The field manual for social media data
Runnable tutorials, founder playbooks, honest tool teardowns, and original research, for builders who'd rather read real numbers than another think-piece.
productBest Multi-Platform Social Search API: 129 Rows, 4 Credits
Best multi-platform social search API: one coldplay call returned 129 rows from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit. Four sources were billed 1 credit each.
Read article
skillsLinkedIn profile API: one call for the whole profile
One LinkedIn profile API call on Bill Gates's public URL returned 40,702,334 followers, 3 jobs, and 2 schools for 5 credits. The 50 posts were a separate call.
Read article
productOne Country Code, This Week: Social Media Trends API
Social media trends API, 30 credits: US breakout post, three sounds, three hashtags, three Google searches. Pinterest, Apple Music, Product Hunt are separate.
Read article
productSentiment Analysis API: Every Comment Scored, Same Price
SocialCrawl's sentiment analysis API scores every TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X comment for sentiment and intent, same credits, judgments=off to disable.
Read article
productBrand Switching: 4 API Calls to Find Who Left Evernote
Brand switching from public posts: find people who say they left a competitor, in their own words, with the reason and a link. Four live API calls on Evernote.
Read article
productTikTok Account Finder: 28-30 Lookalikes for 5 Credits
One call to SocialCrawl's TikTok similar-accounts endpoint returns 28 to 30 seed-specific creators for 5 credits. Real requests, real responses, zero overlap.
Read article
developmentHow Many Views Is Viral? Only 18% Hit 2x (1,008 Videos)
Viral is relative to the creator. 18.2% of 1,008 videos from 62 creators hit 2x their own median views on 1 October 2026. Try the free viral video finder.
Read article
productInstagram Influencers by Country With One Reels Search
Find Instagram influencers by country in one Reels search with region, country and include=creator. Our country=ES call kept 27 reels, all by creators in Spain.
Read article
skillsSponsored Post Detection API: Flag Undisclosed Ads
Flag sponsored posts and undisclosed ads in TikTok, X, YouTube and Reddit search results. One giveaway query lost 26 of 29 rows to the engagement bait filter.
Read article
skillsXiaohongshu API Example: 6 Calls With Real Responses
Xiaohongshu API example in six GET calls and one key. Search RedNote notes, read comments, creators and the hot board, with real responses and credit costs.
Read article
developmentYouTube Shorts vs Long Form: 1.91× More Long-Form Views
YouTube Shorts vs long form: median long-form views are 1.91× Shorts (1,261 videos, 17 channels). Shorts win views-per-second (9.95×). Full dated method.
Read article
productTikTok video search API: region on 30/30, 1 credit
TikTok video search API: 30/30 cooking rows labeled at 1 credit. region=ES still returned 5 non-ES videos — filter country client-side on post.ext.region.
Read article
productTikTok user search by country: 3 KR hits, 15 credits
3 KR cooking accounts at 15 credits, all location KR. Omit country= and TikTok user search is 1 credit with location null. country=ZZ returns a free 400.
Read article
productInstagram Reels Stats API: 12 Reels, 2 Credits
Instagram Reels Stats API: 12 public reels with views, likes, shares, and saves for 2 credits. Graph Insights still needs a Page you own. Live 2026-09-15.
Read article
developmentScraperAPI Pricing: $49 for 100k Credits, Not 100k Pages
ScraperAPI pricing: Hobby $49 for 100,000 credits. Google is 25 credits, LinkedIn 30. Plans, JS-render, no rollover, and when a social-data API is cheaper.
Read article
productGoogle Trends API: Empty Searches Cost 0 Credits
Empty Google Trends API searches now return 404 with 0 credits charged. Live production curls cover Trends empties, News ranks, and app filter refusals.
Read article
productGoogle Trends API Python: ~4.6s Typical (Was ~9s)
A Google Trends API Python GET is ~4.6s typical (was ~9s on 22 billed calls). Live interest-over-time and related queries, same 5 credits, 2026-09-08 UTC.
