# Instagram Reels Transcript 🎙️ Speech to Text — $0.02/reel (`viralanalyzer/instagram-transcript-scraper`) Actor

Transcribe Instagram Reels to text with Whisper: give a profile or Reel URLs and get the spoken words, timestamped segments, SRT, language plus caption, plays, likes and comments. No login, no cookies, no proxy setup. $0.02 per Reel with speech; silent Reels are free.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/instagram-transcript-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [viralanalyzer](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos, Developer tools
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 48 total users, 13 monthly users, 98.6% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $20.00 / 1,000 reel transcribeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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 Reels Transcript — Speech to Text with Whisper

> **$0.02 per Reel with speech** · silent Reels are **free** · 🔒 no login, no cookies, no proxy setup · 🌍 99 languages, auto-detected
> 🔗 [View on Apify Store](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/instagram-transcript-scraper) · 🇺🇸 English · [🇧🇷 Português](#-português)

You paid for a "transcript scraper", the run came back with URLs and `transcript: null`, and Instagram never actually had a transcript to give. This actor does not wait for Instagram: it downloads the Reel's own audio and transcribes it with **Whisper running inside the Actor** — the same engine as our Video Transcriber, no external API, no key, no quota.

Give a **profile** (newest N Reels) or a list of **Reel URLs** and get, per Reel, the spoken words, timestamped segments, an SRT, the detected language — plus caption, duration, plays, likes and comments.

**Who it's for:** social-media and content teams mining what creators say, brand and competitor monitoring, influencer vetting, ad and UGC research, RAG and search over short video.

▶️ Click **Try for free** — the prefilled profile returns real transcripts in about a minute.

### ⚖️ What changed in 2.0

| Before (1.x) | Now (2.0) |
|---|---|
| Read the transcript Instagram attaches to a Reel — logged-out Instagram exposes none; runs returned `url_only` | Whisper transcribes the Reel's audio — every Reel with speech gets a transcript |
| Browser + proxies, `$0.002` per Reel *plus* compute and proxy billed to you | No browser; **$0.02 per Reel with speech, platform usage included** |
| Metadata-only rows were billed | Rows without speech, unavailable media and provider errors are **free** |

### ✨ Features

- 🎙️ **Real speech-to-text** — faster-whisper (`small` by default; `base`/`tiny` for speed), `vad_filter` on, language auto-detected or forced.
- 📋 **Profile or URL input** — newest `maxReels` Reels of each public profile, or exact Reel URLs / shortcodes (up to 200).
- ⏱️ **Timestamps + SRT** — `segments[]` with start/end seconds and a ready `srt`, plus `wordCount`.
- 📊 **Reel metadata** — caption, hashtags, duration, plays, likes, comments, publish date, thumbnail, paid-partnership flag.
- 🛡️ **Honest empties** — music-only Reels (or a one-word fragment) come back as `has_transcript: false`, `errorCode: NO_SPEECH`, not charged.
- 💳 **Spend control** — the actor never requests more Reels than your *maximum charge per run* allows.

### 📥 Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `profiles` | array | `["cristiano"]` | Usernames or profile URLs (public). |
| `reelUrls` | array | — | Reel URLs / shortcodes (max 200). |
| `maxReels` | integer | `10` | Newest Reels per profile (1–100). |
| `language` | string | auto | ISO 639-1 code to skip detection. |
| `model` | enum | `small` | `tiny` · `base` · `small`. |
| `maxSecondsPerReel` | integer | `180` | Longer Reels are cut here and flagged `truncated`. |
| `includeSrt` | boolean | `true` | Add `srt`. |
| `brightDataApiToken` | secret | — | Optional: your own provider token for Reel discovery. |

### 📤 Output (per Reel)

```json
{
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbDp7T4olyC/",
  "shortcode": "DbDp7T4olyC",
  "owner_username": "cristiano",
  "caption": "Greatness takes many forms 💪 …",
  "video_duration": 84.3,
  "play_count": 18400000,
  "like_count": 2544479,
  "comment_count": 25063,
  "published_at": "2026-07-21T13:55:36.000Z",
  "has_transcript": true,
  "transcript_language": "en",
  "transcript": "Greatness is not a moment, it is a habit…",
  "wordCount": 118,
  "transcribed_seconds": 84.3,
  "truncated": false,
  "segments": [{ "start": 0.0, "end": 3.4, "text": "Greatness is not a moment," }],
  "srt": "1\n00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,400\nGreatness is not a moment,\n",
  "source": "whisper",
  "_dataQuality": "transcript"
}
```

Reels without speech: `has_transcript: false`, `errorCode: "NO_SPEECH"`, `_dataQuality: "no_speech"` (free). Media that could not be fetched: `errorCode: "MEDIA_DOWNLOAD_FAILED"` (free). Private profile / wrong username: one `NO_REELS_FOUND` diagnostic row (free).

