Reddit Scraper — Posts, Comments & Search, $0.50 per 1K

Reddit Scraper

Scrape Reddit posts, and optionally full comment threads with replies: site-wide and subreddit search, subreddit feeds, post and comment date filters, NSFW toggle, strict phrase and token match. No Reddit account or API key needed. Legacy: deduplicated authors from subreddit listing URLs (key-value store).

How it works

Why Use This Scraper?

• Multiple starting points — site-wide keywords, one subreddit (search or feed browse), or legacy subreddit URLs for author collection.
• Post-shaped rows — search modes write one dataset item per post, with Reddit’s own nested preview / media when present.
• Optional comments — separate dataset rows per comment, with configurable caps, including the replies Reddit folds behind "load more".
• Post filters that keep junk off your bill — score, comment and award floors and ceilings, upvote ratio, body length, post type (text / link / image / video / gallery), title / body / flair / author-flair matches, keyword exclusion, author allow and block lists, link domain, and one-click drops for stickied, locked, archived, spoiler, removed, deleted-author and crossposted rows. Rows that fail a filter are never written, so a filtered run only pays for what you asked for.
• Practical search options — NSFW toggle, post/comment date windows, strict phrase and token filters, “maximize coverage” budgets.
• Export-friendly — default Apify Dataset; download as JSON, CSV, Excel (CSV flattens nested keys with dots).

Overview

This actor is for research, monitoring, content analysis pipelines, and internal tools that need structured Reddit data without maintaining your own scraping stack.

• Search all of Reddit and Search one subreddit resolve into post rows in the dataset. Enable comments to add comment rows in the same dataset (dataType: "comment", ids like t1_…).
• Comments from post URLs (postComments) takes specific post URLs and returns each post plus every comment on it (nested replies, including the ones Reddit folds behind "load more") — the focused "paste a thread, get its comments" flow.
• User scraper (legacy) targets deduplicated usernames stored under the key-value key API_DETAILS. The dataset is secondary in that mode.

The actor does not compute sentiment or topic categories; related input flags are ignored.

Supported Inputs

You provide	When	Notes
mode = searchGlobal	Site-wide search	Set searchQueries (string list). searchSort, searchTimeframe, includeOver18 apply.
mode = searchSubreddit	One subreddit	subredditSearchUrl (https://…/r/name, r/name, or bare name). Empty subredditSearchQueries → feed listing; non-empty → in-subreddit search.
mode = postComments	Comments from post URLs	postUrls — specific Reddit post URLs (e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/webscraping/comments/1f64lbr/…). Returns each post plus all its comments (nested replies, including folded "load more" branches), capped by searchMaxCommentsPerPost.
mode = subredditUsers	Legacy authors	startUrls — subreddit home URLs (e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/webscraping).
maxItems	All modes	Search: max posts (split across keyword lines). Legacy: max unique authors.
proxy	All modes	Optional. Residential proxies recommended. The default works out of the box.

Search options in the Console schema also include: searchIncludeComments, searchMaxCommentsPerPost, searchListingLimitPerPage, searchPostDateFrom / searchPostDateTo, searchCommentDateFrom / searchCommentDateTo, searchForceNewSortWhenDateFiltered, searchStrictPhrase, searchStrictTokenFilter, searchMaximizeCoverage, maxConcurrency / minConcurrency / maxRequestRetries (legacy crawler), etc.

Advanced (JSON input only): searchHttpTransport: "oauth" with your own Reddit app in redditClientId / redditClientSecret, and searchParallelQueryConcurrency (keyword lines run at once). Legacy aliases still read in code: queries, maxPosts, includeNsfw, scrapeComments, maxComments, dateFrom / dateTo, forceSortNewForTimeFilteredRuns, strictSearch, strictTokenFilter, maximize_coverage.

Not supported: logged-in sessions, guaranteed access to private communities, compliance with your jurisdiction’s rules for Reddit data (your responsibility).

