Social Handle Checker (Instagram + TikTok)

Check the availability of a handle on Instagram and TikTok in a single run. The Actor sends every handle to both platforms in parallel and exports the per-platform result on one row.

---

What is Social Handle Checker?

Social Handle Checker is an Apify Actor that validates handle availability on the two most requested social networks at once. Provide your list of handles (without the @) and the Actor will:

1. Hit Instagram’s web signup endpoint (same API used by the native form).
2. Visit the TikTok profile URL and parse the official ProfilePage JSON-LD payload.
3. Return a compact dataset where each row contains handle, available_instagram, and available_tiktok.

It is built for agencies, creators, and brand teams that need fast, reliable username research across multiple platforms.

---

Key capabilities

• Dual-platform checks – Instagram (web API) + TikTok (ProfilePage script + statusCode signal) per handle.
• Bulk processing – Handles are processed with an optimized concurrency pool (12-13 parallel Instagram requests, lightweight TikTok fetches).
• Single-row export – Each handle maps to one CSV/JSON row with two availability columns.
• Proxy-aware – Uses up to 20 dedicated Instagram sessions with residential proxies for optimal performance and cost control.
• Retry logic – Automatic token refresh, exponential backoff, session regeneration, and graceful fallbacks.
• No login required – Works out of the box; optional Instagram cookies can be supplied for custom sessions.

Why run it on Apify?

• Schedule recurring checks (daily/weekly monitoring).
• Access the run via REST API or webhooks (Make, Zapier, custom workflows).
• Store the dataset inside Apify Storage and export to CSV/JSON/Excel when needed.
• Monitor past executions, success rate, and CU consumption from the console.

---

Data returned

Field	Description
handle	Handle that was tested (without @).
available_instagram	yes, no, or error depending on Instagram’s response.
available_tiktok	yes, no, or error depending on TikTok’s response.

The Actor never mixes both networks in a single column, which makes downstream automation (e.g., Notion, Airtable, or BI tools) straightforward.

---

Input

The Actor accepts a simple JSON object. Handles can be entered through the UI (string list) or pasted as JSON:

{
  "handles": [
    {"handle": "logement.atypique"},
    {"handle": "brandname"},
    {"handle": "cabaneunique"}
  ],
  "platforms": ["instagram", "tiktok"]
}

Parameters

Field	Type	Description
handles	array	Required. List of handles to test (objects or plain strings).
platforms	array	Optional. Subset of platforms to check. Leave empty to run both.

---

Output

Download the dataset in JSON, CSV, HTML, or Excel. Example:

[
  {
    "handle": "logement.atypique",
    "available_instagram": "no",
    "available_tiktok": "yes"
  },
  {
    "handle": "brandname",
    "available_instagram": "yes",
    "available_tiktok": "yes"
  }
]

handle;available_instagram;available_tiktok
logement.atypique;no;yes
brandname;yes;yes

---

Cost & performance

• Speed – 150 handles typically finish in under 1 minute, thanks to 12-13 concurrent Instagram requests, 20 dedicated sessions, and lightweight TikTok checks.
• Compute Units – ~0.1 CU per run with 150 handles (varies by batch size).
• Proxy usage – Up to 20 residential proxy sessions are used efficiently to maximize throughput while minimizing data transfer costs.

Apify’s consumption-based billing means you only pay for the CU and proxy data used during each run. On the free tier you can validate hundreds of handles monthly at no cost.

---

Tips

• Enter handles without the @.
• Use bulk edit or JSON input to paste hundreds of handles at once.
• Schedule runs to monitor the moment a desirable handle becomes available.
• Export to CSV if you plan to sync the data with Notion, Airtable, or BI dashboards.

---

FAQ

How accurate are the results?
Instagram responses come directly from the signup API endpoint. TikTok availability is inferred from the official ProfilePage JSON-LD rendered on public profiles. If that script is missing or the page returns 404, the handle is considered available.

Can I disable TikTok or Instagram?
Yes. Set the platforms input array to only ["instagram"] or ["tiktok"].

What happens if Instagram rate limits me?
The Actor rotates proxies, regenerates tokens, and retries with exponential backoff. If all retries fail, the row is marked with error.

Does it log sensitive data?
No passwords or tokens are required. The Actor only performs public availability checks via HTTPS requests.

Can I integrate it with Make or Zapier?
Absolutely. Trigger the Actor via the Apify API or use webhooks to push the dataset to any automation tool.

Need custom logic?
Open an issue or fork the Actor to plug in additional platforms or bespoke validation rules.

---

Support

• Review the Input and Dataset tabs for schema details.
• Check the Run console for logs ([Instagram] and [TikTok] markers show per-platform progress).
• Open an issue or contact Apify support if you need help or want bespoke enhancements.

Happy handle hunting!