Social Handle Checker

See if your brand names are still free on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, X, Threads, GitHub, Snapchat, and Twitch — in one run. One dataset row per handle (yes / no / error / not_checked).

No login. No API key. No account on any of those networks.

Free plan: 20 handles per run. Paid: unlimited (your PPE budget).

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Who is this for?

You are…	Typical goal	Suggested setup
Founder / product lead	Shortlist a company or product name	All 10 platforms, 3–10 candidates
Brand / naming agency	Client pitch appendix	5 names, all platforms — see Examples
DTC / creator launch	Check IG + TikTok first	Restrict Platforms to Instagram + TikTok
Devtools / gaming brand	GitHub, Snapchat, Twitch	Subset those three platforms
Trademark researcher	Informal availability scan	Full matrix, then verify critical names manually

What you get by default: one row per handle with yes/no per selected network. This is not a legal or trademark search.

When to narrow platforms: Instagram and Threads use residential proxy on Apify (slower / more egress). Skip them when you only need GitHub, Snapchat, or Twitch.

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Quick start

1. Open the Actor Input tab on Apify Console.
2. List the handles you want to test (one per line, without @).
3. Optionally narrow Platforms to check.
4. Click Start.
5. Download JSON/CSV from the Dataset tab.

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Ready-made examples (published tasks)

Example	Best for
Check startup names across 10 social platforms	Founders — full matrix
Agency pitch — client handle availability scan	Agency naming appendix
Instagram and TikTok handle check only	Faster launch-channel check
Check GitHub Snapchat and Twitch usernames	Dev / creator handles
Check brand names on X and YouTube	X + YouTube only
Facebook, Pinterest and Threads	Meta-adjacent trio
Creator alias on 10 platforms	Stage name matrix
Fintech brand across socials	Legal / brand shortlist
TikTok and YouTube only	Video-first launch
Rebrand scan, 10 platforms	Agency rebrand
Instagram and Threads	Same @ on both
GitHub and X usernames	Dev-brand pair

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What does this Actor do?

The Actor fans out each handle across the platforms you select (default: all ten). It uses:

Platform	Method (summary)
Instagram	www.instagram.com/api/v1/users/web_profile_info/ — 200 = taken, 404 = free, 401 = taken (private account). 1 dedicated fresh residential IP per handle via got-scraping (Chrome TLS fingerprint). Zero warmup.
TikTok	Public profile URL + ProfilePage / status signals in HTML.
Facebook	facebook.com/{handle} — browser-like headers, www + m.facebook.com fallbacks; residential proxy on Apify to reduce HTTP 400 blocks.
Pinterest	Public RSS pinterest.com/{handle}/feed.rss (200 + XML = taken; 404 = free), then HTML fallback.
YouTube	youtube.com/@{handle} — 404 = free, channelMetadataRenderer in HTML = taken.
X (Twitter)	Public oEmbed API (publish.twitter.com/oembed?url=https://twitter.com/{handle}) — 200 + embed HTML = taken, 404 = free. No JS scraping.
Threads	Same web_profile_info endpoint as Instagram — Meta shares @username across both. Shares Instagram's residential proxy pool.
GitHub	api.github.com/users/{handle} — 200 = taken, 404 = free. Public REST API, no auth needed. Extremely reliable.
Snapchat	story.snapchat.com/@{handle} — 200 = taken, 404 = free. Static CDN page, no JS required.
Twitch	twitch.tv/{handle} — page title "{name} - Twitch" = taken, "Twitch" alone = free. No auth needed.

Instagram and Threads use got-scraping (Chrome JA3/TLS fingerprint) — no cookies or session tokens required. GitHub, Snapchat, and Twitch use public APIs with standard GET requests — no proxy needed. Some sites return login walls or soft 404s — rows may show error; verify critical names manually.

LinkedIn is intentionally not included — public /in/{slug} URLs are not the same kind of vanity “handle” game as Instagram/TikTok; naming rules and availability are a poor fit for this Actor.

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What data does it extract?

Column	Meaning
handle	Candidate string tested (without @).
available_instagram	yes = appears free, no = taken, error = check failed, not_checked = platform omitted from run.
available_tiktok	Same scale.
available_facebook	Same scale (Facebook Page-style URL).
available_pinterest	Same scale.
available_youtube	Same scale (@handle).
available_twitter	Same scale (X).
available_threads	Same scale (Threads — inferred via Instagram username lookup).
available_github	Same scale (GitHub username).
available_snapchat	Same scale (Snapchat profile).
available_twitch	Same scale (Twitch username).

