How does exporting work on Free vs paid?

The Export menu has three options: Download data for AI (a Markdown file and a CSV file together), Download media for AI (a .zip of the images and videos), and Download Data & Media for AI (a .zip with both). Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI work the same way on every plan, Free included. Download data for AI is the one exception: on Free, it opens an upgrade prompt instead of a download. Either way, what you can actually export still comes down to how much of a profile or group is unlocked in your dashboard in the first place.

Free: Download data for AI needs an upgrade

Click Download data for AI on the Free plan and PostSnag opens an upgrade prompt titled "Unlock the full picture," with Pro and Lifetime plan cards, instead of downloading anything. Nothing downloads until you upgrade. This is the only one of the three options that's gated: Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI both stay available on Free, no upgrade prompt, no plan check.

Free: your export still matches the 30-post preview

On the Free plan you get 3 profile scans and 2 group scans in any rolling 7-day window, and each scan previews the first 30 posts in your dashboard. The rest of that profile's posts are blurred behind an upgrade wall, and a profile or group scanned beyond the weekly allowance is saved but locked until you upgrade.

Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI follow that same line: whichever posts are unlocked and visible in your dashboard are what land in the zip. A profile with 200 posts on Facebook still exports as a zip covering roughly 30 posts' worth of media while you're on Free and that profile is within your scan allowance; a profile scanned after you'd used up the week's allowance exports nothing at all, since every one of its posts stays locked.

This isn't a separate export limit stacked on top of the preview. Exporting doesn't cap anything on its own; a media export just can't include posts that are still sitting behind the paywall, and Download data for AI can't run at all until you upgrade.

Pro and Lifetime: every option, every post

Pro and Lifetime remove the Free plan's caps: unlimited profile and group scans, no 30-post preview, and no locked profiles or groups. Every post PostSnag can read off the page is visible in your dashboard, and every scan is saved for good rather than needing to be repeated. All three export options work with no gate, and each one covers the complete capture, not a preview of it.

Already upgraded? Here's how to get the rest into your export

Posts blurred behind the Free plan's 30-post preview are already sitting in your dashboard. Upgrading removes the blur, and Download data for AI stops asking you to upgrade, so your next export reflects the full history right away, no rescan needed:

1. Upgrade to Pro or Lifetime: see How do I upgrade to Pro or Lifetime?

2. Open the profile or group that previously showed blurred posts: the blur should be gone; give it a minute if the page still shows Free limits right after checkout.

3. Use the Export menu or multi-select on the profile or group, or the Posts page's own export buttons, and choose an option: the file now reflects everything visible in your dashboard, not just the old 30-post preview.

4. Scroll the profile or group again on Facebook if you want posts further back than what you originally captured, then export again.

A worked example

Say a Page has 80 posts on Facebook and you scan it on the Free plan, scrolling through its full history, and the scan lands inside your week's allowance. Your dashboard shows the first 30 posts normally and blurs the other 50 behind an upgrade wall. Click Download media for AI on Free and you get a zip covering that same 30 posts' worth of media; click Download data for AI and you get the upgrade prompt instead of a file. After upgrading to Pro, you open that same profile: the blur is gone, all 80 posts are visible, and both Download data for AI and Download media for AI now cover the complete 80 posts, no rescan needed.

Group exports follow the same idea

A group's export offers the same three options as a profile export, scoped to everyone captured in that group. Group scanning is limited on Free (unlimited on Pro and Lifetime), and the same 30-post preview applies to each member captured inside a group. Download data for AI is gated on a group's Posts tab the same way it is on a profile; Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI stay open on Free, matching whatever's unlocked. Upgrading removes the blur across the group the same way it does for a single profile. See How do I export a Facebook Group's posts?

Common questions

Does the Free plan limit which export options I can use?

Yes, one of them. Download data for AI needs Pro or Lifetime. Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI are open to everyone, Free included.

Why did clicking Download data for AI open an upgrade screen instead of downloading?

That option is a Pro and Lifetime feature. Upgrading unlocks it immediately; no rescan is needed.

Why does my media export only cover part of a profile?

You're likely on the Free plan, which previews the first 30 posts per profile and blurs the rest behind an upgrade wall. The zip only includes what's unlocked. Upgrading to Pro or Lifetime removes the blur and gives you a complete-capture export.

If I upgrade, do I need to rescan a profile to get a bigger export?

No. Posts blurred behind the Free plan's preview are already in your dashboard. Upgrading removes the blur, and your next export reflects the full history. Scroll the profile again only if you want to reach further back than you originally captured.

Does exporting itself count against my weekly scan allowance?

No. Scans are about capturing posts from Facebook. Exporting a file is a separate step that works on whatever's already visible in your dashboard.

Related articles

• What's included in the Free plan?

• What is included in a PostSnag export?

• What are PostSnag's plans and pricing?

• How do I upgrade to Pro or Lifetime?

• Why am I only seeing a preview of a profile's posts? (Free plan)

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