Instagram Profile Scraper

Instagram Profile Scraper — followers, bio and links of public profiles

The Instagram Profile Scraper exports public Instagram profiles: username, full name, followers, following, bio, bio links, verified and private flags, highlights, profile picture and the latest posts.

It runs on Apify, needs no Instagram login and no cookies, and exports to JSON, CSV, Excel or an API call. Every session key it needs (tokens, query ids, cursors) is read from Instagram on each run, so it keeps working when Instagram ships new code.

What the Instagram Profile Scraper does

• Reads each profile page plus two small Instagram queries (business details and the latest posts).
• Returns every bio link, not only the first.
• Adds the 12 newest posts (link, type, caption, image) when you want them.
• Reports missing usernames clearly in the log.

Who uses the Instagram Profile Scraper

• Influencer marketers vetting creators.
• Sales teams enriching lead lists with Instagram data.
• Analysts tracking follower growth over time.

How the Instagram Profile Scraper works

Instagram serves every public page to logged-out visitors together with the queries that fill it.

The Actor loads the page the way a browser does, reads the session values Instagram puts into it, and then asks Instagram's own GraphQL endpoint for the next page with the cursor the previous page returned.

Query ids that a page does not preload are read from the JavaScript bundles that page lists. Large files from Instagram's CDN (images, videos) are fetched directly with their signed links, so proxy traffic stays small.

Nothing is guessed: if Instagram stops publishing a value the Instagram Profile Scraper needs, the run log names it and the item is skipped instead of being filled with a stale value.

What is new in the Instagram Profile Scraper (October 2026)

These features were added on 2026-10-03 after comparing the Instagram Profile Scraper with the ten most used Actors of its kind on the Apify Store. Defaults keep the earlier behaviour.

• Business details from Instagram's own profile query: businessCategoryName (Brand, Bakery, Local business ...), accountType (personal, business, creator), isBusinessAccount, isProfessionalAccount, profilePicUrlHD and isEmbedsDisabled.
• Filters: minFollowers, maxFollowers, verifiedOnly, accountType and skipPrivate leave profiles out before they are saved.
• includeRelatedProfiles adds up to 50 accounts Instagram suggests as similar (measured: 50 for nasa, 24 for levainbakery).
• latestPostsLimit (default 12, up to 200) - and every latest post now has its date, likes, comments, pinned and paid-partnership flags.
• hasPublicStory, externalUrlShimmed, biographyHashtags and biographyMentions come from the same profile page.

Input of the Instagram Profile Scraper

Field	Type	Default	What it does
usernames	array	["nasa", "natgeo"]	One per line: a username (nasa), an @handle (@nasa) or a profile URL (https://www.instagram.com/nasa/).
includeLatestPosts	boolean	True	Adds the 12 newest posts (link, type, caption, image) to each profile row.
latestPostsLimit	integer	12	How many newest posts to add to each profile (with date, likes, comments and pinned flag).
includeRelatedProfiles	boolean	False	Adds up to 50 accounts Instagram suggests as similar ("accounts you may like") to each profile. One extra request per profile.
minFollowers	integer	0	Leave out accounts with fewer followers.
maxFollowers	integer	0	Leave out accounts with more followers.
verifiedOnly	boolean	False	Keep only accounts with the verified badge.
accountType	string	any	Keep only this account type (Instagram's own account_type code, read logged out).
skipPrivate	boolean	False	Leave out private accounts.
maxItems	integer	0	Stops the whole run after this many dataset rows. 0 means only the per-target limits apply.
proxyConfiguration	object	{"useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]}	Instagram limits logged-out visitors per IP address. Residential proxies (the default) give the most reliable results; the Actor switches to a fresh IP when Ins

Example input for the Instagram Profile Scraper:

{
  "usernames": [
    "nasa",
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "includeLatestPosts": true
}

Output of the Instagram Profile Scraper

Each dataset row is one profile. These are the fields the Instagram Profile Scraper produced in its test runs:

Field	Meaning
bioLinks	All bio links
biography	Bio text
externalUrl	First bio link
fbid	fbid
followersCount	Followers
followsCount	Accounts followed
fullName	Display name
hasReels	hasReels
highlights	highlights
highlightsCount	highlightsCount
id	Platform id of the item
inputUsername	inputUsername
isMemorialized	isMemorialized
isPrivate	Private account
isVerified	Verified badge
latestPosts	latestPosts
latestStoryAt	latestStoryAt
profilePicUrl	Profile picture link
pronouns	pronouns
scrapedAt	When this row was read
threadsBadge	threadsBadge
url	Public link of the item
username	Account username
accountType	personal, business or creator
biographyHashtags	#hashtags in the bio
biographyMentions	@accounts in the bio
businessCategoryName	Business category shown on the profile
externalUrlShimmed	First bio link through Instagram's redirect (l.instagram.com)
hasPublicStory	Has a story from the last 24 hours
isBusinessAccount	Business account
isEmbedsDisabled	The owner blocked embedding
isProfessionalAccount	Business or creator account
profilePicUrlHD	Profile picture in full size
relatedProfiles	Accounts Instagram suggests as similar (up to 50)

Fields that Instagram does not publish for an item are left empty rather than guessed. Download the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or HTML, or read it through the Apify API.

