CommentCrateChoosing a comment exporter: seven things to check
Tools that export comments look alike on the store page. These questions show the differences before you install or pay for anything.
How many comments are free?
Many free plans stop at a round number. Ask what the number counts (only top-level comments, or replies too) and what the paid plan really lifts. CommentCrate reads up to 200 top-level comments per post for free; Pro has no limit of its own.
Are replies included?
A thread with 300 comments can hold twice that in replies. If you need the whole conversation, check that replies are exported next to the comment they answer, and whether that is free or paid. In CommentCrate replies are part of Pro.
Which file formats do you get?
CSV opens everywhere, but Excel can show broken characters (see the CSV fix). XLSX avoids that. JSON is for people who process the data further. CommentCrate gives CSV and XLSX free, JSON and PDF with Pro.
Do you have to connect an account?
Some tools ask you to log in with Instagram or Facebook, or hand over a token. Read what permission they ask for. CommentCrate does not ask you to connect an account to it: it reads the page you already have open in your own browser.
Where do the comments go?
Find the privacy page and look for the word “upload”. Some tools send the comments to their server and give you a file from there. CommentCrate processes the comments in your browser and does not upload them; the privacy page lists the few requests it does make.
Does it tell you what it could not read?
No tool sees comments the platform hides, filters or removes, so the count you get can be lower than the number on the post. A good tool says so. See why fewer comments come in.
Can it draw giveaway winners?
If you run giveaways, a tool that exports and draws in one place saves a step and leaves one record. See the giveaway picker and the fair giveaway checklist.
Keep in mind
- Other tools differ from each other and from CommentCrate; check their own pages. We have not tested them for this list.
- Platforms change their pages, so any tool can stop working until it is updated. Look at how recently it was updated.
- See pricing for what the free plan and Pro include.