### 🎯 Use cases

- Pull the talking points of a creator's last 50 Reels into a spreadsheet or an LLM.
- Monitor what influencers say about your brand, not just what they write in the caption.
- Vet influencers for tone, claims and language before a deal.
- Build subtitle files (`srt`) for repurposed clips.
- Feed Reel speech into search, RAG and trend analysis alongside our TikTok and YouTube actors.

### ✅ Capabilities & Limits

- Public profiles and public Reels only; private accounts return `NO_REELS_FOUND`.
- Whisper quality: `small` handles Portuguese, Spanish and English well; heavy music beds reduce accuracy; on-screen text is not read (only speech).
- Each Reel is transcribed up to `maxSecondsPerReel` (default 3 min); longer Reels are cut and flagged.
- Reel discovery comes from a third-party provider — expect 30–90 s before the first transcript appears; large profiles (100 Reels) take several minutes.
- Speaker labels and word-level timestamps are not produced.
- Throughput on the default 2 GB ≈ 0.5× real time: a 30-second Reel takes ~15 s of compute; give the run 4 GB to halve the wall time of big batches.

### ❓ FAQ

**Q: Do I need cookies or an Instagram session?**
A: No. Discovery and audio come from public data; nothing is logged in on your behalf.

**Q: Why did 1.x return `transcript: null`?**
A: Instagram only shows auto-captions inside its own logged-in apps; nothing is exposed publicly. 2.0 stopped depending on it.

**Q: A Reel came back `NO_SPEECH` but people are talking in it.**
A: Whisper's voice filter can skip speech buried under loud music. Re-run with `model: small` (default) and, if you know it, set `language`. You are not charged for `NO_SPEECH` rows.

**Q: Can I transcribe TikToks or YouTube videos too?**
A: Use [Video Transcriber](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/video-transcriber) (same engine, any video URL) or [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/youtube-transcript-scraper) (YouTube captions, $0.01/video).

**Q: My run returned a `PROVIDER_INACTIVE` diagnostic — what now?**
A: The actor's own discovery-provider account is currently inactive on our side; **nothing was charged**. You have two options: provide your own Bright Data API token in the `brightDataApiToken` input — the actor will use it for discovery and you still only pay **$0.02 per transcribed Reel** — or follow the Issues tab for provider status. If you provided a token and got `BYO_TOKEN_REJECTED`, the token/account itself was refused by the provider: check its status and dataset permissions.

### 💰 Pricing

**Pay per event — $0.02 per Reel with a transcript** (`reel-transcripted`). Reels without speech, unavailable media, provider errors and diagnostics are free. Platform usage (compute, discovery provider) is included in the price. Runs stop automatically at your *maximum charge per run*.

### 🔗 Related actors

- [Video Transcriber](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/video-transcriber) — Whisper for TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and direct video links, per minute.
- [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/youtube-transcript-scraper) — YouTube captions to text/SRT.
- [Instagram Reels Scraper](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/instagram-reels-scraper) — Reel metrics without transcription.

### 📝 Changelog

- **2.1.0** (2026-10-11) — Honest diagnostics: a dead/inactive discovery provider is now reported as `PROVIDER_INACTIVE` (not a transient "try again later"), buyer-supplied tokens get their own `BYO_TOKEN_REJECTED` signal, and the owner log warns that revenue is $0 while the provider stays inactive. No pricing or input changes.
- **2.0.0** (2026-08-29) — Rebuilt on Whisper: Reel audio transcribed inside the Actor; profile and URL input; segments + SRT; $0.02 per Reel with speech, platform usage included; silent Reels free. The 1.x native-transcript approach was retired because logged-out Instagram exposes no transcript.
- **1.1** (2026-08) — native-transcript attempt (deprecated).

***

## 🇧🇷 Português

Você pagou por um "transcript scraper", o run voltou com `transcript: null` — e o Instagram nunca teve transcrição pública para entregar. Este actor não depende do Instagram: baixa o áudio do próprio Reel e transcreve com **Whisper rodando dentro do Actor** (mesmo motor do nosso Video Transcriber). Sem API externa, sem chave, sem login.

