typically take 15–60 seconds per call.
- **Reliability — zero browser flakiness.** No headless-Chromium crashes. No JS-render timeouts. No captcha pages. No surprise mid-run failures from a browser quirk.
- **Footprint — under 100 MB RAM per run.** Most browser-based scrapers need 1–4 GB. Built for reliability behind the scenes — just paste your inputs and run.

***

### Status & error reference

**Run status** *(Apify-side, shown on the run page)*

| Status | Apify message | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| <img src="https://redcrawler.com/s/apify_pill_succeeded_v11.png" alt="Succeeded" height="40" style="max-width:none" /> | "Actor succeeded with N results in the dataset" | Run finished. Some or zero records pushed. | Open the dataset to view results. |
| <img src="https://redcrawler.com/s/apify_pill_failed_v11.png" alt="Failed" height="40" style="max-width:none" /> | "The Actor process failed…" | Validation error or upstream Reddit fault. | Check the run log. You are NOT charged for failed runs. |
| <img src="https://redcrawler.com/s/apify_pill_timed_out_v11.png" alt="Timed out" height="40" style="max-width:none" /> | "The Actor timed out. You can resurrect it with a longer timeout to continue where you left off." | Run exceeded its timeout. | Re-run with a smaller `limit` or fewer inputs. |
| <img src="https://redcrawler.com/s/apify_pill_aborted_v11.png" alt="Aborted" height="40" style="max-width:none" /> | "The Actor process was aborted. You can resurrect it to continue where you left off." | You stopped the run manually. | No charge for unpushed results. |

**Common in-run conditions** *(visible in run log)*

| Condition | Cause | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Empty result set | Query returned no results from Reddit. | Run `SUCCEEDED`, 0 records, no charge. |
| Query too short / blocked | Reddit rejects very short or banned query strings. | Run `SUCCEEDED`, 0 records. |
| Private / quarantined subreddit filter | Filter target is hidden from anonymous reads. | Run `SUCCEEDED`, those rows skipped. |
| Validation error: missing `search_query` | Required input not provided. | Run `FAILED` immediately, no charge. |

***

### Pricing

**Free. There is no per-result fee** — we don't charge anything for the results you get, however many you pull.

You only pay Apify's normal platform usage, which is the compute time your run takes. Apify's free plan includes **$5 of usage credit every month**, so you can start right away without a paid plan.

***

### Need a different shape of data?

- **[Reddit Search V2](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-search-v2)** — adds comment / media / topic search, NSFW toggle, comment search
- **[Reddit Scraper V2](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-scrape-v2)** — 11 single-record reads for posts, comments, profiles, communities
- **[Reddit Scraper](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-content-fetcher)** — pull a subreddit's feed, a post's comments, or a single post / comment by URL
- **[Reddit Bulk Scrape](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-bulk-scrape)** — paste up to 10000 IDs / names / URLs in a single run
- **[Reddit Users](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-users)** / **[Reddit Users V2](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-users-v2)** — single-user lookups with profile + trophies + posts + comments
- **[Reddit Subreddits](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-subreddits)** — about / rules / sidebar / popular-feed / autocomplete
- **[Reddit Posts](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-posts)** — front-page feed, crosspost duplicates, pinned posts
- **[Reddit Subreddits V2](https://apify.com/red_crawler/reddit-subreddits-v2)** — wiki pages, custom emojis, flairs, style & widgets

***

### Support and feedback

Found a bug, want a feature, or hit a Reddit error code we don't translate clearly? Open an issue via the actor's Apify Console feedback link, or reach out at the RedCrawler support channel.

***

*Reddit Search — Posts, Subreddits & Users is part of the RedCrawler family of Reddit actors. RedCrawler is independent — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Reddit, Inc. Use it within Reddit's API terms.*

# Actor input Schema

## `search_type` (type: `string`):

What kind of result to return.

## `search_query` (type: `string`):

What to search for.

## `search_subreddit` (type: `string`):

One or more subreddits (without r/), comma-separated for several — e.g. cats,dog,aww. Used only when search type is 'posts' or 'users'. Ignored for 'subreddits'. With multiple subs, the Limit is the TOTAL across them, split evenly.

## `search_sort` (type: `string`):

Sort order — IGNORED unless search type = posts.

## `search_time_filter` (type: `string`):

Time window — IGNORED unless search type = posts. Leave as '—' to skip.

## `search_limit` (type: `integer`):

Max results to return (1–500). With multiple subreddits this is the TOTAL across them, split evenly. Note: one Reddit search returns at most ~250 results (every sort), so each subreddit gives up to ~250.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "search_type": "posts",
  "search_query": "wordpress",
  "search_sort": "relevance",
  "search_time_filter": "",
  "search_limit": 25
}
```

# 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 = {
    "search_type": "posts",
    "search_query": "wordpress"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("red_crawler/reddit-search").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 = {
    "search_type": "posts",
    "search_query": "wordpress",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("red_crawler/reddit-search").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 '{
  "search_type": "posts",
  "search_query": "wordpress"
}' |
apify call red_crawler/reddit-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,red_crawler/reddit-search"
        }
    }
}
```

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/oqKJdeZfASeRTHvFC/builds/MkkeYtcfp7oaUAAeU/openapi.json