Instagram Profile Scraper

Extract complete profile information and posts from any public Instagram account. Get follower counts, bio, verification status, and detailed post data including captions, engagement metrics, media URLs, and more.

Perfect for influencer research, competitor analysis, content auditing, and brand monitoring.

What data can you extract?

For every post the scraper returns:

Field	Type	Description
username	string	Instagram username of the post author
post_url	string	Direct URL to the Instagram post
description	string	Full caption text of the post
post_type	string	Type of post: image, video, or carousel
like_count	integer	Number of likes on the post
comment_count	integer	Number of comments on the post
view_count	integer	Number of views (video and reel posts only, null for images)
pub_date	string	Publication date in ISO 8601 format
media_urls	array	Direct URLs to all images and/or videos in the post
scraped_at	string	Timestamp when this record was collected
authorMeta	object	Full profile data of the post author (see fields below)

The authorMeta object contains:

Field	Type	Description
username	string	Instagram username
full_name	string	Full display name
biography	string	Profile bio text
profile_pic_url	string	URL of the profile picture
is_verified	boolean	Whether the account has a verified badge
is_private	boolean	Whether the account is private
is_business	boolean	Whether the account is a business account
followers_count	integer	Number of followers
following_count	integer	Number of accounts followed
posts_count	integer	Total posts on the profile
profile_url	string	Full URL to the Instagram profile
external_url	string	Link in bio (when present)
email	string	Public business email (when present)
phone	string	Public business phone (when present)
category	string	Account category e.g. "Nutritionist" (when present)

When maxPosts is set to 0, only a single profile record is returned (no post-level fields, just authorMeta).

How to use

1. Enter the username — paste the Instagram username, with or without the @
2. Set how many posts to scrape — use 0 for profile-only, or any number up to 500
3. Run the scraper — click Start and results appear in the dataset automatically
4. Export your data — download as JSON, CSV, or Excel, or connect via API

No cookies or authentication setup required — the scraper handles access automatically.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
username	string	Yes	—	Instagram username to scrape (with or without @)
maxPosts	integer	No	12	Posts to extract (0–500). Set to 0 for profile only
cookies	string	No	—	Custom Instagram cookies in JSON format (optional)
sessionName	string	No	default_session	Name used to persist the session between runs

Example input

{
  "username": "cristiano",
  "maxPosts": 50
}

Output

Example output (posts)

[
  {
    "username": "instagram",
    "post_url": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/reel/DXxFT1zPFQC/",
    "description": "Make your pics look like film with @meta.ai ✨",
    "post_type": "video",
    "like_count": 131990,
    "comment_count": 3600,
    "view_count": null,
    "pub_date": "2026-04-30T19:06:13",
    "media_urls": [
      "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/.../video.mp4",
      "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/.../thumbnail.jpg"
    ],
    "scraped_at": "2026-05-01T12:32:03.229693",
    "authorMeta": {
      "username": "instagram",
      "full_name": "Instagram",
      "biography": "Discover what's new on Instagram 🔎✨",
      "profile_pic_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/.../profile.jpg",
      "is_verified": true,
      "is_private": false,
      "is_business": false,
      "followers_count": 700870854,
      "following_count": 175,
      "posts_count": 8423,
      "profile_url": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/",
      "external_url": "http://help.instagram.com/"
    }
  }
]

Example output (profile only, maxPosts: 0)

[
  {
    "authorMeta": {
      "username": "abbysnutritionhub",
      "full_name": "Abby's Nutrition Hub",
      "biography": "Better ingredients, better you🍀",
      "profile_pic_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/.../profile.jpg",
      "is_verified": true,
      "is_private": false,
      "is_business": true,
      "followers_count": 30213,
      "following_count": 12,
      "posts_count": 89,
      "profile_url": "https://www.instagram.com/abbysnutritionhub/",
      "category": "Nutritionist"
    }
  }
]

Use cases

• Influencer vetting — verify follower counts, engagement rates, and account authenticity
• Competitor analysis — track competitor content strategy and posting frequency
• Content research — analyze what post types and topics drive the most engagement
• Brand monitoring — audit brand accounts and measure content performance over time
• Audience insights — understand posting patterns and community engagement
• Media archival — collect and store post media URLs for backup or legal purposes

Integrations

Connect results to your existing tools and workflows:

• Webhooks — get notified instantly when a run finishes
• Apify API — pull data directly into your application
• Scheduled runs — monitor profiles on a recurring schedule
• Export to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, and more

FAQ

Do I need to provide cookies or an Instagram account?

No. The scraper authenticates automatically — you can leave the cookies field empty and it will work out of the box.

Can I scrape private accounts?

No. Only publicly accessible profiles and their posts can be scraped. Private accounts return only the profile metadata with a note that posts are not accessible.

How many posts can I extract per run?

Up to 500 posts per run. Set maxPosts to any value from 1 to 500. To fetch only the profile data without any posts, set it to 0.

What post types are supported?

All post types: images, videos, reels, and carousels. For carousel posts all individual media URLs are included in the media_urls array.

Why is view_count null on some posts?

Instagram does not expose view counts for image posts. The view_count field is populated for video and reel posts only. A null value means the post is not a video — it is not an error.

What happens if a profile does not exist?

The scraper fails with a clear error message: Profile @username does not exist or is not available. No dataset record is pushed.

What format can I export the data in?

JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or via the Apify API. You can also stream results directly into Google Sheets, Slack, or other integrations using Apify's built-in connectors.

How often can I run it?

As often as needed. Use Apify's built-in scheduler to monitor profiles on a daily, weekly, or custom cadence.