# 11 things to build with Reddit data.

> Ideas to build with public Reddit data: pain point finders, subreddit digests, feedback radars and research assistants, each with the operations it calls.

Canonical: https://apiforagents.dev/ideas/reddit-data · Updated 2026-10-21

Reddit data is good for hearing how people describe their problems and what they think of products, in their own words. Each idea below names the operations it calls, so you can quote it and run it.

- Operations: 5
- Price: from $0.0045 per record
- Free to start: $0.10

## The ideas

- **[A product feedback radar](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/search-api).** For product teams. It searches Reddit for the product name, newest first, and sends each new thread to the team. Uses search.
- **[A pain point finder for founders](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/search-api).** For founders testing an idea. It searches phrases like is there a tool for, then reads the top comments to see what people already use. Uses search and comments.
- **[A weekly subreddit digest](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/subreddit-api).** For anyone who follows a few communities. It reads the top posts of the week in chosen subreddits and writes a short summary with links. Uses subreddit.
- **[A competitor comparison tracker](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/search-api).** For marketers. It searches threads that compare two products and reads the comments to see why people pick one. Uses search and comments.
- **[A launch thread tracker](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/comments-api).** For teams who posted a launch. It reads the comments and charts the stored score and comment count, which are free to read. Uses comments and history.
- **[A content question bank](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/subreddit-api).** For content and SEO teams. It reads top posts in a subreddit and their comments to list the questions people keep asking. Uses subreddit and comments.
- **[A rising topic alert](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/subreddit-api).** For community and news teams. It reads the rising listing of a subreddit and flags posts that climb fast. Uses subreddit.
- **[A customer research assistant](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/search-api).** For researchers asked what people say about something. An agent searches, reads the comments and answers with quotes and links. Uses search and comments.
- **[A buying advice helper](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/search-api).** For shoppers comparing products. It finds threads where people recommend products in a category and summarises the reasons, with links. Uses search and comments.
- **[A moderator queue helper](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/subreddit-api).** For volunteer moderators. It reads the newest posts in their subreddit and flags the ones a human should look at first. Uses subreddit.
- **[A discussion dataset](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/search-api).** For researchers and students. It collects posts on a topic across Reddit into a table for later study. Uses search and subreddit.

## Each idea and what it calls

| Idea | Operations | One call returns | Main operation price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A product feedback radar | search | Up to 50 posts | search: $0.0045 per record |
| A pain point finder for founders | search, comments | Up to 50 posts | search: $0.0045 per record |
| A weekly subreddit digest | subreddit | Up to 50 posts per subreddit | subreddit: $0.0045 per record |
| A competitor comparison tracker | search, comments | Up to 50 posts | search: $0.0045 per record |
| A launch thread tracker | comments, history | Up to 100 comments | comments: $0.0045 per record |
| A content question bank | subreddit, comments | Up to 50 posts | subreddit: $0.0045 per record |
| A rising topic alert | subreddit | Up to 50 posts | subreddit: $0.0045 per record |
| A customer research assistant | search, comments | Up to 50 posts | search: $0.0045 per record |
| A buying advice helper | search, comments | Up to 50 posts | search: $0.0045 per record |
| A moderator queue helper | subreddit | Up to 50 posts | subreddit: $0.0045 per record |
| A discussion dataset | search, subreddit | Up to 50 posts | search: $0.0045 per record |

## How to start

1. Sign up. An agent registers itself with one POST and starts with $0.10 of free credit; a person can sign up on the site instead.
2. Quote the first call for free: send the search request with "estimateOnly": true and read the price before anything is spent.
3. Run the same call with "maxUsd" set as a ceiling, and keep the rows it returns.
4. Schedule it: repeat the call daily or weekly, and read the stored series with history, which is free.

## Operations used

- [Reddit Search API](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/search-api): $0.0045 per record. Posts across all of Reddit matching a keyword.
- [Reddit Comments API](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/comments-api): $0.0045 per record. Top comments on up to ten POSTS, by permalink or bare post id.
- [Reddit Subreddit API](https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/reddit/subreddit-api): $0.0045 per record. A subreddit's listing under one sort.

## Questions

### Can I read a single user's posts?

Yes. The posts operation returns one user's recent submissions with score, comment count and upvote ratio.

### Do I need a Reddit account to build these?

No. The API reads public data and never asks for your login, password or cookie.

### What does a run cost?

Reddit records are priced from $0.0045 per record. A call can carry a minimum, so send it first with "estimateOnly": true. The quote is free and is the most the call can cost.

### Can an AI agent build and run these on its own?

Yes. It signs itself up with one call and gets $0.10 free, quotes each call before it spends, and pays from a prepaid balance. "maxUsd" caps every call, and only a person can add money.

## Why API for Agents

- One key for 26 platforms: social, commerce, jobs, places, search and contacts, with one request shape and one response shape.
- A free quote before any spend: add "estimateOnly": true to any call and see the most it can cost.
- Pay per record in US dollars. No subscription, nothing expires, top-ups from $5.
- $0.10 free to try, no card. An AI agent can sign itself up in one request; a person claims it later.
- Measured, not estimated: every answer says when each row was measured, whether it was fresh or a recent capture, and how sure to be of each field.
- Partial success is success: anything that could not be fetched is named with a reason, and the charge settles to what came back, never above the quote.
- Typed fields that keep their names whichever source answered, and a details object last with everything else the source sent, under our own field names.
- Try any endpoint in the playground and download the answer as CSV or JSON.

## Start

The playground runs any endpoint by hand: pick a platform and what you want from it, fill a short form named in plain words (or press Use sample input), see the free quote on the Run button, run it, then read the answer as a table or JSON and download it as CSV or JSON. The same call is written out as cURL, Python and Node while you type. Open it at https://apiforagents.dev/dashboard/run (sign in first).

Agents register at https://apiforagents.dev/auth.md (one POST, $0.10 free). People: https://apiforagents.dev/docs#start. Prices: https://apiforagents.dev/pricing.md