# Reddit Email Scraper (`scrapevanta/reddit-email-scraper`) Actor

📧 Reddit Email Scraper extracts public email addresses from Reddit posts & profiles with accuracy and speed. 🚀 Great for lead gen, outreach, market research, and community insights. 🔍 Easy to use & automate.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapevanta/reddit-email-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ScrapeVanta](https://apify.com/scrapevanta) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Social media, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.99 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Reddit Email Scraper — Verified Reddit Email Leads with Profile Identity

Search Reddit for publicly listed email addresses, **verify every one**, and get the Reddit profile behind it — not just an address and a link.

***

### What it does

#### 1. Every address is checked before you see it

The previous version returned raw regex matches with no validation at all. Every address now arrives with a verdict:

| Field | What it tells you |
| --- | --- |
| `isValidSyntax` | Whether it is even an address — `logo@2x.png` no longer counts as one |
| `hasMxRecord`, `mailServers` | Whether the domain publishes mail servers and can receive mail at all |
| `isDisposable` | Known throwaway inbox providers, checked against a live public blocklist |
| `isRoleAccount` | `info@`, `sales@`, `support@` — reaches an organisation, not a person |
| `isFreeProvider` | Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, versus a company domain |
| `isPlaceholder` | Documentation and template addresses like `youremail@` |
| `emailCategory` | `business`, `role`, `personal-free`, `disposable`, `placeholder`, `undeliverable-domain`, `invalid` |
| `confidence` | 0–100 usability score |

**On `confidence`:** it is a usability score, not a delivery guarantee. Nothing short of sending a message proves an inbox exists, and this Actor does not run SMTP probes — they are widely blocked, give false answers on catch-all domains, and get sending addresses blacklisted. An MX record plus these heuristics is honest; a "verified deliverable" flag built on SMTP probing would not be.

#### 2. One inbox counted once

The previous version de-duplicated on the raw string, so `J.Smith@gmail.com`, `jsmith@googlemail.com` and `jsmith+ads@gmail.com` counted as **three** leads. They are one inbox.

De-duplication now works on a canonical form — Gmail dots and plus-tags collapsed, googlemail folded to gmail — and the summary reports how many duplicates were removed, so you can see how much any previous count was inflated. Dots are preserved on other providers, where they genuinely distinguish mailboxes.

#### 3. The Reddit profile behind each address

Each result links to a Reddit page, and that page identifies whose address it is. The link is parsed into:

`platformName`, `profileHandle`, `profileType` and a canonical `profileUrl`

For example `https://www.reddit.com/user/spez` becomes handle `spez` of type `user`.

#### 4. Filter for the list you actually want

- `minimumConfidence` — drop weak addresses
- `excludeRoleAccounts` — people only, no shared mailboxes
- `excludeFreeProviders` — company domains only, for B2B
- `excludeDisposableEmails` — on by default
- `requireMxRecord` — only domains that can receive mail

`requireMxRecord` also drops addresses whose lookup failed. An unknown result is not evidence a domain accepts mail.

***

### Input

The search options are unchanged — keywords, location, target domains and result limits — with these added:

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `verifyEmails` | boolean | `true` | Run syntax, MX and classification checks |
| `minimumConfidence` | integer | `0` | Drop addresses scoring below this (0–100) |
| `excludeRoleAccounts` | boolean | `false` | Drop `info@`, `sales@` and similar |
| `excludeFreeProviders` | boolean | `false` | Drop Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo |
| `excludeDisposableEmails` | boolean | `true` | Drop throwaway inboxes |
| `requireMxRecord` | boolean | `false` | Only domains that accept mail |
| `useDisposableBlocklist` | boolean | `true` | Load the public throwaway-domain list |
| `includeResultSnippet` | boolean | `true` | Keep the text the address was found in |
| `emitRunSummary` | boolean | `true` | Append the aggregate record |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "keywords": ["founder", "developer"],
  "customDomains": ["@gmail.com", "@outlook.com"],
  "maxEmails": 200,
  "verifyEmails": true,
  "minimumConfidence": 50,
  "excludeRoleAccounts": true
}
```

***

### Output

One `lead` record per address, then an optional `summary`.

