What is the TikTok Search Scraper?
The InsightSocial TikTok search scraper is a free Chrome extension that exports TikTok keyword search results to CSV, Excel, JSON, or Google Sheets. Search any keyword on TikTok, then export either the videos that match it (with views, likes, comments, shares, bookmarks, captions, sounds and creator stats) or the user accounts that match it (with bio, follower count, total likes, verified badge and search rank). No API key, no Research API application, no code.
For a lot of people TikTok now is the search engine: they type "carry on backpack" or "hiking gear" into TikTok before they type it into Google. That makes TikTok search results a dataset in their own right. Which videos does TikTok rank for a query? Which creators come up first? How much engagement does the top of the results page carry? A keyword scraper answers those questions in a spreadsheet instead of an afternoon of scrolling and screenshots.
It works by reading what your own browser already loads. When you search on tiktok.com, the page requests results in pages as you scroll. The extension scrolls the results for you, captures each page as it arrives, and streams the rows into the sidebar so you can watch the count and stop whenever the sample is enough.
Two exports from one search
TikTok splits search results into tabs, and the extension follows the same split. Pick one per run:
| Mode | What you get | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Videos | One row per matching video: link, caption, posted date, views, likes, comments, shares, bookmarks, hashtags, sound, duration, plus the creator's handle, bio, followers and total likes | Content and keyword research, competitive monitoring, brand mentions |
| Users | One row per matching account: username, display name, profile link, bio, followers, total likes, verified badge and label, search keyword, position in the results, TikTok's stable IDs | Influencer discovery, creator sourcing, market mapping |
You can start from any results tab (Top, Videos or Users). When you press Start, the extension switches to the tab that matches the mode you picked, so the right results load.
The Users export, in detail
TikTok user search is the closest thing the platform has to a creator directory, and the Users mode is the part of this tool people come back to. Each row keeps two things most exports drop:
- The search keyword and the account's position in TikTok's results, so you can see who TikTok ranks first for a query and compare rankings across keywords.
- Contacts written in the bio: when a creator puts an email address, a phone number or a link in their bio, it is pulled into its own Emails, Phones or Links column next to the full bio text. Most bios do not contain one, but the ones that do are easy to filter for.
Alongside those you get the follower count, total likes across the account, the verified badge with TikTok's verification label, the avatar URL, and TikTok's numeric UID and sec_uid, which survive a username change and make good join keys.
Who is it for?
- Influencer marketers searching a niche keyword in Users mode to build a creator shortlist with follower counts and bios
- Content researchers exporting the videos TikTok ranks for a keyword to see which hooks and formats win
- SEO and keyword researchers treating TikTok as a search engine and recording what surfaces for each query
- Brands searching their own name or product and exporting every video and account that comes up
- Market analysts comparing result sets across keywords to size a topic and see who dominates it
- Academic researchers building keyword-based samples of videos or accounts
Key Benefits
- Videos or users from the same search: two clean exports, one keyword
- Search rank kept: every user row records its keyword and position
- Full engagement per video: views, likes, comments, shares and bookmarks on every row
- Creator context on video rows: bio, followers and total likes, no second lookup
- Works without a TikTok login and keeps going in a background tab
- Private by design: collection runs in your own browser session and results are visible only to your account
How to Use the TikTok Search Scraper
Step 1: Install the Extension
Add InsightSocial from the Chrome Web Store. The icon appears in your browser toolbar.
Step 2: Search on TikTok
Type your keyword into TikTok's search box and press Enter. Any results tab works. The address bar will show something like tiktok.com/search?q=hiking%20gear.
Step 3: Open the Sidebar
Click the InsightSocial icon. The sidebar detects the search and shows it back to you as Search: hiking gear, so you can confirm the keyword before anything runs.
Step 4: Pick Videos or Users
Choose Videos to export the matching videos or Users to export the matching accounts. Then pick 50, 100 or 250, or type a custom number.
Step 5: Start Scraping
Click Start. The extension opens the matching results tab, scrolls it, and streams rows into the live preview. You can switch to another tab while it runs.
Step 6: Export
Click Export and choose CSV, Excel or JSON, or sync the rows to Google Sheets. Every run is also saved to your private InsightSocial portal, where you can search, sort and export it again later. To get the other mode for the same keyword, go back to the search and run it again with the other option.
