The best Instagram scraper depends on the data you are allowed to collect, the output you need and the engineering work you can support. This guide retains seven useful options, from managed APIs to an open-source downloader. Their order is an editorial shortlist, not a measured performance ranking: we did not run a comparative speed, success-rate or ban-rate benchmark.
Jump to: Choose an Instagram scraper by data type · Stories and Highlights
Compare the seven options
Prices below were checked on official pages on September 5, 2026, in USD. They are entry points or stated usage rates, not a quote for a complete Instagram job. Plan fees, rendering, retries, storage and export requirements can change the total. Confirm the live checkout and target-specific estimator before buying.
Tool | Approach | Published pricing reference | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
ScrapingBee | Configurable scraping API | From $19/month; credits vary by feature | Teams building their own extraction pipeline |
Apify | Maintained Instagram actor | $1.50–$2.70 per 1,000 results by plan | Ready-made datasets, scheduling and APIs |
Bright Data | Instagram scraper endpoints | Pay as you go: $1.50 per 1,000 records | Managed collection and structured delivery |
Zyte | General-purpose scraping API | Target- and request-dependent pricing | Custom pipelines with request-level control |
Decodo | Web Scraping API | Paid plans from $19/month | A shared API for several data sources |
Instaloader | Open-source Python tool | Free software; hosting and maintenance extra | Technical users archiving permitted media |
PhantomBuster | Workflow automation platform | Start: $56/month equivalent, billed $672 annually | Prebuilt workflows and scheduled exports |
Choose an Instagram scraper by data type
Start with the records your workflow needs. A profile response containing a highlight count does not establish that a tool can retrieve the items inside those Highlights. Match the endpoint and its sample output to the dataset you intend to collect.
Dataset | Useful fields to request | What to check in a sample |
|---|---|---|
Profiles | Account ID, username, bio and profile URL | Stable account identity, returned fields and treatment of unavailable accounts |
Posts and Reels | Media ID, permalink, media type, caption and available engagement fields | Whether Reels are included, whether carousel children are separate, and which requested metrics are actually returned |
Stories | Item ID, account ID, posting time, media type and available media URL | Whether the tool returns currently available Story items and the access conditions for that endpoint |
Highlights | Collection ID and title, item ID, media type and available media URL | Whether it expands each collection into its individual items rather than returning covers and counts only |
The Apify Instagram Scraper documents posts, Reels, profiles, hashtags, places and comments. Its profile output includes a highlight reel count; verify the specific Actor and output schema when your task needs Highlight items. For Instaloader, Stories and Highlights use separate options, and both require login.
Which Instagram scraper fits Stories and Highlights?
For a local archive with your own authenticated session, Instaloader provides separate Stories and Highlights download options. Its Highlights API retrieves available Highlights for a specified account and requires login. You manage the session, stored files and repeat runs.
For a managed workflow, select a service or Actor that explicitly lists the dataset you need. Check Stories and Highlights separately: a general Instagram scraper, a profile endpoint and a dedicated Story endpoint can return different records even when they accept the same username.
Run a small sample with an account whose available content you can inspect. Confirm the following before connecting it to your workflow:
- Item coverage. Check both the list of Highlight collections and the items inside a collection. For Stories, inspect which currently available items the run returns.
- Access conditions. Record whether the chosen endpoint needs an authenticated session and how that session is maintained.
- Output shape. Require stable item IDs, account identity, timestamps and a field identifying the dataset. Keep Highlight collection IDs with their child items.
- Repeat runs. Compare item IDs across runs so the same media is not counted repeatedly. Store collection time separately from the original posting time.
- Usable results and cost. Inspect whether media references work for your task and how the service charges for returned items, empty results and retries.
A compact collection record can use the following fields. This is a storage schema for your workflow; map the provider's actual output fields to it.
Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Join records to the same account |
| Distinguish |
| Associate a Highlight item with its collection |
| Deduplicate repeated collection |
| Retain the source posting time when available |
| Record when your workflow received the item |
| Retain the available media reference and its type |
For a scraper you operate yourself, use MIYAIP's integration guides to configure the network connection. Data fields and dataset coverage come from the scraper or endpoint you choose.
1. ScrapingBee: control your extraction pipeline
ScrapingBee combines a scraping API with configurable rendering and extraction features. It suits developers who want to integrate requests into an existing application. The Hobby plan starts at $19/month for 75,000 credits; a request can consume more than one credit depending on its options.
Your evaluation should establish whether the required fields can be extracted consistently, how failures are reported and how much normalization remains in your application. Do not assume that a general scraping API supplies a stable Instagram-specific schema.
2. Apify: a maintained Instagram actor
Apify’s Instagram Scraper offers supported inputs such as profiles, posts, reels and hashtags, with dataset exports and API integration. Its listed result prices range from $2.70 per 1,000 on the Free plan to $1.50 on Business. Platform subscriptions and the selected actor’s billing model should be checked together.
This is a practical candidate when your team wants a maintained collection workflow rather than starting with a parser. Test pagination, duplicates and missing fields against an approved sample before scheduling recurring runs.