Read article
productInstagram API: About is back, 1 credit, named 404s
/v1/instagram/profile/about is back: United States, February 2012, 1 credit. Wrong Instagram API paths return did_you_mean at 0 credits. Checked 2026-09-08.
Read article
productLinkedIn Post History API: Full Archive, 100/Page
LinkedIn post history API: 100/page at 5 credits each. Two no-cache calls matched published_at to the millisecond; limit=100 returned 97 posts and a cursor.
Read article
productReddit profile API: 6 new reads, people not posts
Reddit profile API: spez + 23 posts for 1 credit. Comment search 14/1 isn't history: 5 dated comments cost 10. Subreddit search 25, 5 of 25 ids repeated.
Read article
productSocial Media API Pricing: Quoted Credits Match Invoice
6 credits for two URLs: social media API pricing as YouTube 1 + Instagram 5 in legs[]. A mangled comments cursor is a free 400. Lookup quotes 1 or 5 credits.
Read article
productThreads Keyword Search: 75% On-Topic for 1 Credit
Live 2026-09-08: cari ai automation returned 20 posts, 75% multi-term hits, 1 credit (was 3). Pair-only expansion; expand=false stayed empty and free.
Read article
productTikTok Shop API: 52 products over 3 credits
One TikTok Shop API walk returned 52 of 52 products over 3 credits, plus 60 of 1,125 reviews. Same product object from search and shop. Live 2026-09-08.
Read article
developmentBest Social Listening Tools: 7 Compared for Growth Teams
Seven of the best social listening tools for growth teams: 2026 list prices, listening-as-add-on called out, and a data API if you already have an LLM stack.
Read article
productLinkedIn Post API: 100 Posts per Call, Same 5 Credits
100 posts in one 5-credit LinkedIn post API call. Page and cursor 400 for 0 credits. Member search advances with a real cursor — live JSON, 2026-09-06.
Read article
productFinancial Data API: 1,255 Daily Bars, Both Closes
Financial data API: 1,255 AAPL daily bars with both closes, plus statements, an 81-contract options chain, and ticker news. Live from GET /v1/finance/.
Read article
productInstagram Email Finder: 1 Credit, Email When Public
9/9 Instagram about lookups returned country (1 credit). Public email on 3/9 — null when unpublished. YouTube about costs 60 credits. Captured 2026-09-05.
Read article
developmentReddit search API: 25 posts per credit
Reddit search API now returns 25 posts per credit on three English queries (was ~7). Korean search billed 1. Comments flattened 647 at 5 credits, depth 9.
Read article
productScrape Threads: 55 Posts for 3 Credits + Comments
Scrape Threads with one API: 55 posts for 3 credits via multi-window search. Plus comments, carousel slides, and phrase expand that turned 0 hits into 44.
Read article
skillsTikTok API documentation: 150 followers per credit
One credit now returns 150 TikTok followers, 48 comments, 49 replies, and 30 search results. Live-checked 2026-09-04 on five accounts. TikTok API documentation.
Read article
productTwitter Search API: 20/Page + Full Long Posts
Twitter search API returned 20 Artemis hits/page; 12 of 20 past 280 chars (max 1,173). Cursor timelines, replies, followers — live curl + JSON, 2026-09-04.
Read article
productRapidAPI Alternatives: 4 Profiles, One Author Schema
RapidAPI alternatives for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: one x-api-key. Live @mrbeast profiles, computed engagement rates, 17-source search for 33 credits.
Read article
developmentSprout Social Pricing: Official $199/Seat, API at $399
Sprout Social pricing is $79–$399 per seat annually. Five Advanced seats: $23,940/year before Listening. Official cards vs the stale numbers still ranking.
Read article
developmentBest Time to Post on Facebook: 19:00 UTC (+44.6%)
The best time to post on Facebook is 19:00 UTC: +44.6% vs each Page's own average. 180 posts, 15 Pages, pulled 2026-08-31. Saturday led at +55.4% (median 1.12).
Read article
skillsYouTube Comment Scraper: 100 Per Page in Python
A YouTube comment scraper that pages 100 comments per call. Curl and Python pagination, a full replies walk, and the quota table ranking pages still get wrong.
