Instagram Related Profiles Scraper

Discover public Instagram accounts similar to the profiles you already know. Add up to five seed usernames or profile URLs and export Instagram-related profiles with rank, public profile metadata, seed provenance, and cross-seed overlap.

Use this Instagram profile discovery API to expand influencer shortlists, map adjacent brands, discover niche creators, and find similar Instagram accounts that Instagram associates with several competitors. It also works as an Instagram related users scraper for repeatable prospect exports.

Quick start

{
  "usernames": ["nasa", "instagram"],
  "maxRelatedPerSeed": 20,
  "includeProfileDetails": true,
  "deduplicateAcrossSeeds": false
}

Example output

{
  "seedUsername": "nasa",
  "seedUserId": "528817151",
  "rank": 1,
  "depth": 1,
  "userId": "53737425368",
  "username": "cosmic.travelerr",
  "fullName": "CosmicTraveler",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/cosmic.travelerr/",
  "profilePicUrl": "https://scontent...jpg",
  "biography": "Space and astronomy",
  "bioLinks": [],
  "externalUrl": null,
  "followersCount": 12000,
  "followingCount": 350,
  "postsCount": 91,
  "isPrivate": false,
  "isVerified": true,
  "isBusinessAccount": false,
  "isProfessionalAccount": true,
  "category": "Digital creator",
  "businessEmail": null,
  "businessPhoneNumber": null,
  "businessAddress": null,
  "relatedToSeed": true,
  "matchedSeedUsernames": ["nasa"],
  "seedMatchCount": 1,
  "collectedAt": "2026-08-10T12:00:00.000Z",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"
}

Optional fields are null or empty when a public profile does not expose them.

What data can you export?

Field	Description
seedUsername, seedUserId	Seed profile that produced the recommendation
rank, depth	Position within the seed's direct related-profile list and discovery depth
userId, username, fullName	Stable profile identity and display name
profileUrl, profilePicUrl	Canonical profile and public profile image URLs
biography, bioLinks, externalUrl	Public bio and outbound links
followersCount, followingCount, postsCount	Public profile counters when available
isPrivate, isVerified	Account visibility and verification flags
isBusinessAccount, isProfessionalAccount, category	Public account classification
businessEmail, businessPhoneNumber, businessAddress	Public business contact details when disclosed
relatedToSeed	Confirms the row came from the seed's related-profile list
matchedSeedUsernames, seedMatchCount	Seeds that recommend this profile and overlap count
collectedAt, sourceUrl	Collection timestamp and seed provenance

Input settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
usernames	string[]	required	1–5 public usernames or Instagram profile URLs
maxRelatedPerSeed	integer	20	Maximum direct suggestions per seed, from 1 to 50
includeProfileDetails	boolean	true	Add public profile details and counters
deduplicateAcrossSeeds	boolean	false	Emit each profile once while retaining every matching seed
proxyConfiguration	object	platform default	Optional Apify proxy configuration

Input recipes

Find related space and science profiles

{"usernames":["nasa","natgeotravel"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":20,"includeProfileDetails":true}

Fast identity-only discovery

{"usernames":["instagram"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":10,"includeProfileDetails":false}

Find cross-seed overlap

{"usernames":["nasa","instagram"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":50,"deduplicateAcrossSeeds":true}

Who is it for?

• Influencer and creator agencies expanding prospect lists from known accounts
• Brand and partnership teams mapping adjacent public profiles
• Researchers comparing which profiles overlap across several seeds
• Developers building repeatable Instagram profile discovery pipelines

Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing: one start event and one item event per saved profile. Your Apify plan determines the current tiered rate. See the live Pricing tab for exact rates; Apify shows your estimated maximum charge before each run.

Tips and limits

• Start with one or two seeds and a low limit, then expand.
• Recommendations can change over time; keep collectedAt when comparing runs.
• Direct recommendations are returned. The Actor does not claim follower/following access or recursive pagination.
• Private or unavailable seeds may not expose recommendations. Mixed batches preserve successful seeds.
• Public profile details vary by account. Missing optional values are not inferred.
• Duplicate rows are meaningful when you need per-seed rank. Enable deduplicateAcrossSeeds for one row per profile.

API usage

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-related-profiles-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"usernames":["nasa"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":10}'

JavaScript:

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-related-profiles-scraper').call({
  usernames: ['nasa'], maxRelatedPerSeed: 10,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();

Python:

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-related-profiles-scraper').call(run_input={
    'usernames': ['nasa'],
    'maxRelatedPerSeed': 10,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items

Use with MCP and AI agents

Connect Apify's MCP server at https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-related-profiles-scraper. Agents can run the Actor, monitor completion, and read structured dataset rows for creator discovery and market research workflows.

FAQ

What data can I export with Instagram Related Profiles Scraper?

You can export the 28 documented fields above, including identity, rank, profile metadata, public contacts, seed provenance, overlap, and collection time.

Can I run Instagram Related Profiles Scraper through an API, schedule, or MCP client?

Yes. Use the REST API, JavaScript client, Apify schedules, or MCP configuration shown above.

How much does it cost to use Instagram Related Profiles Scraper?

Pricing is pay per event. See the linked live Pricing tab above for the exact start and tiered per-result rates for your plan.

How can I find Instagram accounts similar to a public profile?

Add the public username or profile URL to usernames. The Actor exports the direct related accounts with rank and seed provenance.

Can I export related Instagram profiles through an API?

Yes. Use the REST API, JavaScript client, or MCP integration shown above and read the completed run's dataset.

Does it scrape followers or following lists?

No. It exports profiles Instagram publicly presents as related to each seed.

Does it require an Instagram login?

No login input is required. Only public profile data is collected.

Why did a seed return no profiles?

The profile may be unavailable, private, rate-limited, or may not expose public related suggestions. The run summary distinguishes these cases where possible.

Can I paginate beyond 50 profiles per seed?

No stable public cursor is exposed for this direct recommendation surface, so the Actor does not advertise unsupported pagination.

Is it legal to scrape this data?

You are responsible for your use case and applicable laws and platform terms. Collect only public data and handle personal information responsibly.

Related actors

• Instagram Profile Posts Scraper
• Instagram Search Scraper
• Instagram Hashtag Scraper
• Instagram Reel Scraper
• Instagram Post Details Scraper

Support

Found an unavailable seed, unexpected empty result, or schema issue? Open an issue from the Actor page and include the public seed username, run ID, and expected behavior. Do not include passwords or cookies.