Search Scraping Approaches Compared
There are four common ways to get TikTok search data. They suit different needs, so here is a feature comparison rather than a verdict.
| InsightSocial extension | Cloud scraping platforms | Open-source scripts | Official research access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Install, search, press Start | Create an account, configure a job | Install Python or Node, maintain the code | Apply and wait for approval |
| Coding needed | None | Little to none | Yes | Yes |
| Where it runs | Your own browser | The vendor's servers | Your machine or server | TikTok's API |
| Videos and users | Both, one mode per run | Depends on the tool | Depends on the library | Depends on access granted |
| Who can use it | Anyone with Chrome | Anyone with an account | Developers | Approved researchers |
| Best for | Ad hoc keyword research, a few queries at a time | Scheduled, large-scale pipelines | Custom pipelines you control | Formal academic studies |
If you need hundreds of keywords on a server schedule, a cloud platform or your own pipeline is the better fit. If you need what TikTok shows for a handful of queries, in a spreadsheet, today, that is what this extension is for. Developers who want TikTok search as JSON from code can also use the InsightSocial TikTok API.
Limits Worth Knowing
TikTok decides when results run out. You set a target, but TikTok stops serving results for a query at some point, and that varies by keyword. In our own production runs, video searches up to about 100 results usually complete. Larger targets have typically ended between 150 and 300 videos, and the most we have recorded from a single search is 385 videos. User searches have returned up to 250 accounts in one run. When TikTok stops paging, the run finishes and keeps everything it collected.
One mode per run. Videos and users live on different TikTok tabs and are separate runs.
Search results move. TikTok's ranking changes with time and context, so the same keyword can return a different list tomorrow. Each export records when it was scraped; keep runs dated if you track rankings over time.
User rows are search cards, not full profiles. TikTok's user search returns the account card: bio, followers, total likes and verification. Following and video counts are not part of it. For a creator's full profile and recent videos, open their profile with the TikTok Profile Scraper.
Hidden tabs. Search runs keep collecting in a background tab. If the tab loaded hidden and TikTok has not sent the first page, the run waits until you return to the tab rather than ending empty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the TikTok search scraper free?
Yes. Installing the extension and scraping are free on every plan. Credits are spent only on the rows you export, one per row, and re-exporting a row you have already paid for is free:
- Free plan: 500 export credits per month
- Pro Monthly: 10,000 export credits per month for $9.99/mo
- Pro Yearly: 10,000 export credits per month for $95.88/year ($7.99/mo)
One-time credit packs are also available for a single larger export.
Do I need a TikTok API key?
No. There is no developer account, no Research API application and no token to refresh. The extension reads the search results tiktok.com already sends to your browser.
Can I use TikTok user search without an account?
Yes. Search runs work without a TikTok login; we test them logged out. Being logged in does no harm, and the extension never asks for your TikTok password.
How many search results can I export?
As many as your credits cover: 500 rows a month on the free plan and 10,000 on Pro. How many results a single search returns is set by TikTok, as described in the limits section above.
Can I scrape videos and users in one run?
No. TikTok serves them on separate tabs, so run one, then the other. Both exports keep the keyword, so they line up.
Can I find influencers by keyword?
Yes; that is what Users mode is for. Search a niche term, export the accounts, and filter by follower count, total likes or verified status. Each row keeps its position in TikTok's results, so you can see who ranks first. For creators worth a closer look, the TikTok Profile Scraper pulls their recent videos and the TikTok Followers Scraper shows who they follow.
Does the export include creators' emails?
Only what a creator has written in their own bio. When a bio contains an email address or phone number, it lands in the Emails or Phones column of the Users export. Use it for research and sourcing rather than unsolicited bulk outreach.
Is scraping TikTok search results legal?
Collecting publicly visible data for research, keyword analysis and competitive analysis is long-established practice. Respect TikTok's Terms of Service and privacy law such as GDPR and CCPA, anonymise creators in anything you publish, and never use the data to target or harass individuals.
Working from a hashtag instead of a keyword? The TikTok Hashtag Scraper exports the videos under any tag. To read the discussion under a video you found, use the TikTok Comments Scraper. Everything TikTok we support is on the TikTok scraper hub, and the TikTok competitor analysis guide shows how to put search data to work.