# Instagram Follower Checker · Giveaway Check (`instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker`) Actor

Check whether a list of Instagram accounts follows the account you choose — for giveaways, influencer deals or lead lists. One clear row per account: follows or not. Thousands of checks per run. No login. The account must be public.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Instagram Data API](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.44 / 1,000 follow checks

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

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 examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

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`).

# README

### Instagram follower checker: do they follow you?

**Paste the accounts to check and the account they should follow — get one row per account: follows or not.**

- 🎁 **Giveaways** — verify every participant follows you before you pick a winner.
- 🤝 **Influencer deals** — confirm creators follow your brand.
- 📋 **Bulk** — thousands of checks in one run.
- 🔓 **No login** — the account to check against just has to be public.

### Why this one

- 🔓 **No Instagram login or cookies** — you paste usernames, links or keywords; your own account is never involved.
- 🧾 **Free rows, not silent gaps** — private, deleted or missing items come back as free rows with an `error` reason; duplicates are never returned or charged.
- 🧯 **Your budget is a hard stop** — set **Maximum cost per run** and the run stops at your limit (the run summary says so).
- 📊 **A summary you can check** — every run saves a `SUMMARY` record: results, free rows, what was skipped and why.
- 🚫 **`null`, never a fake `0`** — when Instagram hides a number (hidden likes, saves on photos), you see that it's missing.

### Why scrape Instagram follow checks?

- **Giveaways:** check that every participant follows your account before you pick a winner.
- **Influencer deals:** confirm that creators follow your brand.
- **Clean lists:** which of your leads already follow you.

### How to scrape Instagram follow checks

1. Paste the usernames to check, one per line, and the account they should follow.
2. Press **Start** — rows stream into the Output tab while the run goes.
3. Download them as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML, or get them through the API.

Works with any public profile on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/) — no login, no cookies, no Instagram account
of yours.

### Input example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "account": "apify"
}
```

### Output example: Instagram follow checks data

```json
{
  "username": "natgeo",
  "account": "apify",
  "follows": false,
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/"
}
```

Each row has up to 5 fields — the **Output** tab describes every one of them. Fields Instagram
doesn't show come as `null`, never as a fake `0`.

### Limits

- The account to check against must be public.
- Accounts with millions of followers (natgeo, big brands): Instagram doesn't let anyone search their followers — those checks come back free with a note. Normal and growing accounts work.
- **Free Apify plan:** the first 100 results of each run. Any paid Apify plan gets every result — no cap.

### How much does it cost to scrape Instagram follow checks?

Pay per event: you pay for the rows you get, plus $0.0005 per run. No subscription to this Actor.

| Apify plan | Per 1,000 checks | What $5 of free credit gets you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $2.50 | ≈ 2,000 checks |
| Starter | $0.63 | — |
| Business and higher | $0.44 | — |

Every event of this Actor on the Starter plan:

| Event | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Follow check | Each account checked against the account you chose | $0.63 per 1,000 |

**Typical jobs on Starter:**

- 500 giveaway participants ≈ $0.32

**Always free:** checks Instagram didn't answer and duplicates. Set **Maximum cost per run** in the run options to cap any run.

### Chain it with other Actors

Use the rows of an earlier run as the input: paste its **dataset ID** into *Or: dataset from another run*. For example,
run [Instagram Followers Scraper](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-followers-scraper) on a brand, then give its dataset to
[Instagram Email & Phone Scraper](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-email-phone-scraper) — you get the emails of the brand's
followers. Works with the datasets of Apify's own Instagram Actors too.

### Instagram follow checks API: Python, n8n, Make, Zapier and AI agents

Python:

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker").call(run_input={'usernames': ['natgeo'], 'account': 'apify'})
for row in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(row)
```

**n8n, Make, Zapier or any HTTP client:** one request runs the Actor and returns the rows —
`POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/instagram-data-api~instagram-follower-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN`
with the input JSON as the body.

