Twitter User Following Scraper

Twitter User Following Scraper

Twitter User Following Scraper is a purpose-built Apify actor that extracts the full list of accounts a user follows on X/Twitter and enriches each profile with structured metadata. It automates pagination and streams clean results in real time — perfect for anyone who wants to export Twitter following lists without the official API. Marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers can use this Twitter following list scraper and Twitter user following extractor to map follow graphs, power outreach, and analyze audiences at scale.

What data / output can you get?

This Twitter user following extractor saves one dataset item per followed account with rich fields you can export (CSV, JSON, Excel). Examples:

Data type	Description	Example value
username	Source username whose following list is being scraped	"jordanbpeterson"
id	Twitter user ID (rest_id) of the followed account	"17995040"
name	Display name	"Ben Shapiro"
screen_name	Handle (without @)	"benshapiro"
description	Bio/description text	"Daily Wire co-founder, host of @benshapiroshow..."
followers_count	Number of followers	8010425
friends_count	Number of accounts the user follows	486
statuses_count	Total number of tweets	204599
is_blue_verified	Blue verification flag	true
created_at	Account creation date	"Tue Dec 09 16:40:22 +0000 2008"
profile_url	Full X profile URL	"https://x.com/benshapiro"
location	Location from profile	""

Notes:

• Additional outputs include profile and banner images, website URL, list membership and media counts, follower segmentation metrics, and more (see Output Format below).
• Results stream to your Apify dataset in real time — download as JSON, CSV, or Excel.

Key features

• ⚡ Real-time dataset streaming
  Watch results appear as pages are fetched. No need to wait for the full run to finish to start using the data.

• 🧠 Intelligent proxy fallback
  Starts with no proxy and automatically falls back to datacenter, then residential proxies with retry cycles when X blocks or throttles requests.

• 📦 Bulk username support
  Process multiple usernames/URLs in one run to export Twitter following lists at scale.

• 🧾 Flexible inputs
  Accepts @handles, full x.com/twitter.com URLs, or plain usernames. The actor automatically extracts the username.

• 📈 Accurate pagination & pacing
  Uses X’s Following GraphQL endpoint with up to 20 users per request and a 1‑second delay between pages for stable, reliable scraping.

• 🔐 Optional cookie support for reliability
  Provide authToken and ct0 cookies from your X session for higher success rates when X requires login.

• 💻 Developer-friendly on Apify
  Export datasets to JSON/CSV/Excel and integrate with automation tools (Zapier/Make, n8n) or via the Apify API. Built on apify/actor-python — great for “Twitter following scraper Python” workflows.

• 🛡️ Production-grade resilience
  Robust error handling and retry logic across user ID resolution and following pagination keep runs steady.

How to use Twitter User Following Scraper - step by step

1. Sign in to your Apify account and open the Apify Console.
2. Search for “twitter-user-following-scraper” and open the actor.
3. In the input, add values to startUrls. You can paste:
   • Usernames: jordanbpeterson
   • URLs: https://x.com/elonmusk or twitter.com/billgates
4. Set maxResults to control how many following accounts to scrape per username (default 200; up to 10,000).
5. (Optional) Add authToken and ct0 cookie values from your X session if you encounter empty responses (improves reliability).
6. (Optional) Configure proxyConfiguration. By default, it starts without a proxy and only falls back if needed.
7. Click Start. You’ll see logs like “Fetching page 1…” and “Extracted and saved N users…”.
8. Open the OUTPUT tab to monitor records in real time and export your dataset to JSON, CSV, or Excel.

Pro Tip: Chain this X following list scraper with your enrichment pipeline by consuming the dataset via the Apify API and syncing to your CRM or BI stack. It’s a fast way to download Twitter following to CSV and keep a Twitter following tracker tool up to date.

Use cases

Use case name	Description
Social media research + network mapping	Map who influential accounts follow to understand communities and influence pathways.
Competitor analysis + partner discovery	Identify who competitors follow to surface partners, sources, and strategic accounts.
Influencer marketing + prospecting	Build targeted lists from the follow graph for high-ROI outreach.
Lead generation + profile enrichment	Export Twitter following lists and enrich contacts with bios, counts, and URLs for immediate use.
Academic research + graph studies	Collect structured following data for social graph analysis and longitudinal studies.
API pipelines + automation	Use the dataset programmatically to feed n8n/Make/Zapier flows and internal dashboards at scale.

Why choose Twitter User Following Scraper?

Built for precision and reliability, this Twitter following export tool combines real-time streaming with robust fallback logic:

• ✅ Accurate, structured output with 20+ profile fields per followed user
• ✅ Scales to thousands of followings per target with steady pagination and rate control
• ✅ Works with usernames and full URLs; simple setup in Apify Console
• ✅ Developer access via the Apify API; easy to export Twitter following list to CSV/JSON/Excel
• ✅ Safer than browser extensions and unstable tools thanks to proxy fallback and retries
• ✅ Optional cookies for higher success when X enforces authenticated access
• ✅ Python-based actor implementation for technical teams and automation

In short, it’s a dependable X following list scraper and Twitter follow graph extractor that’s fast to set up and production-ready.

