# Monitor competitor Instagram accounts for new posts

**Use case:** 

Watch a list of competitor Instagram accounts and collect each new post with its engagement on a schedule. No login. $14 per 1,000 posts, quiet is free.

## Input

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo",
    "nasa",
    "instagram"
  ],
  "testRun": false,
  "onlyFound": false,
  "includeKeywords": [],
  "excludeKeywords": [],
  "limit": 12,
  "since": "2026-09-15",
  "mediaType": "all",
  "includeProfile": false,
  "detail": "basic",
  "columns": [
    "username",
    "postCount",
    "truncated",
    "detailCount",
    "posts",
    "kind",
    "ig_user_id",
    "full_name",
    "bio",
    "followers",
    "following",
    "posts_count",
    "profile_pic_url",
    "is_verified",
    "external_url",
    "shortcode",
    "url",
    "type",
    "posted_at",
    "caption",
    "hashtags",
    "mentions",
    "like_count",
    "comment_count",
    "view_count",
    "duration_s",
    "width",
    "height",
    "display_url",
    "video_url",
    "thumbnail_url",
    "carousel_children",
    "audio",
    "tagged_users",
    "location",
    "is_paid_partnership",
    "coauthors",
    "detailFetched",
    "raw"
  ],
  "expandRows": true,
  "maxConcurrency": 2,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "query": {
    "label": "Profile submitted",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "found": {
    "label": "Found?",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "status": {
    "label": "Status",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "message": {
    "label": "Details",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "username": {
    "label": "Username",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "postCount": {
    "label": "Posts returned",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "truncated": {
    "label": "More posts were available",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "detailCount": {
    "label": "Posts with full detail fetched",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "posts": {
    "label": "All rows found (full list)",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "kind": {
    "label": "Row type (profile or post)",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "ig_user_id": {
    "label": "Instagram user ID",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "full_name": {
    "label": "Display name (profile row)",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "bio": {
    "label": "Bio (profile row)",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "followers": {
    "label": "Followers (profile row)",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "following": {
    "label": "Following (profile row)",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "posts_count": {
    "label": "Total posts on the account (profile row)",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "profile_pic_url": {
    "label": "Profile picture (profile row)",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "is_verified": {
    "label": "Verified (profile row)",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "external_url": {
    "label": "Bio link (profile row)",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "shortcode": {
    "label": "Post shortcode",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "url": {
    "label": "Post link",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "type": {
    "label": "Post type",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "posted_at": {
    "label": "Posted on",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "caption": {
    "label": "Caption",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "hashtags": {
    "label": "Hashtags",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "mentions": {
    "label": "Mentions",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "like_count": {
    "label": "Likes",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "comment_count": {
    "label": "Comments",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "view_count": {
    "label": "Views (videos only)",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "duration_s": {
    "label": "Video length in seconds",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "width": {
    "label": "Width",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "height": {
    "label": "Height",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "display_url": {
    "label": "Image",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "video_url": {
    "label": "Video file",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "thumbnail_url": {
    "label": "Thumbnail",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "carousel_children": {
    "label": "Carousel slides",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "audio": {
    "label": "Audio track",
    "format": "object"
  },
  "tagged_users": {
    "label": "Tagged accounts",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "location": {
    "label": "Location",
    "format": "object"
  },
  "is_paid_partnership": {
    "label": "Paid partnership",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "coauthors": {
    "label": "Collaborators",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "detailFetched": {
    "label": "Full detail fetched for this post",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "raw": {
    "label": "Raw source objects",
    "format": "object"
  },
  "scrapedAt": {
    "label": "Checked at",
    "format": "string"
  }
}
```

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [Instagram Profile Scraper: Posts and Reels](https://apify.com/accountable_eel/ig-profile-scraper.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/accountable_eel/ig-profile-scraper.md) to learn more, explore other use cases, and run it yourself.


## How to integrate an Actor?

This Task's input is already configured above. Use it as-is rather than inventing a new one.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For full API examples (JavaScript, Python, CLI, MCP, OpenAPI), see this Task's Actor page: https://apify.com/accountable_eel/ig-profile-scraper.md

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).