```json
{
  "recordType": "lead",
  "platform": "Reddit",
  "email": "john.smith@acme-corp.com",
  "emailLocalPart": "john.smith",
  "emailDomain": "acme-corp.com",
  "normalisedEmail": "john.smith@acme-corp.com",
  "emailCategory": "business",
  "confidence": 95,
  "isValidSyntax": true,
  "isRoleAccount": false,
  "isFreeProvider": false,
  "isDisposable": false,
  "hasMxRecord": true,
  "mailServers": ["aspmx.l.google.com"],
  "platformName": "Reddit",
  "profileHandle": "spez",
  "profileType": "user",
  "profileUrl": "https://reddit.com/spez",
  "searchKeyword": "developer",
  "resultTitle": "John Smith",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.reddit.com/user/spez",
  "foundAt": "2026-08-12T09:00:00"
}
```

The summary reports totals, how many duplicates were removed, the category breakdown, the top email domains and the most frequent profiles.

***

### Common use cases

- **B2B prospecting** — `excludeFreeProviders` plus `excludeRoleAccounts` leaves named people at company domains.
- **Recruitment** — search by role keyword and reach candidates directly.
- **Partner and creator outreach** — `profileHandle` gives you the Reddit identity alongside the address, so you can research before contacting.
- **List hygiene** — run with verification on to see what share of a keyword's results are throwaway, role or undeliverable before committing to a campaign.
- **Market research** — `topEmailDomains` shows which providers and companies dominate a niche.

***

### Notes and limits

- **This searches a public search engine for pages on Reddit.** It reads what is publicly indexed; it does not sign in to Reddit and cannot see anything private.
- **Coverage depends entirely on what people have published.** Addresses only appear if someone put them on a public page that got indexed.
- **`confidence` is not deliverability.** See the note above — an MX record proves a domain can receive mail, not that a particular mailbox exists.
- **A role mailbox is not a bad lead**, just a different one. `info@` often gets read faster than a personal address at a small business.
- Verification adds one DNS lookup per distinct domain, cached across the run, so a thousand Gmail addresses cost one lookup.
- Search results are rate-limited at source. Large runs benefit from a proxy.
- Contact data about identifiable people is personal data. Using it for outreach carries obligations under GDPR, CAN-SPAM and similar regimes; complying with them is the operator's responsibility.

***

### Local development

```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m tests.test_leads     # includes live DNS lookups
apify run
```

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

A list of keywords to search for.

## `location` (type: `string`):

Location to filter search results.

## `platform` (type: `string`):

Select platform.

## `customDomains` (type: `array`):

List of custom email domains

## `maxEmails` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of emails to collect. The scraper will stop once this limit is reached. Setting a higher limit allows for more potential results but doesn't guarantee reaching that number. This helps save costs by controlling scraping time.

## `engine` (type: `string`):

Choose scraping engine. 🚀 Cost Effective (New): Uses residential proxies with async requests for faster, cheaper scraping. 🔧 Legacy: Uses GOOGLE\_SERP proxy with traditional selectors - more reliable but slower and more expensive.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Configure proxies for this Actor.

## `verifyEmails` (type: `boolean`):

Check each address: syntax, whether the domain publishes MX records and can receive mail at all, whether it is a throwaway inbox, a role mailbox or a free provider. Adds a DNS lookup per domain, cached across the run.

## `minimumConfidence` (type: `integer`):

Drop addresses scoring below this. A business address on a domain with MX records scores around 95; a role mailbox around 85; a throwaway 5.

## `excludeRoleAccounts` (type: `boolean`):

Drop info@, sales@, support@ and similar. They reach an organisation rather than a person.

## `excludeFreeProviders` (type: `boolean`):

Drop Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and similar, keeping only company domains. Useful for B2B lists.

## `excludeDisposableEmails` (type: `boolean`):

Drop known temporary-email providers.

## `requireMxRecord` (type: `boolean`):

Drop addresses whose domain publishes no MX record, and those where the lookup could not be completed - an unknown result is not evidence the domain accepts mail.

## `useDisposableBlocklist` (type: `boolean`):

Download the public blocklist of disposable email domains at the start of the run, on top of the built-in set.

## `includeResultSnippet` (type: `boolean`):

Keep the search-result text each address was found in, so a lead can be checked in context.

## `emitRunSummary` (type: `boolean`):

Add a final record with totals, the category breakdown, top email domains and top profiles.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "founder",
    "marketing"
  ],
  "location": "",
  "platform": "Reddit",
  "customDomains": [
    "@gmail.com"
  ],
  "maxEmails": 20,
  "engine": "cost-effective",
  "verifyEmails": true,
  "minimumConfidence": 0,
  "excludeRoleAccounts": false,
  "excludeFreeProviders": false,
  "excludeDisposableEmails": true,
  "requireMxRecord": false,
  "useDisposableBlocklist": true,
  "includeResultSnippet": true,
  "emitRunSummary": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All scraped results, one dataset item per result.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "founder",
        "marketing"
    ],
    "location": "",
    "customDomains": [
        "@gmail.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapevanta/reddit-email-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "keywords": [
        "founder",
        "marketing",
    ],
    "location": "",
    "customDomains": ["@gmail.com"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapevanta/reddit-email-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "founder",
    "marketing"
  ],
  "location": "",
  "customDomains": [
    "@gmail.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call scrapevanta/reddit-email-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapevanta/reddit-email-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/fZV1BqWzTmNic7AyY/builds/hhi9E6m3h5txvUDYl/openapi.json