Use Cases

Audience	Typical use
Researchers	Post and comment samples for NLP or social science.
Marketing & brand	Mention tracking, campaign feedback, subreddit tone.
Agencies	Client-ready Reddit exports on a schedule.
Product & data teams	Dashboards fed from Dataset webhooks.
Developers	Structured Reddit data without running your own scraper.

How It Works

1. Choose mode and fill only the inputs that apply (Console sections match this).
2. The actor collects the matching posts (subreddit feeds, site-wide and subreddit search) and, when asked, their comment threads. No Reddit account or API key is involved, and failed requests are retried automatically.
3. Each accepted post is mapped to a flat row (legacy Reddit field names plus optional merged aliases such as dataType, scrapedAt, thread_url).
4. If searchIncludeComments is on, the actor also collects each post's comment thread, including replies Reddit folds behind "load more", up to the per-post limit.
5. You export the Dataset (and for legacy mode, read API_DETAILS from the Key-value store).

Input Configuration

Search all of Reddit (minimal):

{
    "mode": "searchGlobal",
    "searchQueries": ["Cheesecake"],
    "searchSort": "relevance",
    "searchTimeframe": "all",
    "includeOver18": false,
    "maxItems": 100,
    "searchIncludeComments": false
}

Search one subreddit:

{
    "mode": "searchSubreddit",
    "subredditSearchUrl": "https://www.reddit.com/r/technology",
    "subredditSearchQueries": ["api"],
    "subredditSearchSort": "relevance",
    "subredditSearchTimeframe": "all",
    "maxItems": 50
}

Search with post filters — only well-received text posts, no pins, about GPUs:

{
    "mode": "searchGlobal",
    "searchQueries": ["best budget gpu"],
    "maxItems": 200,
    "minScore": 50,
    "minComments": 20,
    "postType": "text",
    "excludeStickied": true,
    "titleContains": ["gpu", "graphics card"],
    "excludeKeywords": ["giveaway", "for sale"]
}

Post filters

All optional. They run on each post after Reddit returns the page, so they narrow the dataset rather than the number of pages fetched. Leave a field empty to not filter on it. NSFW is governed by the existing includeOver18 toggle, which sets Reddit's request flag and the row filter together.

Field	Keeps a post when…
minScore / maxScore	score (upvotes − downvotes) is within the bounds
minComments / maxComments	comment count is within the bounds
minUpvoteRatio	upvote ratio is at least this (percent: 90 = 90 % upvoted)
minAwards	it received at least this many awards
minContentLength / maxContentLength	body length in characters is within the bounds
postType	it is a text, link, image, video or gallery post, by Reddit's own flags
titleContains / contentContains	title / body contains any of the listed words or phrases (case-insensitive)
flairContains / authorFlairContains	link flair / author flair contains any of the listed values
domainContains	the linked domain contains any of the listed values (youtube, github.com)
excludeKeywords	title and body contain none of the listed values
authors / excludeAuthors	the author is / is not in the list
onlyWithFlair / onlyOriginalContent / onlyDistinguished	it has a flair / is marked OC / is by a moderator or admin
excludeStickied / excludeLocked / excludeArchived / excludeSpoilers	it is not pinned / locked / archived / spoiler-tagged
excludeRemoved / excludeDeletedAuthor / excludeCrossposts	its body was not removed, its author is not deleted, it is not a crosspost

User scraper (legacy) — author list:

{
    "mode": "subredditUsers",
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/webscraping" }],
    "maxItems": 500
}

Output Overview

• Dataset — one JSON object per line item. Search runs are mostly kind: "post" rows. Comments, when enabled, are additional items with dataType: "comment".
• Legacy user mode — primary output is API_DETAILS (unique usernames) in the default key-value store, not the same post schema.
• Downloads — Apify offers JSON, CSV, Excel, etc. Nested objects (e.g. preview.images) flatten in CSV.
• Honest variability — Reddit omits or nulls fields by post type (text vs link vs gallery, removed authors, ads). Keys are stable when the mapper adds them; values are not.

Output Samples

Shortened post object (real shape; preview…resolutions trimmed for readability). The first record in repo data.json shows the full resolutions ladder.

