Social media data: posts, comments and public access
A social scraper can return posts but miss comments, or return comments but not the parent post. Platforms also change access without much notice. The target pages keep the platform-level facts separate so a change on one source does not invalidate the others.
The short answer
Social data is not one dataset. Each platform has its own public surface, official API, rate limit and content rules. Start with the exact object you need, such as a public post, comment, channel, hashtag or community thread, then use the target page that documents that route.
19 websites, 102 catalogue Actors, 98 of them with a published output schema. Data checked 2026-11-12. How the routes are scored.Websites in this group
Each website link opens the full comparison, field matrix, official API route and legal notes. The table shows how many catalogue Actors cover each website, how many publish an output schema, the cheapest published rate per 1,000 and the official access status.
| Website | Category | Catalogue tools | Schemas | Cheapest / 1K | Official API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X (Twitter) x.com | Social network | 12 | 12 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| Reddit reddit.com | Social network | 9 | 9 | $0.99 / 1K | Limited access |
| Instagram instagram.com | Social network | 5 | 5 | $0.49 / 1K | Limited access |
| Facebook facebook.com | Social network | 10 | 10 | $0.99 / 1K | Limited access |
| TikTok tiktok.com | Social network | 18 | 18 | $0.99 / 1K | Limited access |
| YouTube youtube.com | Video | 17 | 17 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| Pinterest pinterest.com | Social network | 6 | 6 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| Quora quora.com | Q&A and social | 4 | 4 | $0.99 / 1K | No open API |
| Snapchat snapchat.com | Social network | 13 | 9 | $0.99 / 1K | Limited access |
| Bluesky bsky.app | Social network | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| Threads threads.net | Social network | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Limited access |
| Twitch twitch.tv | Video | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| Vimeo vimeo.com | Video | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| Dailymotion dailymotion.com | Video | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Limited access |
| Bilibili bilibili.com | Video | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Limited access |
| DeviantArt deviantart.com | Images and media | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| Hacker News news.ycombinator.com | News and publishing | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Public API |
| StockTwits stocktwits.com | Finance and markets | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | Partner only |
| Skool skool.com | Social network | 1 | 1 | $0.99 / 1K | No open API |
Counts are catalogue Actors mapped to the website, not every tool on the public Store. A schema count is the number of tools with at least three published output fields. Prices exclude Actor start events and plan differences.
Ranked lists, API pricing and error fixes in this group
- Ranked listBest X (Twitter) scrapers on Apify: Actors ranked by fields and price
- Official API pricingX API pricing in 2026: pay-per-use rates and a working cost calculator
- Retired toolNitter is offline: what killed it and what to use for X data
- Retired toolsnscrape after the X changes: what broke and what to use now
- Retired toolTwint is archived: the Twitter scraper that stopped working
- Ranked listBest Reddit scrapers for 2026-2027
- Official API pricingReddit API pricing and shutdown dates: what changes in 2026-2027
- Error fixReddit .json 403 Forbidden: what changed and what to use now
- Error fixReddit RSS shutdown: the November 13, 2026 deadline and your options
- AlternativesReddit API alternatives for public data after the 2026 shutdown
- Error fixInstagram 429 Too Many Requests: what the error means
- AlternativesCrowdTangle alternatives: what still works for public social data
- Retired toolCrowdTangle is gone: what replaced it and what did not
- Retired toolFacebook Groups API: removed on April 22, 2024
- Ranked listBest TikTok scrapers on Apify: Actors ranked by fields and price
- Ranked listBest YouTube scrapers on Apify: Actors ranked by fields and price
- Error fixYouTube transcript RequestBlocked: routes that work
- Ranked listBest Pinterest scrapers on Apify: Actors ranked by fields and price
- Error fix403 Forbidden with cf-mitigated: challenge: Cloudflare blocks
- Retired toolUdemy API retired: what still works for Udemy data
Catalogue starting points
These are the highest-ranked catalogue routes across the vertical, one per website where possible. They are a starting point for the use case, not a claim that another catalogue Actor cannot fit a narrower job.
Twitter (X) Media Downloader
Download videos, photos, GIFs, audio and poster images from public Twitter/X posts - no login, no cookies. Works with post links or usernames,…
X Post, Reply & Profile Lookup by Link or ID
Resolve X post links or IDs into text, author, media, polls, quoted/parent posts, engagement metrics and replies, or resolve a handle into that…
X (Twitter) Profile & Post Engagement Extractor
Get any public X profile - bio, followers, verification, avatar, banner - plus latest, top and media posts with full engagement metrics. No login…
X Broadcast Viewer History & Replay Link Scraper
Get a public X broadcast's title, state, start/end times, viewer counts over time, thumbnail, broadcaster profile, and an optional replay stream…
X Video Subtitle & Caption Transcript Converter
Convert public X (Twitter) videos into timestamped transcripts and downloadable SRT/VTT subtitle files, using native captions when available and…
X/Twitter Keyword & Hashtag Tweet Search
Search X (Twitter) by keyword, phrase or hashtag and get tweet text, author, engagement metrics, media and language. Every row says which keyword…
What teams use this data for
Community and keyword monitoring
Track public posts or comments that match a keyword, community or account. Keep the platform object ID and the collected timestamp.
Content and creator research
Compare public channels, posts, views and engagement signals. Do not treat a public metric as an audience measurement or a verified business result.
Public-page monitoring
Monitor public brand pages and posts for changes. Logins, private groups and protected accounts are outside the public-data route.
What to check before you build
- Public does not mean unrestricted. Platform terms still govern collection, storage and reuse.
- Rate limits and access changes can appear without a new API version. Keep the source URL and date next to the data.
- Do not present a social post as a representative sample of a customer base.
Use the field finder for a specific field, the cost estimator for a row count, and the complete Actor catalogue for the full shelf.
Questions people ask
Which social platform has the easiest public data route?
It depends on the object and the date. YouTube, Reddit and X have documented APIs with different limits; Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have narrower public surfaces. The target pages are dated because these routes change.
Does a public post mean the data is free to reuse?
No. Public visibility does not remove platform terms, copyright or privacy duties. Record the source and use the minimum data needed for the task.
What should I do when a platform changes access?
Check the target page and the error pages first. If a deadline or API change is documented, update the workflow rather than retrying a blocked route. Keep the old data labelled with the date it was collected.
Can I monitor private groups or protected accounts?
No. The catalogue route is for public data. Do not bypass logins, access controls or platform permissions.
Sources and data notes
The website rows are generated from the catalogue. Official API status comes from each website's documented route and is dated below.
- X (Twitter) API documentation
- Reddit API documentation
- Instagram API documentation
- Facebook API documentation
- TikTok API documentation
- Data sources and check policy
- Ranking method and limits
Get X (Twitter) data with a catalogue Actor
Twitter (X) Media Downloader returns 3 of 7 core X (Twitter) fields at $0.99 per 1,000 results. Compare all 20 X (Twitter) routes, or see Reddit, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.