Download results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or HTML from the Dataset tab.

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Input

Default: all platforms. Restrict platforms to save time and egress.

{
  "handles": [
    { "handle": "mybrand" },
    { "handle": "acme_corp" }
  ],
  "platforms": ["instagram", "tiktok", "facebook", "pinterest", "youtube", "twitter", "threads", "github", "snapchat", "twitch"]
}

Instagram + TikTok only (faster on small lists):

{
  "handles": ["brandname", "brand_name"],
  "platforms": ["instagram", "tiktok"]
}

All input parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
handles	Array	—	Handles without @. Items may be strings or { "handle": "..." }. Free plan: 20 handles / run. Paid: unlimited (budget).
platforms	Array	All 10	Subset of: instagram, tiktok, facebook, pinterest, youtube, twitter, threads, github, snapchat, twitch.

On Apify Cloud, Instagram and Threads checks use the residential proxy group by default; no extra input is required.

API-only (not shown in the Console input form): If you start runs via the API, you can still pass instagramCookies (array of { "name", "value" }) or proxyGroups (defaults to ["RESIDENTIAL"] when omitted).

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Output example

[
  {
    "handle": "mybrand",
    "available_instagram": "yes",
    "available_tiktok": "no",
    "available_facebook": "yes",
    "available_pinterest": "yes",
    "available_youtube": "no",
    "available_twitter": "yes",
    "available_threads": "yes",
    "available_github": "yes",
    "available_snapchat": "no",
    "available_twitch": "yes"
  }
]

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Run log (Apify Console)

While a cloud run is executing, open Storage → Key-value store → RUN_LOG for the same structured lines as the live log (banners, Mode: phases, indented progress). The default store also exposes Run log (live) in the Actor Output tab.

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Local development

$npm install

Copy input.json.example to input.json and edit handles/platforms, then:

cp input.json storage/key_value_stores/default/INPUT.json
apify run

Example input.json:

{
  "handles": [{ "handle": "testbrand" }],
  "platforms": ["youtube", "twitter", "tiktok"]
}

Use apify run for local tests (not npm start alone — the CLI wires Apify storage and env).

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How much does it cost to check social handles?

Scenario	FREE	Bronze	Silver	Gold
20 handles (Try / free cap)	$0.20	$0.17	$0.15	$0.12
100 handles (paid)	$1.00	$0.87	$0.75	$0.62
1,000 handles (paid)	$10.00	$8.70	$7.50	$6.20

Free plan: 20 handles / run. Paid: unlimited (set a max charge per run if you want a spend cap). Gold / Platinum / Diamond are $0.0062 per handle (~$6.20 / 1k).

Each "result" = one handle checked across all selected platforms (up to 10). The per-handle cost is fixed regardless of how many platforms you select.

Scenario	Notes
Few handles	Usually under 10 seconds.
Many handles + Instagram	Instagram checks run in parallel with 1 residential IP per handle — no warmup overhead.
Rate limits	Automatic retry on 429/590 with a fresh IP. Persistent errors shown as error in the dataset.

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Use cases

• Shortlist a brand name and see which @ handles are still free on major networks.
• Give clients a one-click “social username matrix” before incorporation or campaign launch.
• Periodically re-check a handle you want after a soft error (networks change HTML often).

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Is it legal to scrape social handle availability?

This Actor only queries publicly reachable profile URLs and public APIs. Handles and availability signals may relate to personal data — use results in line with GDPR and local law. This is not a legal or trademark search. See Apify’s overview.

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Also available

Instagram Username Availability Checker — Instagram-only bulk check when you do not need the 10-platform matrix.

FAQ

Why is a platform error?
Rate limits, bot challenges, timeouts, or HTML changes. Retry later or test that URL manually.

Is Instagram 100% accurate?
It reflects the signup attempt response; reserved or restricted names may still fail later in real signup.

How do I get help?
Use the Issues tab on the Actor page in the Apify store. For a bespoke scraper or integration, see Support below.

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Support

For bug reports and general questions, use the Issues tab on the Actor page in the Apify Console.

Need a custom script or integration? Contact corentin@outreacher.fr for bespoke scraping or automation tailored to your workflow.

Ready? Paste your handle shortlist, choose platforms, and click Start.