{
    "kind": "post",
    "query": "Cheesecake",
    "id": "futnih",
    "title": "Different kinds of cheesecake",
    "body": "",
    "author": "cttrv",
    "score": 43222,
    "upvote_ratio": 0.95,
    "num_comments": 1204,
    "subreddit": "coolguides",
    "created_utc": "2020-04-04T13:23:45.000Z",
    "url": "https://i.redd.it/tczgv8mgysq41.jpg",
    "permalink": "/r/coolguides/comments/futnih/different_kinds_of_cheesecake/",
    "canonical_url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/futnih/different_kinds_of_cheesecake/",
    "old_reddit_url": "https://old.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/futnih/different_kinds_of_cheesecake/",
    "flair": null,
    "post_hint": "image",
    "over_18": false,
    "is_self": false,
    "spoiler": false,
    "locked": false,
    "is_video": false,
    "domain": "i.redd.it",
    "thumbnail": "https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/BjwCwDT6OG40X5VFEYWsYSUJ_lrLZvUZizm4q_WG8hk.jpg",
    "subreddit_id": "t5_310rm",
    "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/coolguides",
    "subreddit_subscribers": 6028638,
    "preview": {
        "images": [
            {
                "source": {
                    "url": "https://preview.redd.it/tczgv8mgysq41.jpg?auto=webp&s=7b17fbc8e9050ee4b242f7ece7de63ae7b0ee43b",
                    "width": 1200,
                    "height": 1200
                },
                "resolutions": [
                    {
                        "url": "https://preview.redd.it/tczgv8mgysq41.jpg?width=108&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f1107cc1f996a0013ad8b321c6453442d5f576ea",
                        "width": 108,
                        "height": 108
                    },
                    {
                        "url": "https://preview.redd.it/tczgv8mgysq41.jpg?width=216&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4f45cf02c049215a7462669b4e25268aba62ff49",
                        "width": 216,
                        "height": 216
                    }
                ],
                "variants": {},
                "id": "FJE3K_tyrkJobmnqvZME7_YGilzr4GXSmCvMUqExuhU"
            }
        ],
        "enabled": true
    },
    "media_metadata": null,
    "media": null
}

Comment row (when searchIncludeComments is true) — illustrative:

{
    "id": "t1_xyz789",
    "parsedId": "xyz789",
    "dataType": "comment",
    "query": "Cheesecake",
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/comments/abc123/title/def456/",
    "postId": "t3_abc123",
    "parentId": "t3_abc123",
    "username": "commenter",
    "body": "Comment text",
    "createdAt": "2025-01-15T14:00:00.000Z",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-16T10:00:01.000Z",
    "upVotes": 3,
    "numberOfreplies": 0
}

Full-field sample

For every key on the first object in data.json (including all preview.images[0].resolutions[] entries), inspect that file in the repository or re-export from a fresh run. Newer runs may add merged compatibility fields (dataType, scrapedAt, reddit_fullname, thread_url, imageUrls, …) not present in older exports.

Key Output Fields

Group	Examples	Meaning
Identity	kind, id, query	Post vs comment, short id, search line.
Content	title, body, author, created_utc	Headline, selftext, author, ISO time.
Engagement	score, upvote_ratio, num_comments	Reddit score, ratio, comment count.
Community	subreddit, subreddit_name_prefixed, subreddit_id, subreddit_subscribers	Bare name, r/…, t5_…, subscriber snapshot.
URLs	url, permalink, canonical_url, old_reddit_url	Outbound link, path, www thread, old.reddit thread.
Flags	over_18, is_self, spoiler, locked, is_video, post_hint	NSFW, text post, spoiler, lock, video, render hint.
Media	thumbnail, preview, media_metadata, media	Thumb; nested previews; gallery dict; embed.
Job context	search_scope, subreddit_search, subreddit_fetch_mode, sorts	When the mapper adds subreddit/global metadata.
Compatibility	dataType, scrapedAt, reddit_fullname, parsedId, username, upVotes, thread_url, imageUrls	Extra aliases on the same object for downstream tools.