Data quality of the Instagram Profile Scraper

• Every value in a Instagram Profile Scraper row is read from Instagram during your run; nothing is filled from a cache or an old snapshot.
• Rows are de-duplicated by id inside a run, so the same profile never appears twice in one dataset.
• Counts are numbers you can sort and sum (not "1.2K" text) wherever Instagram publishes the exact number.
• Dates are UTC in ISO 8601 format, which Excel, Google Sheets, Python and SQL all read directly.

Instagram Profile Scraper test results

These numbers come from live test runs of the Instagram Profile Scraper on 2026-10-03 (home connection, no proxy). Runs on the Apify platform use residential proxies and can be faster or slower.

Test	Rows	Time
prefill input (regression)	2	13 s
two profiles + one missing	2	17 s
URL and @handle forms	2	13 s
NEW filters + related profiles + 30 latest posts	2	20 s

Instagram Profile Scraper limits, stated plainly

• Instagram does not show the total post count to logged-out visitors, so it is not in the row.
• Business contact buttons (email/phone) are not shown logged out and are not in the row: measured, the profile query returns no email or phone field and an empty address for 6 accounts, local businesses included. The business category and account type are returned.
• Measured locally: 2 profiles in 3 to 4 seconds.

How to run the Instagram Profile Scraper

1. Open the Instagram Profile Scraper in Apify Console and fill in the input fields described above.
2. Keep the default residential proxy unless you have a reason to change it; Instagram limits logged-out visitors per IP address.
3. Start the run, watch the log, and download the dataset when the status says Done.
4. To automate it, call the Instagram Profile Scraper from the Apify API, schedule it, or connect it to Make, Zapier, n8n or Google Sheets through an integration or webhook.

Python example with the Apify API client:

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run_input = {
    "usernames": [
        "nasa",
        "natgeo"
    ],
    "includeLatestPosts": True
}
run = client.actor("neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-scraper-downloader-pro").call(run_input=run_input)
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

Instagram Profile Scraper pricing

The Instagram Profile Scraper uses pay-per-event pricing: you pay per dataset row (event "result"), plus the Apify platform usage of your run. Free-plan users get up to 30 rows per run, which is enough to test the Instagram Profile Scraper on real data.

Set a maximum cost per run in Apify and the Instagram Profile Scraper stops cleanly when it is reached.

Tips for large runs of the Instagram Profile Scraper

• Start with a small limit to check the Instagram Profile Scraper output, then raise it; the first rows arrive within seconds.
• Split very large jobs into several inputs and run them in parallel tasks; each run gets its own proxy sessions.
• Set a maximum cost per run in Apify; the Instagram Profile Scraper stops cleanly when the budget is reached and keeps every row it already saved.
• Schedule repeat runs instead of one huge run when you track the same targets over time.
• Keep the residential proxy: datacenter IPs are refused by Instagram far more often for logged-out visitors.

Instagram Profile Scraper compared with copying by hand

	Instagram Profile Scraper	Manual work
Speed	Seconds per page of results	Minutes per item
Fields	Every public field, same order every time	Whatever you copy
Format	JSON, CSV, Excel, API	Spreadsheet you build yourself
Repeatable	Schedule it daily	Start again each time
Errors	Logged per item	Unnoticed typos

Using the Instagram Profile Scraper in a workflow

• Send every new row to Google Sheets or Airtable with the Apify integration and keep a live table.
• Trigger a Make, Zapier or n8n scenario with a webhook when the run finishes.
• Load the JSON export into Python or BigQuery for analysis and dashboards.
• Use the Apify API: start the Instagram Profile Scraper with a POST request and read the dataset items endpoint when the run finishes.
• Chain it: pass the Instagram Profile Scraper output to another Apify Actor (for example a downloader or a transcript Actor) in an Apify task.
• Export straight to Excel from the dataset tab when you only need a one-off report.

Troubleshooting the Instagram Profile Scraper

• The run ends with no rows: open the log. The Instagram Profile Scraper writes one line per target saying what Instagram returned, for example a login wall or a missing item.
• Fewer rows than expected: the target may have fewer public items, or Instagram may stop serving more pages to logged-out visitors. The log names the reason.
• Slow run: large limits mean many pages; the Instagram Profile Scraper waits briefly between pages so Instagram keeps answering. Split big jobs into several runs.
• Proxy errors: keep the RESIDENTIAL group. The Instagram Profile Scraper already switches to a fresh IP when one is blocked.
• Free plan stops at 30 rows: that is the free-plan cap of the Instagram Profile Scraper; any paid Apify plan removes it.