Informe um **perfil** (os N Reels mais recentes) ou **URLs de Reels** e receba, por Reel, a fala transcrita, segmentos com timestamps, SRT e idioma — mais legenda, duração, plays, curtidas e comentários.

### ✨ Recursos

- Transcrição real por Whisper (`small` por padrão), idioma automático ou forçado.
- Entrada por perfil público ou por URL/shortcode de Reel (até 200).
- `segments[]`, `srt`, `wordCount` e metadados do Reel.
- Reels só com música voltam como `has_transcript: false` / `NO_SPEECH` e **não são cobrados**.
- O actor nunca pede mais Reels do que o seu limite de gasto por run permite.

### 💰 Preço

**$0,02 por Reel com transcrição** (`reel-transcripted`). Reels sem fala, mídia indisponível, erros do provedor e diagnósticos não são cobrados. Uso da plataforma (computação e descoberta) incluído no preço.

### ❓ FAQ

**Precisa de cookies?** Não.
**Por que a 1.x devolvia `transcript: null`?** O Instagram só mostra legendas automáticas dentro dos apps logados; nada é exposto publicamente. A 2.0 deixou de depender disso.
**TikTok ou YouTube?** Use o [Video Transcriber](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/video-transcriber) ou o [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/viralanalyzer/youtube-transcript-scraper).
**Meu run voltou com diagnóstico `PROVIDER_INACTIVE` — e agora?** A conta de descoberta do actor está inativa no nosso lado; **nada foi cobrado**. Traga seu próprio token da Bright Data no input `brightDataApiToken` (o actor usa seu token e você segue pagando só **$0,02 por Reel transcrito**) ou acompanhe a aba Issues. Se você informou um token e recebeu `BYO_TOKEN_REJECTED`, o próprio token/conta foi recusado pelo provedor: verifique status e permissões de dataset.

### 📝 Changelog

- **2.1.0** (2026-10-11) — Diagnósticos honestos: provedor de descoberta inativo passa a ser reportado como `PROVIDER_INACTIVE` (não como erro transitório "tente mais tarde"), token do próprio comprador ganha o sinal `BYO_TOKEN_REJECTED`, e o log do owner avisa que a receita é $0 enquanto o provedor seguir inativo. Sem mudanças de preço ou input.
- **2.0.0** (2026-08-29) — reconstruído com Whisper; $0,02 por Reel com fala; Reels silenciosos grátis.

# Actor input Schema

## `profiles` (type: `array`):

Usernames or profile URLs — the newest `maxReels` Reels of each profile are transcribed. Public profiles only.

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

Specific Reels (instagram.com/reel/…, /p/…, or a bare shortcode). Up to 200 per run.

## `maxReels` (type: `integer`):

Newest Reels to transcribe for each profile (1–100).

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

ISO 639-1 code (pt, en, es…) to skip auto-detection. Leave empty to detect per Reel.

## `model` (type: `string`):

`small` (default) is the accuracy/speed sweet spot; `base` and `tiny` are faster and less accurate.

## `maxSecondsPerReel` (type: `integer`):

Transcribe at most this many seconds of each Reel (longer Reels are cut and flagged `truncated`).

## `includeSrt` (type: `boolean`):

Add a ready-to-use `srt` subtitle string to each item.

## `brightDataApiToken` (type: `string`):

Optional. Reel discovery and metadata come from Bright Data's Instagram scraper using the actor's own account; provide your token to use yours instead.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "profiles": [
    "cristiano"
  ],
  "maxReels": 1,
  "language": "",
  "model": "small",
  "maxSecondsPerReel": 60,
  "includeSrt": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `url` (type: `string`):

Field url of each item.

## `has_transcript` (type: `string`):

Field has_transcript of each item.

## `transcript_language` (type: `string`):

Field transcript_language of each item.

## `video_duration` (type: `string`):

Field video_duration of each item.

# 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 = {
    "profiles": [
        "cristiano"
    ],
    "maxReels": 1,
    "maxSecondsPerReel": 60
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("viralanalyzer/instagram-transcript-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 = {
    "profiles": ["cristiano"],
    "maxReels": 1,
    "maxSecondsPerReel": 60,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("viralanalyzer/instagram-transcript-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 '{
  "profiles": [
    "cristiano"
  ],
  "maxReels": 1,
  "maxSecondsPerReel": 60
}' |
apify call viralanalyzer/instagram-transcript-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,viralanalyzer/instagram-transcript-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/X72IASeSpP4e81W8L/builds/XeEhlMH0XmxMH3hyd/openapi.json