Read article
skillsPydantic AI Tools: Validate Real API Data, Not Toy JSON
See real, validated JSON from a Pydantic AI agent's tools: null engagement rates, optional fields, and per-source shapes captured from a live social data API.
Read article
skillsWhat Is an MCP Server? A Plain Answer for Developers
An MCP server exposes one system's tools and data to an AI model over a shared protocol, the current 2026-07-28 spec, not the stale one most guides describe.
Read article
developmentInstagram Reels Views: What Counts (We Measured 425 Posts)
We measured 425 real Instagram posts in 2026. Only video content shows a public view count (196/197) while photos and carousels never do. Median: 81,127.
Read article
developmentHootsuite Pricing: $99-$399/User (Plus the Real Costs)
Hootsuite pricing runs $99-$399 per user/month across three tiers, plus custom Enterprise. See real costs at 3 and 10 seats, plus the nonprofit discount.
Read article
developmentDo Hashtags Work on TikTok? Only +3.7% (1,569 Videos)
Hashtag use lifts TikTok views ~3.7% over an account's own median, ~9.5% with heavy tagging, ~16.7% with #fyp, from 1,569 videos, 40 accounts (2026-08-10).
Read article
skillsBest Time to Post on LinkedIn: 6 Pages, 5 Answers
Best time to post on LinkedIn? The biggest studies disagree by seven hours, most just re-cite each other, and account type (not the hour) drives the gap.
Read article
product8 Sentiment Analysis Tools and the Data Each One Reads
Google's top AI answer still names MonkeyLearn, folded into Medallia back in 2022. Here are 8 sentiment analysis tools that exist, and what each can read.
Read article
developmentBest Amazon Product Data APIs: Pricing Compared (2026)
Amazon product API pricing compared across 7 providers in 2026. SocialCrawl, Rainforest, Oxylabs, Bright Data, Apify, ScraperAPI, and Canopy, ranked on price per request, field depth, and free tier.
Read article
developmentBest App Store & Google Play Review APIs (2026): Pricing Compared
Apple's and Google's official APIs only return reviews for apps you own. Here are the APIs that read App Store and Google Play reviews for any public app, compared on price in 2026.
Read article
developmentBest Facebook Data APIs for Developers (2026): Pricing Compared
The best Facebook data API in 2026 is SocialCrawl for unified public-page data without Graph API app review. 6 providers compared on pricing, coverage, and Ad Library access.
Read article
developmentBest Google Finance APIs: Pricing Compared (2026)
Google relaunched Google Finance in June 2026 with still no developer API. Google Finance API pricing compared: SocialCrawl, SerpApi, DataForSEO, SearchApi, Alpha Vantage, Finnhub, Twelve Data.
Read article
developmentBest Google News APIs for Developers (2026): Pricing Compared
There is no official Google News API in 2026 (Google retired it). Here are the news data APIs compared on price, latency, article content, and history in 2026.
Read article
developmentBest Google Trends APIs: Pricing Compared (2026)
There is no official Google Trends API. Google Trends API pricing compared across 7 providers in 2026: SocialCrawl, SerpApi, SearchApi, DataForSEO, Glimpse, Bright Data, and Apify.
Read article
developmentBest Instagram Data APIs for Developers: Pricing Compared (2026)
Instagram data API pricing compared across 7 providers in 2026. SocialCrawl, Apify, Bright Data, ScrapingDog, EnsembleData, HikerAPI, and ScrapeCreators, ranked on price per result, coverage, and free tier.
Read article
developmentBest LinkedIn Data APIs for Developers: Pricing Compared (2026)
LinkedIn data API pricing compared across 7 providers in 2026. SocialCrawl, Linkedapi, ScrapingDog, Bright Data, Apify, Coresignal, and the Proxycurl successor, ranked on price, coverage, and account risk.
Read article
developmentBest Pinterest Data APIs: Pricing Compared (2026)
Pinterest data API pricing compared in 2026. The official API is OAuth and app-review gated. SocialCrawl, Apify, Bright Data, Piloterr, and ScrapeCreators ranked on price, coverage, and access.