Comments: postId, parentId, communityName, category, html, authorFlair, userId, etc.

FAQ

Which URLs work?
searchGlobal uses keywords, not URLs. searchSubreddit needs a subreddit URL or r/name. subredditUsers needs subreddit home URLs in startUrls.

Posts or users?
Search modes → posts (+ optional comments). Legacy mode → usernames in API_DETAILS.

Are comments always in the dataset?
No. Turn on searchIncludeComments (or legacy scrapeComments). maxItems caps posts only; use searchMaxCommentsPerPost / maxComments for comment volume.

Why are some fields null?
Data is whatever Reddit returns for that post type and state.

Private or logged-in content?
Not supported: public posts and comments only.

Sentiment or categories?
Not implemented.

Support

• Issues — use the Issues tab for this actor in the Apify Console.
• Website — https://muhamed-didovic.github.io/
• Email — muhamed.didovic@gmail.com
• Store — https://apify.com/memo23

Additional Services

• Customization or full dataset delivery: muhamed.didovic@gmail.com
• Other scraping needs or actor changes: muhamed.didovic@gmail.com
• API-style usage: muhamed.didovic@gmail.com

Explore More Scrapers

Browse the author’s Apify store: https://apify.com/memo23

Reddit API alternative — works in Claude, Cursor & ChatGPT

No Reddit API keys, no app registration, no quota paperwork. This actor returns public Reddit posts and comments as structured rows, so it's a drop-in Reddit API alternative for market research, brand/complaint monitoring, and idea validation. Because it runs on Apify, it's automatically available over Apify's MCP server — call it as a tool directly from Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code, or any MCP client, and pipe subreddit posts and comment threads straight into your agent or app.

🤖 For AI Agents & LLM Apps

Compact reference for AI agents calling this actor via the Apify MCP server or the Apify API (actor: memo23/reddit-scraper).

Purpose: Scrapes public Reddit posts and (optionally) full comment threads — site-wide keyword search, single-subreddit search or feed browse, and comments-from-post-URLs — with no Reddit API key or OAuth.

Minimal input:

{
  "mode": "searchGlobal",
  "searchQueries": ["cheesecake"],
  "maxItems": 25
}

For other modes: searchSubreddit uses subredditSearchUrl (empty subredditSearchQueries browses the feed), postComments uses postUrls, and subredditUsers (legacy) uses startUrls.

Output: one dataset row per post — kind, query, id, title, body, author, score, upvote_ratio, num_comments, subreddit, created_utc, url, permalink, canonical_url, old_reddit_url, flair, post_hint, over_18, is_self, spoiler, locked, is_video, domain, thumbnail, subreddit_id, subreddit_name_prefixed, subreddit_subscribers, preview {images}, media_metadata, media. Comment rows carry id (t1_…), parsedId, dataType, query, url, postId, parentId, username, body, createdAt, scrapedAt, upVotes, numberOfreplies.

Behaviors an agent should know:

• mode is required and selects which input block is read; sections for other modes are ignored at runtime.
• maxItems caps posts in search modes (split across keyword lines) and unique authors in legacy user mode; default 100 — always set it.
• searchIncludeComments: true adds comment rows to the same dataset; maxItems still caps posts only, and searchMaxCommentsPerPost (default 200) caps per post.
• Date filters (searchPostDateFrom/To) and strict phrase/token toggles are applied to each post before it is written.
• Post filters (minScore, postType, titleContains, excludeStickied, …) also run client-side per post; a run with none set skips them entirely. See Post filters above for the full list.
• Legacy subredditUsers mode writes usernames (API_DETAILS) to the key-value store, not the post schema in the dataset.
• Pay-per-event billing — see the Pricing tab on the actor page.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Reddit, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

The scraper accesses only publicly available Reddit posts and comments — no authenticated endpoints, private subreddits, paid features, or content behind the Reddit login wall. Users are responsible for ensuring their use complies with Reddit's Terms of Service and User Agreement, applicable data-protection law (GDPR, CCPA, etc.), and any contractual obligations of their own organization.

SEO Keywords

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