Guides to social media data
Practical tutorials, comparisons and background on collecting public data from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more.
- tiktokapi-alternatives
TikTok Research API Alternative for Commercial Teams
Not eligible for the TikTok Research API? Compare TikTok's official APIs and the alternatives commercial teams use to get public TikTok data as JSON.
· 11 min read - mcpyoutube
YouTube Transcript MCP Server for Claude, Cursor and VS Code
Add a YouTube transcript MCP server to Claude, Cursor or VS Code: install configs, prompts, long-video limits and cost at 1 credit per transcript.
· 11 min read - freecomparison
Free Social Media Scraping API: What Free Tiers Include
No free social media scraping API is unlimited. Compare documented free tiers, what 100 free credits buy, no-signup tools and official free APIs.
· 11 min read - youtubequota
YouTube Data API quota alternative: 6 options compared
Out of YouTube Data API quota? Compare 6 alternatives: quota extension, RSS, WebSub, yt-dlp and a search API that returns exact views for 1 credit a call.
· 11 min read - x-twitterpricing
Twitter API alternative for reading public X posts in 2026
Twitter API alternative for read-only work: X charges $0.005 per post read; we charge 2 credits for a profile plus 60 posts. Prices, limits and code.
· 11 min read - twitchclips
Twitch clips API: top clips, VODs and channel stats
A Twitch clips API that returns a channel's most viewed clips, past broadcasts and live status as JSON. No Twitch app or OAuth token. 1 credit per call.
· 11 min read - spotifymusic-marketing
Spotify playlist tracker API: track placements daily
Use a Spotify playlist tracker API to snapshot public playlists daily, diff them and see when a track enters or leaves. Python code, costs and limits.
· 12 min read - tiktoktranscripts
TikTok transcript API: turn TikTok videos into text
A TikTok transcript API returns a video's captions as timed JSON segments and full text. 1 credit per video at any length. cURL, Python and SRT code.
· 11 min read - telegrammonitoring
Telegram channel scraper API: posts, views and subscriber counts as JSON
Telegram channel scraper API with no login: subscriber counts, the latest 100 posts with views and media, or one message by link, from 1 credit a call.
· 11 min read - spotifymusic
Spotify API Alternative After the 2026 Web API Changes
A Spotify API alternative for 2026: artist top tracks, albums and public playlist tracks as JSON with no developer app, OAuth or Premium. 1 credit a call.
· 13 min read - clideveloper-tools
Social media scraper CLI: scrape from the terminal with npx
Run npx scrapeeverything, a social media scraper CLI for public Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube data. JSON for jq, CSV export, cron. 100 free credits.
· 12 min read - followerstutorial
Follower count API for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more
A follower count API returns a profile's audience size as JSON. One POST per handle, 1 credit each, 8 platforms, from $0.90 per 1,000 lookups.
· 11 min read - commentssentiment-analysis
Social media comments API for sentiment analysis
A social media comments API returns public Instagram, TikTok and YouTube comments as JSON, 1 credit per post. Merge them and score sentiment with an LLM.
· 11 min read - comparisonalternative
ScrapeCreators alternative: when to switch and when not to
ScrapeCreators alternative? Stay for LinkedIn, Reddit or Threads. Switch for lower list prices per credit at matching pack sizes and refunds on our failures.
· 11 min read - x-twittertutorial
Twitter scraper API: how to scrape tweets with Python
A Twitter scraper API returns public X profiles and up to 60 recent tweets as JSON. Python and Node code for views, dedupe, errors and cost per call.
· 12 min read - pinterestalternative
Pinterest API alternative: public pins, boards and search without app approval
A Pinterest API alternative for public pins, boards and keyword search as JSON. No developer app or OAuth. A search of up to 50 pins costs 2 credits.
· 12 min read - n8nno-code
n8n social media scraping workflow: 3 templates and costs
Build an n8n social media scraping workflow: Instagram counts to Sheets, TikTok alerts in Slack and a YouTube AI Agent, for about $4.50 of credits a month.
