Best Social Media Scraping APIs Compared (2026)

Social media data powers everything from market research to competitive intelligence to AI training. But extracting this data at scale requires the right tools. This guide compares the leading social media scraping APIs and data providers in 2026.

Quick Comparison

Detailed Provider Analysis

Xpoz

Xpoz takes a unique approach to social media data access, using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to enable natural language queries through AI assistants.

Platforms: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit

How It Works: Instead of API calls, query data conversationally:

"Find Instagram posts about 'sustainable fashion' with more than
10,000 likes from the past month"

Pricing:

• Free: 100,000 results/month
• Pro ($20/month): 1,000,000 results/month
• Max ($200/month): 10,000,000 results/month

Strengths:

• No coding required
• Multi-platform in one interface
• Historical data access
• CSV export for analysis
• 1.5B+ indexed posts

Considerations:

• Requires Claude or ChatGPT
• Less suitable for automated pipelines

Best For: Teams using AI assistants, researchers, non-technical analysts

Apify

Apify provides a marketplace of pre-built scrapers (called "actors") for various social media platforms.

Platforms: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit

How It Works:

1. Choose a scraper from the marketplace
2. Configure inputs (search terms, profiles, etc.)
3. Run on Apify's cloud infrastructure
4. Export results in JSON, CSV, or Excel

Pricing:

• Free tier: $5 worth of compute/month
• Starter ($49/month): 100 compute units
• Scale ($499/month): 1,000 compute units
• Twitter scraping: ~$0.50 per 1,000 tweets

Strengths:

• No-code scraper configuration
• Large marketplace of pre-built scrapers
• Scheduling and automation features
• Good documentation
• Integrations with Zapier, Make, etc.

Considerations:

• Costs can accumulate quickly
• Scraper reliability varies
• Learning curve for complex workflows

Best For: Automation workflows, non-developers, one-off extractions

Bright Data

Bright Data (formerly Luminati) is an enterprise-grade data collection platform with massive infrastructure.

Platforms: All major social networks and websites

How It Works:

• Access pre-built datasets
• Use their Web Scraper IDE for custom scraping
• Leverage 150M+ residential IPs for blocking avoidance

Pricing:

• Datasets: Starting ~$2.50 per 1,000 records
• Web Scraper: $500+/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Strengths:

• Massive proxy network (150M+ IPs)
• Enterprise SLAs and compliance
• Pre-built social media datasets
• Dedicated support
• High reliability

Considerations:

• Expensive for small-scale use
• Complex for simple needs
• Long sales cycles

Best For: Enterprises, high-volume needs, compliance-sensitive organizations

ScraperAPI

ScraperAPI focuses on proxy management and anti-blocking technology for web scraping.

Platforms: General web scraping including social media

How It Works:

• Send requests through their API
• They handle proxies, CAPTCHAs, and blocking
• You receive clean HTML/JSON responses

Pricing:

• Hobby ($49/month): 100,000 API credits
• Startup ($149/month): 500,000 API credits
• Business ($249/month): 1,000,000 API credits
• Enterprise: Custom

Strengths:

• Simple API interface
• Handles anti-bot challenges
• JavaScript rendering support
• Geographic targeting

Considerations:

• You still need to build the scraper logic
• Social media scraping requires additional effort
• Credits consumed per request

Best For: Developers building custom scrapers, proxy management needs

Data365

Data365 provides structured social media APIs with consistent data formats.

Platforms: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok

How It Works: RESTful API with endpoints for:

• Profile data
• Posts and media
• Followers/following
• Comments and engagement

Pricing:

• Per-use pricing model
• Enterprise plans available
• 14-day free trial

Strengths:

• Clean, structured data
• Consistent API design
• Multi-platform coverage
• Enterprise features

Considerations:

• Costs scale with volume
• Less suitable for massive scale

Best For: Companies needing structured multi-platform data

PhantomBuster

PhantomBuster specializes in automation and lead generation tools for social platforms.

Platforms: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, others

How It Works: Pre-built "Phantoms" for specific tasks:

• Profile scraping
• Connection requests
• Message automation
• List building

Pricing:

• Starter ($69/month): 20 hours/month
• Pro ($159/month): 80 hours/month
• Team ($439/month): 300 hours/month

Strengths:

• Purpose-built for lead generation
• LinkedIn-focused tools
• Automation sequences
• Chrome extension for setup

Considerations:

• Account risk for aggressive automation
• Limited for analytics use cases
• Hours-based pricing confusing

Best For: Sales teams, recruiters, growth marketers

Comparison by Use Case

Market Research

Best Options:

1. Xpoz - Natural language queries for exploration
2. Data365 - Structured data for systematic analysis
3. Bright Data - Comprehensive datasets

Why: Market research benefits from easy exploration and structured exports.

Competitive Intelligence

Best Options:

1. Xpoz - Track competitors across platforms
2. Apify - Scheduled monitoring workflows
3. Data365 - Consistent tracking data

Why: Multi-platform coverage and historical data matter for competitive analysis.

Lead Generation

Best Options:

1. PhantomBuster - Purpose-built for leads
2. Apify - Automation workflows
3. Xpoz - Find users discussing relevant topics

Why: Lead gen needs profile data and automation capabilities.

AI/ML Training Data

Best Options:

1. Bright Data - Pre-built datasets
2. Xpoz - Large-scale exports
3. Apify - Bulk extraction

Why: ML needs volume and consistent formatting.

Academic Research

Best Options:

1. Xpoz - Exploratory analysis with natural language
2. Data365 - Structured data collection
3. Official APIs - When compliance required

Why: Research needs historical access and exportable data.

Key Selection Criteria

Data Coverage

Technical Requirements

Pricing Predictability

How Xpoz Differentiates

Xpoz stands apart through its AI-native approach:

Natural Language Interface

Instead of learning API syntax:

"Show me the top 50 Twitter users who posted about 'fintech startups'
last week, sorted by follower count"

Unified Multi-Platform Access

One interface for Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit—no separate integrations.

Transparent Pricing

Clear tiers without hidden costs:

• 100K results/month: Free
• 1M results/month: $20
• 10M results/month: $200

Built for Analysis

CSV exports, aggregation queries, and trend analysis built-in.

Sample Tools

• getTwitterPostsByKeywords - Search tweets by topic
• getInstagramPostsByUser - Get user's posts
• getTwitterUserConnections - Analyze networks
• countTweets - Track volumes over time

Key Takeaways

• Different tools serve different needs: Lead generation requires different capabilities than market research.

• No-code options have matured: Xpoz and Apify both enable data access without programming.

• Enterprise needs differ: Large organizations may require Bright Data's compliance and SLAs.

• AI-native is emerging: Xpoz's natural language approach represents a new paradigm in data access.

• Multi-platform matters: Managing separate tools for each social network adds complexity.

• Consider total cost: Factor in development time, not just subscription fees.

Conclusion

The social media scraping landscape in 2026 offers options for every use case and technical skill level. For AI-native workflows and multi-platform analysis, Xpoz provides the lowest barrier to entry. For automation sequences, Apify offers flexible no-code tools. For enterprise scale, Bright Data delivers the infrastructure and compliance documentation large organizations need.

Evaluate your specific requirements—platforms needed, volume expected, technical resources available—and choose accordingly. Most users can start with free tiers to test before committing to paid plans.