What changed in this version of the Instagram Profile Scraper

• Rebuilt in October 2026 on Instagram's logged-out web endpoints; every token, query id and cursor is read at run time.
• Pay-per-event pricing (one event per row) replaces the old monthly rental; free-plan users can test with 30 rows per run.
• Residential proxy by default, with automatic switch to a fresh IP when Instagram blocks one.
• October 2026 feature round: new filters and fields matching the most used Instagram Actors on the Store, every one measured in a live test; existing inputs and fields are unchanged.

Is it legal to use the Instagram Profile Scraper?

The Instagram Profile Scraper reads only data that Instagram shows to any logged-out visitor. It never logs in and never touches private content.

Personal data may still be in public posts, so check GDPR and the other laws that apply to you before you store or reuse it, and respect Instagram's terms.

Related scrapers

Actor	Link
Instagram Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper
Instagram Posts Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-posts-scraper
Instagram Reels Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-scraper
Instagram Hashtag Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-reeel-scraper
Instagram Comments Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-scraper-and-downloader-premium
Instagram Search Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-advanced
Instagram Video Downloader	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-downloader
Instagram Reels Downloader	neuro-scraper/instagram-reels-downloader
Instagram Image Downloader	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader
Instagram Transcript Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader-pro
Instagram Mentions Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader-premium
Instagram Keyword Scraper	neuro-scraper/instagram-video-scraper-and-downloader-fastest

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Frequently asked questions

Does the Instagram Profile Scraper return the number of posts?

No. Instagram hides the total post count from logged-out visitors, so the Instagram Profile Scraper leaves it out instead of guessing.

Does the Instagram Profile Scraper need my Instagram login?

No. The Instagram Profile Scraper works logged out and never asks for your password or cookies. It reads only what Instagram shows to any visitor.

Do I need my own proxy for the Instagram Profile Scraper?

No. The Instagram Profile Scraper uses Apify residential proxies by default and switches to a fresh IP when Instagram blocks one. You can choose another proxy in the input.

What formats can I export from the Instagram Profile Scraper?

JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML and RSS from the dataset tab, or any format through the Apify API, webhooks and integrations.

How fast is the Instagram Profile Scraper?

In the test runs above the Instagram Profile Scraper took between 13 and 20 seconds per run. Speed depends on how many items you ask for and on the proxy.

Why did the Instagram Profile Scraper return fewer rows than I asked for?

The Instagram Profile Scraper stops when Instagram has nothing more to show logged out, when your limit is reached, or when the free-plan cap of 30 rows applies. The run log always says which one happened.

Can I schedule the Instagram Profile Scraper?

Yes. Create a schedule in Apify Console to run the Instagram Profile Scraper daily or hourly and send the results to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier or n8n through an integration.

Can the Instagram Profile Scraper read private accounts or private groups?

No. The Instagram Profile Scraper reads public data only. Private content needs a login, and the Instagram Profile Scraper never logs in.

What happens when Instagram changes its website?

The Instagram Profile Scraper reads every key it needs from Instagram at run time, so routine changes are picked up automatically. If something can no longer be read, the log says so instead of returning wrong data.

Can I use the Instagram Profile Scraper with Make, Zapier or n8n?

Yes. Add the Instagram Profile Scraper as an Apify step in Make, Zapier or n8n, or send a webhook when the run finishes and fetch the dataset items from the Apify API.

Does the Instagram Profile Scraper work in every country?

The Instagram Profile Scraper reads Instagram through residential proxies that rotate across countries. Content that Instagram restricts by country follows those rules.

How do I collect only new items with the Instagram Profile Scraper?

Schedule the Instagram Profile Scraper and keep the item ids from earlier runs. Every row has a stable id, so a simple de-duplication against your previous export keeps only the new ones.

Can the Instagram Profile Scraper process many targets in one run?

Yes. Put as many targets as you like in the input; the Instagram Profile Scraper handles them one after another and a failing target never stops the others.

Does the Instagram Profile Scraper return the business category?

Yes. The Instagram Profile Scraper reads Instagram's own profile query and returns businessCategoryName, accountType (personal, business or creator), isBusinessAccount and isProfessionalAccount.

Can the Instagram Profile Scraper find similar accounts?

Yes. Turn on includeRelatedProfiles and each row gets up to 50 accounts Instagram suggests as similar - one extra request per profile.

Can the Instagram Profile Scraper keep only big or verified accounts?

Yes. Use minFollowers, maxFollowers, verifiedOnly, accountType and skipPrivate. The log names every profile left out and why.