🔍 Reddit Scraper Lite Extract posts, comments, communities, and user data from Reddit at scale using the cost-effective JSON API approach. Up to 80% cheaper than browser-based scrapers by leveraging Reddit's public JSON endpoints. ## What does Reddit Scraper Lite do? Reddit Scraper Lite is a fast and efficient web scraping tool that extracts public data from Reddit. Unlike browser-based scrapers that require expensive setups, this Actor uses Reddit's JSON API endpoints, making it significantly more cost-effective while maintaining reliability. Key highlights: - 🚀 10x faster than browser-based alternatives - 💰 Up to 80% lower costs with the right proxy setup - 📊 Extracts posts, comments, communities, and user profiles - 🔍 Powerful keyword search with filters - 📅 Date filtering for recent content only - ✅ Works on Free Plan with RESIDENTIAL proxy ## ⚠️ Important: Proxy Required Reddit blocks requests from Apify's cloud IPs. You must use a proxy to run this Actor successfully. | Your Plan | Recommended Proxy | Cost per 1000 Requests | |-----------|-------------------|------------------------| | Free | RESIDENTIAL | ~$0.80 | | Starter+ | SHADER (Datacenter) | ~$0.30 | The Actor defaults to RESIDENTIAL proxy, which works on all plans including Free. ## Why use Reddit Scraper Lite? ### Business Use Cases | Use Case | How It Helps | Recommended Setup | |----------|--------------|-------------------| | Brand Monitoring | Track mentions of your brand or product | Keyword search + Date filter | | Sentiment Analysis | Collect comments for NLP analysis | Search comments + maxComments | | Market Research | Understand trends and discussions | r/popular + Top sorting | | Competitor Analysis | Monitor competitor mentions | Multi-keyword search | | Lead Generation | Find potential customers | Subreddit-specific search | | Content Ideas | Discover trending topics | r/popular + searchSort: top | ### Why This Scraper Over Others? | Feature | Reddit Scraper Lite | Browser-Based Scrapers | |---------|---------------------|------------------------| | Technology | JSON API | Playwright/Puppeteer | | Cost (Starter plan) | ~$0.50/1000 posts | ~$5-10/1000 posts | | Cost (Free plan) | ~$1.00/1000 posts | ~$10-15/1000 posts | | Speed | ~67 posts/min | ~8 posts/min | | Reliability | 95%+ success rate | 70-90% success rate | ## 💰 Proxy & Pricing Guide ### Proxy Comparison | Proxy Type | Availability | Cost | Speed | Best For | |------------|--------------|------|-------|----------| | RESIDENTIAL | All plans (Free+) | $8/GB (~$0.80/1k req) | Medium | Testing, small volumes | | SHADER | Starter+ ($39/mo) | $0.60-1/IP (~$0.30/1k req) | Fast | Production, high volumes | ### Cost Calculator | Volume | Free Plan (RESIDENTIAL) | Starter Plan (SHADER) | |--------|------------------------|----------------------| | 100 posts | ~$0.10 | ~$0.05 | | 1,000 posts | ~$1.00 | ~$0.50 | | 10,000 posts | ~$10.00 | ~$5.00 | | 100,000 posts | ~$100.00 | ~$50.00 | ### Recommendation by Use Case | Use Case | Recommended Plan | Why | |----------|-----------------|-----| | Testing/Learning | Free + RESIDENTIAL | No monthly commitment | | Hobby projects (<1k/mo) | Free + RESIDENTIAL | Cost-effective for low volume | | Regular use (1k-10k/mo) | Starter + SHADER | 50% cheaper than RESIDENTIAL | | Production (10k+/mo) | Scale + SHADER | Best price per request | ## How to scrape Reddit data ### Step 1: Choose Your Input Method Option A: Search Keywords (Recommended for most use cases) json { "searches": ["typescript", "react hooks"], "searchPosts": true, "maxItems": 100 } Option B: Start URLs (For specific subreddits/posts) json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/" }, { "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/popular/" } ] } ### Step 2: Configure Proxy (Required!) For Free Plan users: json { "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } For Starter/Scale/Business Plan users: json { "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["SHADER"] } } ### Step 3: Run and Export Click "Start" and download results in JSON, CSV, Excel, or HTML format. ## What data can you extract from Reddit? ### 📝 Reddit Posts | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | id | Unique post identifier | | title | Post title | | body | Post content (text/markdown) | | url | Direct link to the post | | author | Username of the poster | | subreddit | Community where posted | | score | Upvotes minus downvotes | | upvoteRatio | Percentage of upvotes | | numComments | Total comment count | | createdAt | Post creation timestamp | ### 💬 Reddit Comments | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | id | Unique comment identifier | | body | Comment text content | | author | Username of commenter | | score | Comment score | | createdAt | Comment timestamp | | depth | Nesting level (0 = top-level) | ### 👥 Reddit Communities | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | name | Subreddit name | | title | Display title | | description | Community description | | subscribers | Member count | ### 👤 Reddit Users | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | username | Reddit username | | postKarma | Total post karma | | commentKarma | Total comment karma | | createdAt | Account creation date | ## Input Examples by Use Case ### 🔍 Brand Monitoring Track mentions of your brand in the last week: json { "searches": ["your-brand", "YourCompany"], "searchPosts": true, "searchComments": true, "searchSort": "new", "searchTime": "week", "maxItems": 500, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ### 📊 Sentiment Analysis Collect comments for NLP analysis: json { "searches": ["product-name"], "searchPosts": true, "maxItems": 100, "maxComments": 50, "skipComments": false, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ### 📈 Trend Discovery Find what's trending right now: json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/popular/" } ], "maxItems": 100, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ### 🎯 Subreddit Research Deep dive into specific communities: json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/" }, { "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/" } ], "sort": "top", "time": "month", "maxPostCount": 50, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ### 🔎 Targeted Keyword Search Search within specific subreddits: json { "searches": ["nextjs 15", "app router"], "searchPosts": true, "searchInSubreddits": ["nextjs", "reactjs", "webdev"], "searchSort": "top", "searchTime": "month", "maxItems": 200, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ### 👤 User Research Analyze a specific user's activity: json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.reddit.com/user/target-user/comments/" } ], "maxItems": 100, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ## Output Example json { "dataType": "post", "id": "1abc123", "title": "How to optimize React performance in 2024", "body": "Here are my tips for making React apps faster...", "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/reactjs/comments/1abc123/", "author": "dev_enthusiast", "subreddit": "reactjs", "score": 1542, "upvoteRatio": 0.96, "numComments": 234, "createdAt": "2024-11-28T14:30:00.000Z", "isVideo": false, "over18": false, "scrapedAt": "2024-12-01T10:00:00.000Z" } ## Supported URL Types | URL Type | Example | What It Scrapes | |----------|---------|-----------------| | Subreddit | reddit.com/r/webdev/ | Posts from the subreddit | | Subreddit (sorted) | reddit.com/r/webdev/top/ | Top posts | | Post | reddit.com/r/webdev/comments/abc123/ | Post + comments | | User | reddit.com/user/username/ | User profile | | User Comments | reddit.com/user/username/comments/ | User's comment history | | Popular | reddit.com/r/popular/ | Trending posts | | Leaderboard | reddit.com/subreddits/leaderboard/crypto/ | Top communities | | Search | reddit.com/search/?q=keyword | Search results | ## Advanced Features ### Session Pool Maintains consistent IP addresses during pagination for better results: json { "useSessionPool": true, "proxyRotationOnError": true } ### Date Filtering Only collect posts after a specific date: json { "postDateLimit": "2024-11-01", "searchSort": "new" } Note: When postDateLimit is set, the sort order automatically switches to "new" for chronological consistency. ### Debug Mode Enable detailed logging for troubleshooting: json { "debugMode": true } ## Is it legal to scrape Reddit? This scraper only collects publicly available data that anyone can view without logging in. It does not: - ❌ Access private subreddits - ❌ Scrape private messages - ❌ Collect email addresses or personal data - ❌ Bypass authentication Important: You are responsible for ensuring your use case complies with: - Reddit's Terms of Service - GDPR if processing EU user data - Local data protection laws We recommend: - Respecting rate limits - Not storing personal data unnecessarily - Using data only for legitimate purposes ## Troubleshooting ### Getting 403 Errors? This is the most common issue. Reddit blocks Apify's cloud IPs. Solution: Make sure you have proxy enabled: json { "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ### "You do not have access to proxy groups: SHADER" SHADER (Datacenter proxy) requires a paid plan (Starter or higher). Solutions: 1. Use RESIDENTIAL proxy instead (works on Free plan) 2. Upgrade to Starter Plan ($39/mo) ### No Results? 1. Check your search keywords aren't too specific 2. Verify the subreddit exists and is public 3. Ensure date filter isn't too restrictive ### Slow Performance? 1. Make sure proxy is enabled (required for Reddit) 2. Reduce maxComments if not needed 3. Set skipComments: true for posts-only scraping ## Integration with Other Tools Export your data and integrate with: - Google Sheets: Direct export via Apify integration - Zapier: Automate workflows with new data - Make (Integromat): Complex automation scenarios - Webhooks: Real-time notifications - API: Programmatic access to all results ## Support & Feedback - 🐛 Found a bug? Open an issue in the Issues tab - 💡 Feature request? Let us know in the Issues tab - 📧 Questions? Contact support@apify.com ## Related Actors Looking for other social media scrapers? - Twitter Scraper - Extract tweets and user data - Instagram Scraper - Scrape posts and profiles - YouTube Scraper - Extract video data --- Built with ❤️ using Crawlee and the Apify SDK