**AI agents (MCP)** — your agent gets this Actor as a tool:

- **Claude Code:** `claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker"`
- **Claude, Cursor, VS Code, n8n:** add `https://mcp.apify.com?tools=instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker` as a remote MCP server and sign in to Apify.
- **Ask it:** *“Do these 200 giveaway participants follow @mybrand?”* · *“Does @natgeo follow @apify?”*

### FAQ: scraping Instagram follow checks

**How does it check?**
It searches the followers of your account for each username — the same search as in the app.

**What if Instagram doesn't answer?**
Then the check isn't charged and the row says so — run it again a bit later.

**Do I need an Instagram account or cookies?**
No. You only paste usernames, links or keywords. Nothing to log in, nothing to install, and your own Instagram account is never involved.

**What am I charged for — and what's free?**
Only the events in the pricing table, plus $0.0005 per run. Rows with an `error` field are free, and duplicates are never returned or charged. Each run's `SUMMARY` record shows results and free rows.

**Can I cap what a run costs?**
Yes. Set **Maximum cost per run** in the run options — the run stops at your limit and `SUMMARY` shows `stoppedAtChargeLimit: true`.

**Can I use it from n8n, Make, Zapier or an AI agent?**
Yes, like any Apify Actor: REST API, webhooks, the n8n, Make and Zapier integrations, and the Apify MCP server for Claude, Cursor, VS Code and other MCP clients.

**Is it legal to scrape Instagram?**
We only collect what public profiles show publicly. Results can include personal data such as names, usernames or public business contacts, which laws like GDPR protect — use the data for a legitimate purpose and ask a lawyer if unsure.

### For AI agents

```text
Actor:   instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker
Does:    Instagram follower checker: see if each account in your list follows your brand — for giveaways and influencer deals. Bulk, no login.
Input:   {"usernames": ["natgeo"], "account": "apify"}
Output:  one JSON row per result, up to 5 fields; main: username, account, follows
Free:    checks Instagram didn't answer and duplicates
Price:   event "follow-check" $0.63 per 1,000 on Starter + $0.0005 per run
Run:     POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/instagram-data-api~instagram-follower-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=APIFY_TOKEN
```

### More Instagram Actors from us

| Content | People | Stories |
|---|---|---|
| [All-in-one Instagram Scraper](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-scraper) · [Reels](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-reels-scraper) · [Posts](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-posts-scraper) · [Post details](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-post-details) · [Reel views checker](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-reel-views-checker) · Hashtags (coming this week) · Search (coming this week) · Transcripts (coming this week) · Tagged posts (coming this week) · Sounds (coming this week) · Locations (coming this week) |[Profiles](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-profile-scraper) · [Account age](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-account-age-checker) · [Emails & phones](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-email-phone-scraper) · [Similar](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-similar-accounts) · [Lookalikes](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-lookalike-accounts) · [Followers](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-followers-scraper) · Comments (coming this week) · Likers (coming this week) · [Engagement rate](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-engagement-rate-calculator) · [Username checker](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-username-checker) · [User ID](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-user-id-finder) · [Follower checker](https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker) | Stories (coming this week) · Highlights (coming this week) |

What changed and when — see the **Changelog** tab.

*Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Instagram or Meta. Instagram is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.*

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

One per line — for example, the participants of your giveaway.

## `account` (type: `string`):

The account they should follow, for example <code>yourbrand</code>. It must be public.

## `datasetId` (type: `string`):

Pick the dataset of an earlier run (or paste its ID). We take usernames from <code>username</code> / <code>ownerUsername</code>.

## `returnWithinSecs` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many seconds and return the results collected so far — you pay only for them. Handy for AI agents with a short tool timeout. Empty — run until everything is collected.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "account": "apify"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All rows of this run (JSON, CSV, Excel).

## `summary` (type: `string`):

What was returned, what was free and why (SUMMARY record).

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "usernames": [
        "natgeo"
    ],
    "account": "apify"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "usernames": ["natgeo"],
    "account": "apify",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "account": "apify"
}' |
apify call instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,instagram-data-api/instagram-follower-checker"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/5DvofmvZ6Tzdo4b56/builds/iDF8ZXhdakhGk7NkP/openapi.json