Read article
developmentBest Reddit Data APIs for Developers (2026): Pricing Compared
Reddit's official API rate-limits you to 100 queries a minute and its commercial pricing is not published. Here are the Reddit data APIs compared on price, coverage, and rate limits in 2026.
Read article
developmentBest Snapchat Data APIs for Developers (2026): Pricing Compared
Snapchat has no official public-content API, only ads and app-integration kits. Here are the APIs that read public Snapchat profiles and Spotlight, compared on price in 2026.
Read article
developmentBest TikTok Data APIs for Developers: Pricing Compared (2026)
TikTok data API pricing compared across 7 providers in 2026. SocialCrawl, Apify, Bright Data, EnsembleData, ScrapingDog, ScrapeCreators, and TikAPI, ranked on price, coverage, and account access.
Read article
developmentBest TikTok Shop APIs for Developers (2026): Pricing Compared
TikTok Shop's official Partner API is seller-gated and reads only your own shops. Here are the APIs that read public TikTok Shop products and reviews, compared on price in 2026.
Read article
developmentBest TripAdvisor Data APIs for Developers (2026): Pricing Compared
TripAdvisor's legacy Content API sunsets August 31, 2026. Here are the TripAdvisor data APIs compared on price and coverage, including the new self-serve Terra API and third-party options.
Read article
developmentBest Twitch Data APIs: Pricing Compared (2026)
Twitch data API pricing compared in 2026. The official Helix API is free but needs OAuth. SocialCrawl, Apify, Bright Data, EnsembleData, and a RapidAPI option ranked on price, coverage, and setup.
Read article
developmentBest Twitter/X Data APIs: X API Pricing Compared (2026)
X API pricing compared across 7 providers in 2026. The official X API moved to pay-per-usage credits. SocialCrawl, twitterapi.io, Apify, Bright Data, ScrapingDog, and ScrapeCreators ranked on price and coverage.
Read article
developmentBest YouTube Data APIs for Developers (2026): Pricing Compared
YouTube Data API v3 is free but capped at 10,000 quota units a day. Here are the third-party YouTube data APIs compared on pricing, quota, transcripts, and Shorts coverage in 2026.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape Facebook in 2026 (Python, Node, curl)
Scrape Facebook Pages, posts, and the Ad Library without Graph API App Review: one GET request, cursor pagination, unified schema. Real endpoint, real response, honest on what the official API gates.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape Instagram in 2026: A Developer's Guide
Scrape Instagram profiles, posts, and comments in 2026 without a browser: the official Graph API limits, the DIY realities, and a working API tutorial with real code and a real response.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape LinkedIn in 2026: A Developer's Guide
Scrape LinkedIn profiles, companies, and posts in 2026: why the official API is partner-gated, the DIY and legal realities of the most litigated network, and a working API tutorial with real code and a real response.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape Linktree in 2026 (Python, Node, curl)
Linktree has no public API. Here is how to turn any linktr.ee URL into structured creator data with one GET request: real endpoint, real response, cursor-free, no headless browser.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape Reddit in 2026 (Python, Node, curl)
Scrape Reddit without a Reddit app or OAuth: one GET request for subreddit posts, cursor pagination, threaded comments. Real endpoints, real response, honest on the official 100-QPM limit.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape TikTok in 2026: A Developer's Guide
Scrape TikTok profiles, videos, and comments in 2026 without Selenium: why the official Research API won't help, the DIY realities, and a working API tutorial with real code and a real response.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape Twitter (X) in 2026: A Developer's Guide
Scrape Twitter/X profiles and tweets in 2026: how the paid X API pricing works, the DIY and legal realities, and a working data API tutorial with real code and a real response.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape YouTube Channel Videos in 2026 (Python, Node, curl)
Scrape every video from a YouTube channel with one GET request: handle in, unified video objects out, cursor pagination. Real endpoint, real response, and an honest look at the official 10,000-unit daily quota.
