# Instagram Follower Tracker — New Followers & Unfollows (`memo23/instagram-follower-tracker`) Actor

Snapshot any public Instagram follower list, then see who followed and who left on the next run. First run is the baseline. Schedule it. No login. $0.002 per change row.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/memo23/instagram-follower-tracker.md
- **Developed by:** [Muhamed Didovic](https://apify.com/memo23) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Automation, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 follower changes

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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 Tracker — New Followers & Unfollows

Watch a public Instagram account. The first run saves who follows them today. Every later run (or a schedule) returns who joined and who left. No login, no cookies. **$0.002 per change row.**

***

### Why Use This Tracker?

- First run is a baseline of the current follower list (newest first)
- Later runs emit only `new_follower` and `unfollowed` rows
- Snapshot lives in a named key-value store in *your* account, so a schedule on the same Actor keeps working
- Private and missing accounts return an error row and are not charged
- Cap the walk (`maxFollowers`, default 2500) so a celebrity account cannot empty the wallet
- `changesOnly` skips the baseline dump when you only want the next diff

***

### How It Works

1. Resolve each handle and walk its public follower list up to `maxFollowers`.
2. Compare against the last snapshot in `snapshotStoreName` (default `ig-follower-tracker`).
3. Push change rows, then a free summary row (`currentCount`, `newCount`, `unfollowedCount`).
4. Write the new snapshot so the next run has something to diff.

Schedule the Actor daily or weekly on the same input. The named store is what makes it a tracker instead of another list scrape.

***

### Input

| Field | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `usernames` | required | Handles, `@handles`, or profile URLs |
| `maxFollowers` | `2500` | How deep to walk the current list |
| `changesOnly` | `false` | First run saves the snapshot without a row per follower |
| `snapshotStoreName` | `ig-follower-tracker` | Named store that holds the last list |

```json
{
  "usernames": ["nasa"],
  "maxFollowers": 500,
  "changesOnly": false
}
```

***

### Output

**Change row** (`rowType: "change"`)

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `changeType` | `baseline` · `new_follower` · `unfollowed` |
| `username` / `userId` / `profileUrl` | The follower (or the account that left) |
| `previousSnapshotAt` | When the last snapshot was taken (`null` on baseline) |
| `sourceUsername` | The account you are watching |

**Summary row** (`rowType: "summary"`, not billed)

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `changeType` | `snapshot_saved` · `diff` · `no_change` |
| `currentCount` | Followers stored this run |
| `newCount` / `unfollowedCount` | Diff against the previous snapshot |

A scheduled run that found nobody new still returns a `no_change` summary, so the dataset is never empty after a successful walk.

***

### FAQ

**Do I need cookies?**
No.

**Why is the first run large?**
It is the baseline. Turn on `changesOnly` if you only want later diffs.

**Where is the snapshot stored?**
In a named key-value store in the account that ran the Actor. Keep `snapshotStoreName` the same on the schedule.

**What about private accounts?**
They return `private_account` and are not charged.

**What does it cost?**
$0.005 to start the run, then $0.002 per baseline / new / unfollowed row. Summary rows are free.

***

### Support

Open an issue on the Actor's Issues tab, or email <muhamed.didovic@gmail.com>.

This Actor is not affiliated with Meta Platforms, Inc.

# Actor input Schema

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

Public accounts to watch. Accepts handles (nasa), @-handles (@nasa), or profile URLs. First run stores the current follower list. Later runs on the same account return who joined and who left.

## `maxFollowers` (type: `integer`):

Cap on how many current followers to walk. Instagram lists newest first, so this is the most recent slice. Default 2500. Free plans are capped at 100.

## `changesOnly` (type: `boolean`):

On a first run, still save the snapshot but do not emit a row per current follower — you get a summary row instead. Later runs always emit only new and unfollowed accounts. Default: off, so the first run delivers the full baseline.

## `snapshotStoreName` (type: `string`):

Named key-value store in your account that keeps the last follower snapshot. Same name across scheduled runs is what makes the diff work. Default: ig-follower-tracker.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "nasa",
    "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo"
  ],
  "maxFollowers": 2500,
  "changesOnly": false,
  "snapshotStoreName": "ig-follower-tracker"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

# 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": [
        "nasa"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("memo23/instagram-follower-tracker").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": ["nasa"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("memo23/instagram-follower-tracker").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": [
    "nasa"
  ]
}' |
apify call memo23/instagram-follower-tracker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,memo23/instagram-follower-tracker"
        }
    }
}
```

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/7UFDMVD41cfi14qpV/builds/frP3k63t4OldGysey/openapi.json