Is it legal / ethical to use Twitter User Following Scraper?

Yes — when done responsibly. This Twitter following list downloader is designed to collect publicly available following lists and profile metadata. It does not access private accounts or password-protected content.

Compliance guidelines:

• Only use data from public profiles and pages.
• Respect platform terms and applicable laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Avoid spam and abusive use of contact points or profile data.
• For edge cases or commercial usage, consult your legal team.

Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

{
  "startUrls": [
    "jordanbpeterson",
    "https://x.com/elonmusk",
    "twitter.com/billgates"
  ],
  "maxResults": 200,
  "authToken": "",
  "ct0": "",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

Input fields

• startUrls (array, required)
  • Description: List one or more Twitter usernames (e.g., jordanbpeterson), URLs (e.g., https://x.com/jordanbpeterson), or keywords.
  • Default: none
• maxResults (integer, optional)
  • Description: Maximum number of following users to scrape per username.
  • Range: minimum 1, maximum 10000
  • Default: 200
• authToken (string, optional)
  • Description: Your X/Twitter auth_token cookie value. If not provided, the actor will use its built-in default (may stop working over time).
  • Default: ""
• ct0 (string, optional)
  • Description: Your X/Twitter ct0 (CSRF) cookie value. If provided, it will also be used as the x-csrf-token header. If not provided, the actor will use its built-in default (may stop working over time).
  • Default: ""
• proxyConfiguration (object, optional)
  • Description: Choose which proxies to use. By default, no proxy is used. If Twitter rejects or blocks the request, it will fallback to datacenter proxy, then residential proxy with 3 retries.
  • Prefill: {"useApifyProxy": false}

Example JSON output

{
  "username": "jordanbpeterson",
  "id": "17995040",
  "profile_banner_url": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/17995040/...",
  "profile_image_url_https": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/...",
  "name": "Ben Shapiro",
  "screen_name": "benshapiro",
  "is_blue_verified": true,
  "verified_type": null,
  "profile_image_shape": "Circle",
  "description": "Daily Wire co-founder, host of @benshapiroshow...",
  "url": "https://t.co/kvSlznhfDe",
  "location": "",
  "followers_count": 8010425,
  "friends_count": 486,
  "favourites_count": 50,
  "media_count": 8629,
  "statuses_count": 204599,
  "listed_count": 18882,
  "fast_followers_count": 0,
  "normal_followers_count": 8010425,
  "created_at": "Tue Dec 09 16:40:22 +0000 2008",
  "profile_url": "https://x.com/benshapiro"
}

Notes:

• Fields such as verified_type may be null, and profile fields like location or url can be empty if the user hasn’t set them.
• Each dataset item represents one followed account for the given source username.

FAQ

How many users can I scrape per username?

Up to 10,000 per username via the maxResults parameter. The actor fetches up to 20 users per request and adds a 1‑second delay between pages for stability.

Does it work without a proxy?

Yes. It starts with no proxy by default. If X rejects or blocks requests, it automatically falls back to datacenter and then residential proxies with retry logic.

Do I need to provide cookies (authToken and ct0)?

Not strictly, but it’s recommended. Providing valid authToken and ct0 from your browser session improves success rates when X requires authenticated access.

Can it scrape private accounts?

No. It only collects data from publicly available following lists. Private accounts’ followings are not accessible.

What formats can I export to?

You can export the Apify dataset to JSON, CSV, or Excel from the Console. This makes it easy to export Twitter following lists and integrate with your workflows.

Can I input full URLs or just usernames?

Both. You can paste x.com/twitter.com URLs or raw usernames (with or without @). The actor extracts the username automatically.

How fast is it?

Each page returns up to 20 users, with a 1‑second delay between pages. Total speed depends on maxResults, number of usernames, and network conditions.

Is there an API to run this scraper?

Yes. As an Apify actor, it can be triggered via the Apify API, and you can fetch the resulting dataset programmatically for automation and pipelines — ideal for a Twitter following list export script or a Twitter user following API scraper workflow without official API keys.

Closing CTA / Final thoughts

Twitter User Following Scraper is built to scrape who a user follows on X/Twitter and deliver structured, enriched profile data at scale. With real-time dataset streaming, intelligent proxy fallback, and bulk processing, it’s ideal for marketers, developers, analysts, and researchers who need to export or download Twitter following lists for analysis and outreach. Run it from the Apify Console or programmatically via the Apify API to automate your X following scraper pipelines — start extracting smarter following insights today.

What are other Twitter scraping tools?

If you want to scrape specific Twitter data, you can use any of the dedicated scrapers below for faster and more targeted results.

Scraper Name	Scraper Name
GetDayTrends Worldwide Twitter Trends	Twitter X Tweets Profiles Scraper
Twitter Profile Scraper	Twitter X Tweets Scraper
Twitter X Posts Scraper	X Twitter Posts Search
Twitter X Reply Scraper