Read article
developmentReddit API Key, Limits, and Pricing: The 2026 Guide
How to get a Reddit API key, the 100-queries-per-minute rate limit, what Reddit actually charges in 2026, and the third-party alternatives that skip the OAuth setup.
Read article
learningTruth Social API Options After the Truth API Launch
Trump Media's official Truth API is a real-time feed for Wall Street, not a developer API. Here are the Truth Social API options developers actually have in 2026.
Read article
developmentInfluencer Tiers: IG Engagement Falls, TikTok's Climbs
We measured engagement rate on 794 posts from 62 creators across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Instagram falls by tier, TikTok climbs, full method shown.
Read article
developmentMCP Server Examples: 5 Real Calls, Real JSON
5 real MCP server examples, run against SocialCrawl's live production API: exact curl calls, real JSON responses, and one Reddit bug the output actually caught.
Read article
productHootsuite Alternatives: Building One With a Single API
Most posts about Hootsuite alternatives rank another SaaS seat. This one is six platforms, one API key, and real request/response data from a live build.
Read article
skillsWeb Scraping in 2026: 3 Techniques + When to Use an API
Web scraping in 2026, explained: three techniques, a working Python example with error handling, the legal risks, and when a managed API beats DIY scraping.
Read article
developmentNaver Crawling in 2026: Blog, Cafe, and News via API
Three ways to crawl Naver in 2026: the official Search Open API, your own HTML crawler, or one unified API call. Blog, cafe, news, and shopping, with code.
Read article
developmentPython Social Media Crawling in 2026: DIY vs One API Call
Two ways to crawl social data with Python in 2026: build it with requests and BeautifulSoup, or call a unified API with one httpx.get(). When each wins.
Read article
developmentBest Time to Post on Social Media: 20:00 UTC Wins (+52%)
We analyzed 401 posts across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit. Posts at 20:00 UTC score +52% above average. Per-platform posting windows inside.
Read article
productSocial Search Engine API: One Call, 12+ Platforms
A social search engine API searches 12+ social platforms in one call, fusing and reranking results via RRF + LLM into 40 items. See real captured responses.
Read article
developmentHow Often Should You Post on TikTok? 3-5x a Week (Data)
The research consensus says 3-5 posts per week. We checked it against 31 mega creators with live API data: when more posting helps, and when it backfires.
Read article
skillsSocial Media Monitoring API: Build Your Own in 5 Steps
Social media monitoring API guide: build a multi-platform mention tracker with sentiment, dedup, and Slack alerts in Python. Five steps, all runnable code.
Read article
skillsHow to Scrape Facebook in 2026: 5 Methods That Still Work
Facebook's Graph API barely covers public data now. 5 working ways to pull page, post, and comment data in 2026, with Python examples and real pricing.
Read article
developmentReddit API in 2026: Pricing, Rate Limits & What Works
The Reddit API is free at 100 QPM, but commercial use needs a $0.24/1K contract. Pricing, rate limits, Pushshift's replacement, and what still works in 2026.
Read article
developmentX (Twitter) API in 2026: Credit Pricing + 3 Cheaper Routes
X killed free access and now bills per request with credits, not tiers. The 2026 pricing math, rate limits, and 3 cheaper ways to read X data at scale.
Read article
skillsLinkedIn API in 2026: A Developer's Reality Check
The LinkedIn API gives you three scopes. If you need more (lead enrichment, recruiting data, company intel) here's exactly what your options are in 2026.
Read article
developmentYouTube API Quota: 100 Searches Burn 10,000 Units (2026)
The YouTube Data API is free until the quota math bites: 100 searches = 10,000 daily units gone. Key setup, transcript limits, and what to use at scale.
Read article
product10 Best AI Video Generators in 2026 (Free Tiers Compared)
We tested 10 AI video generators in June 2026: Veo 3.1, Sora, Kling 3.0, Runway, Pika. Free tiers, real pricing, and which fits TikTok, ads, or avatars.
