Snapchat: scrapers and the official API, compared

Route map

Each line is one way to get Snapchat data; each stop is a field you probably need. Green lines are catalogue Actors, ranked by the published formula.

Which route for which job

The catalogue Actors for Snapchat return different records. "Only this route" lists the published fields no other Actor in this table returns, which is usually what decides the choice. Cost is the published per-result rate; start events and platform usage are extra.

Field matrix: who returns what

Every tool with a published output schema, against the 5 fields most Snapchat jobs need. A dot means the field name appears in the schema; rows can still leave it empty.

Field dictionary: the exact keys

The same core field has a different key in each Actor's output. Map these before you merge datasets; a dash means the published schema has no matching key. Need a field that is not listed here, such as email? Search every Snapchat Actor by field.

Download this comparison: CSV · JSON (every tool with a published schema, matching keys per core field, price and score).

All 21 tools, scored

Catalogue Actors link to their detail pages; the score (0 to 100) is the published formula, identical for every tool. Other Store tools follow in their own table, for reference. Price is the published primary-result rate per 1,000 (the Free-plan rate where the price is tiered; higher Apify plans pay less); start events and platform usage are excluded.

Other Store tools, for reference

Scored with the same published formula and listed for comparison only; this site does not link or recommend them.

What to check before you choose

Teams use Snapchat data to research public creators, follow Spotlight topics and build publisher or show catalogs. Comment analysis, public story collection and place research require different source surfaces.

Choose Spotlight tools for videos and engagement, creator tools for profile context, and publisher tools for show discovery. Snap's official products provide scoped integrations rather than general access to public content.

Checklist

• Filter mixed outputs before analysis. Explore search uses resultType, and topic collection uses recordType to distinguish topic records from videos.
• Plan identifier mapping: snapId, snap_id and storyId occur in different schemas. Keep canonical source links when connecting comments, videos and creators.
• Inspect availability and output detail before choosing a media workflow. videoUrl, mediaUrl and mediaPreviewUrl appear in different tools and are not interchangeable fields.

Where the data is incomplete

The Discover publisher, AR lens, Snap Map and EU ads tools listed here have no published output fields in the published records.

The detailed records also omit the leading ranked tool.

Official API route

Terms and personal data

Limit collection to public content and respect Snap's terms. Official products also require approval and access within their defined scopes. This is general information, not legal advice.

Read Snapchat's terms. Keep to public data, do not bypass logins or access controls, and check whether personal data is involved before you collect it. The can-I-scrape checklist walks through it.

How to start

1. Open the recommended Snapchat tool and use its input instructions to choose a supported public creator or content source.
2. Start a small collection and inspect the returned content types so profile, story and Spotlight records are interpreted separately.
3. Save the dataset with available source links and availability information, then review missing captions or engagement values before expanding.

Call Snapchat Topic Spotlight Feed & Content Tag Extractor from code

The example input uses the Actor's published defaults; set your own Snapchat query before you run it. You need an Apify API token.

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run_input = {
    "mode": "topicFeed",
    "topics": [
        "food"
    ],
    "maxResultsPerTopic": 3,
    "includeRelatedTags": False,
    "searchQueries": [],
    "maxTopicsPerQuery": 50,
    "includeRelatedTopics": False,
    "enrichVideos": False,
    "maxItems": 3
}

run = client.actor("dataspryva/snapchat-topic-spotlight-feed-and-content-tag").call(run_input=run_input)
if run is None:
    raise RuntimeError("The Actor run was not found.")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: "<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>" });
const input = {
    "mode": "topicFeed",
    "topics": [
        "food"
    ],
    "maxResultsPerTopic": 3,
    "includeRelatedTags": false,
    "searchQueries": [],
    "maxTopicsPerQuery": 50,
    "includeRelatedTopics": false,
    "enrichVideos": false,
    "maxItems": 3
};

const run = await client.actor("dataspryva/snapchat-topic-spotlight-feed-and-content-tag").call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/dataspryva~snapchat-topic-spotlight-feed-and-content-tag/run-sync-get-dataset-items"   -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN"   -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{"mode":"topicFeed","topics":["food"],"maxResultsPerTopic":3,"includeRelatedTags":false,"searchQueries":[],"maxTopicsPerQuery":50,"includeRelatedTopics":false,"enrichVideos":false,"maxItems":3}'

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=dataspryva/snapchat-topic-spotlight-feed-and-content-tag",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Questions people ask

More on Snapchat

• Topic groupSocial media data: every website compared
• ToolWhich Snapchat route fits your job?
• ToolSnapchat cost by Apify plan, rows and runs

Related websites

• Instagram4 Actors
• TikTok17 Actors
• TikTok Ads Library1 Actor

Sources

• Snapchat Topic Spotlight Feed & Content Tag Extractor on Apify Store
• Snapchat Explore Search Across Spotlight, Lenses & Places on Apify Store
• Snapchat Spotlight Video Link & Caption Downloader on Apify Store
• Snapchat Spotlight Hashtag Video Extractor on Apify Store
• Snapchat Spotlight Comment & Reaction Scraper on Apify Store
• Snapchat Highlight & Story Media Downloader on Apify Store
• Snapchat APIs documentation
• Snapchat terms