I got tired of Reddit's API pricing, so I built a local scraper (and it's free)
Source: Dev.to
Remember when Reddit killed third‑party apps with API pricing changes back in 2023? Yeah, that sucked.
Fast forward to 2025, and I’m still feeling the pain. I’m a solo dev trying to find early users for my SaaS on Reddit. The official API costs $0.24 per 1,000 requests, which sounds cheap until you realize that scraping 300 posts = 300+ API calls. Do that a few times a day and you’re looking at $50–100 /month just for basic data access.
The “smart” move? Pay for a SaaS tool like Brand24 or Hootsuite. Those cost $49–99 /month and use shared cloud IPs that Reddit’s bot detector loves to flag.
The loop I was stuck in
- Manual scrolling → burnout
- Cloud tools → account bans
- Official API → expensive
So I rage‑coded a solution over a weekend.
The “local‑first” approach
I built Reddit Toolbox – a free desktop app that runs on your own machine (Windows / Mac).
Key insight: Reddit doesn’t ban you if you look like a normal user. Cloud scrapers use datacenter IPs (easy to detect). Your home Wi‑Fi? Totally fine. Run the scraper locally, and you avoid SaaS fees and bans.
Features
1. Bulk scraping without the API
Type a subreddit name, hit “scrape,” and it pulls 300+ posts in seconds. No API keys. No quotas. Just raw HTML parsing.
2. “Low competition” filter
Set “Max Comments: 5” to instantly see threads where the OP asked a question but nobody answered yet. Ideal for marketing – your reply actually gets read.
3. User extraction
From those posts, the tool grabs the most active users, their karma, account age, and other subreddits they frequent. Great for profiling your audience before you DM anyone.
4. Google index checker
Before replying, copy the thread title and search site:reddit.com "thread title". If it’s not on Google yet, skip it – no point commenting on threads with zero search traffic.
5. AI‑assisted replies
If you’re feeling lazy, have it draft a reply using your own OpenAI/Claude API key. You still edit the output, but it beats staring at a blank text box.
The whole thing runs locally, so Reddit sees a home IP making requests at a normal human pace. Zero bans since I switched.
Pricing – free tier & premium
- Free tier: 15 scrapes / day – enough for most users.
- Premium: $9 /mo for unlimited scraping + CSV export.
I built it for myself, but I’m sharing it with anyone tired of the “subscription for everything” model.
Grab it here: https://www.wappkit.com/reddit-toolbox
The “local‑first” movement
This project made me realize how much I’ve been overpaying for cloud tools that I could run locally.
| Cloud tool | Local alternative |
|---|---|
| Notion ($10/mo) | Obsidian (free, local markdown) |
| Airtable ($20/mo) | SQLite (just a file) |
| Brand24 ($99/mo) | Reddit Toolbox (free) |
I’m not saying cloud tools are bad, but for data collection and analysis, running it on your own machine is often faster, cheaper, and safer.
What’s next?
- Currently Windows / Mac desktop only.
- Some users have asked for a browser‑extension version – it would be cool but riskier (Reddit could detect it easier).
If you’re doing Reddit marketing or need data for research, give it a shot. Found bugs or have feature ideas? Drop them in the comments – I’m actively working on this.
Happy scraping! 🚀