3. Bright Data: dedicated endpoints and delivery options
Bright Data’s Instagram scraper provides endpoints for data types including profiles, posts, reels and comments. Its pay-as-you-go reference is $1.50 per 1,000 records, with structured delivery options such as JSON and CSV. Volume packages have separate economics.
Evaluate which endpoint maps to each business question and what counts as a billable record. A managed collector can reduce maintenance work, but it does not remove your responsibility for access rights, retention and downstream use.
4. Zyte: request-level control for custom systems
Zyte API pricing depends on the target, request type and enabled features. HTTP and browser requests have different rates. It is better assessed with a representative target sample than with a single headline price presented as an Instagram-specific quote.
Consider it when you already operate a data pipeline and need explicit control over retrieval and processing. Budget for your own schema mapping and operational monitoring alongside the API charges.
5. Decodo: a broader Web Scraping API
Decodo’s social media scraping offering is part of its Web Scraping API. Paid plans start at $19/month, and request costs vary with proxy and rendering options. Verify Instagram target support, input parameters and output fields for the exact task.
A shared API can simplify procurement when Instagram is only one of several sources. The useful comparison is the cost of an accepted dataset, including your transformation work, rather than the lowest advertised request rate.
6. Instaloader: free software with operational responsibility
Instaloader is an open-source Python tool for downloading Instagram media and associated information. The software is free, but you supply the runtime, storage, updates and permitted account access. Its troubleshooting documentation discusses rate-limit errors; it does not establish a universally safe request quota.
It can fit a small, authorized archive with a technical owner. Treat session files as credentials, and make recovery from interrupted jobs part of the design. Multiple workers can also compete for the same account’s limits.
7. PhantomBuster: workflow automation
PhantomBuster offers prebuilt social workflows, including Instagram workflows. Its Start plan is advertised at $56/month when billed $672 annually, with execution-time and workflow-slot limits. That annual commitment should not be described as a $56 month-to-month subscription.
It is worth evaluating for a repeatable export or business workflow that your organization is permitted to run. Review credential handling, available fields and scheduling behavior. Availability in an automation product does not make every workflow acceptable under Instagram’s rules.
Choose by dataset quality and total cost
- Define the question first: specify fields, permitted sources, freshness, volume, retention and who will use the output.
- Run a small authorized sample. Check missing values, duplicate identifiers, timestamps, pagination and deleted or unavailable records.
- Compare cost per usable record. Include subscriptions, feature credits, infrastructure, manual review and maintenance.
- Decide how the job stops. Authentication challenges, repeated access denials and consent changes need a review path, not unlimited retries.
Where MIYAIP fits
MIYAIP supplies proxy infrastructure for permitted workflows; it is not an eighth Instagram scraper. If you build your own collector and are authorized to use a proxy, dynamic residential proxies offer rotating or sticky sessions, while static residential proxies provide a fixed exit IP. A stable session may be operationally preferable for an authenticated workflow; rotation is not a substitute for permission or rate control.
Use the endpoint and credentials generated in your MIYAIP dashboard. For background, read dynamic residential proxies explained and the static residential proxy tutorial.
Frequently asked questions
Which option is best for beginners?
A maintained actor or managed endpoint can reduce setup work. Choose it only after checking its fields, billing and permitted use against your task; no vendor is the universal winner.
Can I scrape private Instagram accounts?
Private account access is not a capability or permission this guide promises. Use data you are authorized to access and collect; do not attempt to bypass privacy or access controls.
Is the official API an alternative?
Yes, when its supported capabilities fit an account you manage. Review the official Instagram API with Instagram Login for professional accounts before choosing third-party collection.
Will proxies prevent bans or 429 responses?
No. Restrictions may depend on accounts, permissions and behavior as well as network signals. Proxies do not guarantee access or remove platform limits.
What's the best scraper for Instagram Stories and Highlights?
Choose by access requirements and item coverage. Instaloader supports both datasets with login and suits a workflow you operate locally. A managed service should explicitly document Story items and the contents of Highlight collections. Compare sample records, repeat-run behavior and the cost of usable output for your account list.
Does an Instagram profile scraper return every Highlight item?
A profile response may contain only Highlight counts or collection metadata. Check whether the endpoint expands each collection into individual media items, and inspect its sample output before using it for an archive.
Should I use the same scraper for Reels, Stories and profiles?
Use the same service when its supported endpoints return all the fields your task requires. Keep the dataset type in your output so profile records, Reels and Story items can be processed correctly.
Build the network layer for an authorized workflow
Compare rotating sessions and fixed exit IPs against your actual access requirements, then test a small workload with dashboard-issued configuration.
Sources and scope
Vendor references are linked in each review and were checked on September 5, 2026. This is a documentation-based comparison; prices and capabilities can change. Platform references: Instagram Terms of Use and Instagram API with Instagram Login.
Dataset-specific references for this update: Apify Instagram Scraper and its sample profile output, Instaloader command-line options for Stories and Highlights, and Instaloader download_highlights API. The proposed collection fields above describe your own storage format, not a shared response schema guaranteed by these providers.