Read article
productBuild a Competitor Analysis Tool for 42 Social Platforms
Build a competitor analysis tool for social data: pull profiles, compute engagement rates, measure posting cadence, and track brand mentions via one API.
Read article
productIG Follower Export Tool: 5 Options, Ranked by Ban Risk
Five ways to export an Instagram follower list: Chrome extensions, web SaaS, the Graph API, and a free social API. Which are safe, which risk a ban, and which scale past 10k followers.
Read article
developmentSocial Media Engagement Rate Benchmarks 2026 (1,269 Posts)
We measured engagement rate on 1,269 recent posts from 79 major accounts. TikTok's median beats Instagram and YouTube in all 6 categories. Full data + method.
Read article
developmentFetch MCP Server: What It Does + Where It Fails
What a fetch MCP server actually does, the implementations worth knowing in 2026, the security model, and where it stops working: the walled-garden gap.
Read article
developmentHow to Scrape TikTok Comments with Python (2026)
Scrape TikTok comments with Python in about 40 lines: one GET request, cursor pagination, CSV export. Real endpoint, real response shapes, no Selenium.
Read article
developmentThreads API in 2026: Real Rate Limits + What You Can Build
Meta's Threads API, tested: OAuth 2.0, 60-day tokens, App Review, capped keyword search. The real rate limits, and where third-party APIs fill the gaps.
Read article
skillsHow to See Followers on Snapchat (+ What Snap Hides)
Learn how to see followers on Snapchat on iOS and Android, plus what the app hides, and how to pull follower data programmatically via the SocialCrawl API.
Read article
developmentHow to Use Claude Agents: Managed Agents + Sub-agents (2026)
A developer's guide to Claude Managed Agents, Claude Code sub-agents, and the Messages API. Setup in 4 steps, parallel execution, MCP, and real rate limits.
Read article
developmentOpenAI Assistants API Shutdown: Migrate Before Aug 26, 2026
The Assistants API goes dark on August 26, 2026. The Responses + Conversations mapping, thread backfill options, real costs, and a month-by-month plan.
Read article
developmentBrowse AI Web Scraper: Where It Wins, Where It Doesn't
Browse AI is great for web pages; social platforms need a specialist. A decision guide for developers choosing no-code scrapers vs unified social data APIs.
Read article
developmentCompetitor Intelligence in 2026: How B2B Teams Win Deals
Competitor intelligence in 2026: what it is, the eight signal sources that matter, the modern CI stack, and how small B2B teams win without enterprise tools.
Read article
developmentAI Agent Frameworks in 2026: What Actually Ships
LangGraph, CrewAI, Mastra, and Pydantic AI compared on real production numbers: which AI agent framework developers should actually pick in 2026, and why.
Read article
development10 Best Social Media Scraping APIs in 2026 (Ranked + Priced)
The best social media scraping API in 2026 is SocialCrawl for unified multi-platform data. 10 tools ranked on coverage, pricing, rate limits, AI-agent fit.
Read article
developmentSocial Media Scraping in 2026: Legal & Technical Primer
Scraping social media is legal in the US post-hiQ. This guide covers 7 platforms, 4 jurisdictions, GDPR/CCPA, rate-limit ethics, and technical trade-offs.
Read article
skillsI built a social media data API to grow my own socials
I wanted an AI to grow my social accounts. Every platform's API was different. SocialCrawl became what I wish existed: 43 platforms, one unified schema.
Read article
developmentBuilding an AI Agent for Social Media Monitoring
Learn to build an AI agent for social media monitoring in under 150 lines of Python. Step-by-step tutorial: fetch posts, classify sentiment, send alerts.
Read article
developmentWhich Instagram Scrapers Still Work in 2026 (+ Real Costs)
Basic Display is dead and Graph API caps at 200 calls/hour. Every Instagram scraping option that still works in 2026, tested, with per-1,000-post pricing.
Read article
developmentHow to Get TikTok Data Without the TikTok API
TikTok's official API is academic-only and capped near 1,000 calls/day. Three working ways to pull profile, video, and hashtag data, with runnable code.
Read article