· 10 min read - mcpai-agents
MCP Server for Social Media Data: Claude, Cursor, VS Code
An MCP server for social media data lets Claude, Cursor and VS Code read public Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X data. Setup, tools, costs and prompts.
· 12 min read - instagramreels
Instagram Reels scraper API: views, MP4 links and search
An Instagram Reels scraper API returns public reels as JSON: a Reels tab with views (2 credits), one reel with its MP4 (1) and keyword search (3).
· 11 min read - facebookpages
Facebook Page scraper API: likes, followers and bio as JSON
A Facebook Page scraper API that returns a public Page's name, bio, image, likes, followers and talking-about count as JSON for 1 credit. No posts.
· 11 min read - buyer-s-guidecomparison
How to choose the best social media data API in 2026
There's no single best social media data API. Compare coverage, JSON shape, failed-request billing, caching and credit expiry, with prices for 7 providers.
· 11 min read - comparisonapify
Apify alternative for social media: actors vs one API
The main Apify alternative for social media is a synchronous API: one POST, JSON back, one schema on 9 platforms. Seven tools compared, October 2026.
· 12 min read - agent-skillsai-agents
Agent Skills for Social Media Research in Claude Code
Agent Skills for social media research: 11 free SKILL.md workflows for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex that vet creators and audit rivals for 2-60 credits.
· 13 min read - InstagramTutorial
How to scrape Instagram profiles with an API (Node & Python)
A practical guide to fetching public Instagram profile data (followers, bio, posts) with a scraper API, with working Node.js and Python code, error handling, caching and cost control.
· 5 min read - YouTubeTranscripts
YouTube transcript API: get transcripts without the official API
How to get the transcript of any public YouTube video as JSON, with timestamps and language selection, without OAuth or quota units. Code in cURL, Node.js and Python, plus tips for LLM pipelines.
· 4 min read - TikTokTutorial
TikTok scraper API: profiles, videos, comments and hashtags
What public TikTok data you can collect with a scraper API (profiles, videos, comments, transcripts, sounds and hashtags), with request examples and patterns for creator research and trend tracking.
· 4 min read - InstagramComparison
Instagram Graph API vs a scraper API: limits, pricing, when to use which
An honest comparison of Meta's Instagram Graph API and third-party scraper APIs: what data each can access, setup and review effort, rate limits, cost and the use cases where each one wins.
· 5 min read - LegalGDPR
Is scraping public social media data legal? A practical overview (not legal advice)
A plain-language overview of the legal questions around collecting public social media data: computer access laws, platform terms, data protection (GDPR, KVKK, CCPA), copyright and practical safeguards. Not legal advice.
· 6 min read - PricingComparison
Social media scraping API pricing compared (2026)
How social media scraping APIs charge in 2026: credit packs, subscriptions, per-result marketplaces and sales-led plans. List prices for six providers (credits, units and records are not equal units) and how to estimate your real cost.
· 5 min read - TikTokComparison
Best TikTok scraper APIs in 2026
Seven ways to get public TikTok data in 2026, compared on pricing model, list prices, free tier, platform coverage and limits: Scrape Everything, ScrapeCreators, EnsembleData, SociaVault, Apify, Bright Data and TikTok's official Research API.
· 7 min read - InstagramComparison
Best Instagram scraper APIs in 2026
Seven ways to get Instagram data in 2026, compared on pricing model, list prices, free tier, platforms and limits: Scrape Everything, ScrapeCreators, SociaVault, EnsembleData, Apify, Bright Data and Meta's official Instagram API.
· 7 min read - YouTubeTranscripts
Best YouTube transcript APIs in 2026
Six ways to get YouTube transcripts in 2026, from the open-source youtube-transcript-api library to the official YouTube Data API and hosted APIs: compared on pricing, free tier, platforms and limits.
· 7 min read
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