# Instagram Profile Scraper - Bulk Bio & Stats (`scrapesage/instagram-profile-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Instagram profiles in bulk without login: exact follower and following counts, bio, verified and private flags, Threads handle, bio links resolved to their real destination domain, and recent-Reel engagement stats including engagement per follower. Monitor mode included.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapesage/instagram-profile-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrape Sage](https://apify.com/scrapesage) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, Automation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.50 / 1,000 profile scrapeds

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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Instagram Profile Scraper - Bulk Bio & Stats

Scrape **Instagram profiles in bulk without a login**: exact follower and following counts, bio, verified/private flags, Threads handle - plus two things other profile scrapers do not give you: **bio links resolved to their real destination domain** and **recent-Reel engagement stats**.

### Why this one

Profile scraping is a crowded job, so this actor competes on the parts that are actually hard:

1. **Bulk by design.** Pass 5 handles or 5,000 - no start fee, no per-run overhead, filters applied before any paid enrichment.
2. **Bio links resolved.** A profile says `linktr.ee/somebrand`. That is not useful. This actor follows the redirect chain (including link-in-bio services) and records **where it actually lands** plus the final domain - which is what turns a profile into a company you can identify.
3. **Engagement stats, computed.** From the account's own Reels tab: average and median plays, average likes and comments, engagement rate against plays, and **engagement per follower** - the ratio influencer vetting actually runs on. Nobody hands you this on a profile row.

| | This actor |
|---|---|
| Exact follower / following count | ✅ (verified to 268,914,877) |
| Post count | ✅ (with a fallback when the API field is null) |
| Bio, verified, private, memorialised | ✅ |
| **Bio links resolved to final domain** | ✅ |
| **Recent-Reel engagement stats** | ✅ avg/median plays, eng. rate, eng. per follower |
| Threads handle | ✅ when linked |
| Recent post mix (reels/videos/images/carousels) | ✅ |
| Follower-to-following ratio | ✅ |
| Monitor mode (only changed profiles) | ✅ |
| Login required | ❌ never |

### What you get per profile

`profileUrl` · `username` · `userId` · `fullName` · `biography` · `bioHashtags[]` · `bioMentions[]` · **`followersCount`** · **`followingCount`** · `postsCount` · `followerToFollowingRatio` · `isVerified` · `isPrivate` · `isMemorialized` · `isUnpublished` · `profilePicUrl` · `externalUrls[]` · `externalDomains[]` · **`resolvedUrls[]`** · **`resolvedDomains[]`** · `threadsUsername` · `threadsProfileUrl` · `accountBadges[]` · `pronouns[]` · `hasClips` · `hasLinkedFacebook` · `latestStoryAt` · `recentPostsSampled` · `recentReelsCount` · `recentVideosCount` · `recentImagesCount` · `recentCarouselsCount` · `recentPostShortCodes[]` · `recentReelsSampled` · **`avgReelPlays`** · **`medianReelPlays`** · `avgReelLikes` · `avgReelComments` · **`avgReelEngagementRate`** · **`reelEngagementPerFollower`** · `scrapedAt`

### Input

```json
{
  "usernames": ["natgeo", "nasa", "nike"],
  "includeProfileDetail": true,
  "resolveBioLinks": true,
  "minFollowers": 10000,
  "onlyVerified": false,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] }
}
```

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `usernames` | Handles or profile URLs - any number |
| `includeProfileDetail` | Adds Reel engagement stats + link resolution |
| `resolveBioLinks` | Follow bio links to their real destination (up to 5 per profile) |
| `minFollowers` | Skip small accounts **before** any paid enrichment |
| `onlyVerified` / `skipPrivate` | Audience filters |
| `onlyChangedProfiles` | Monitor mode - emit only when counts/bio/links changed |
| `maxResults` | Cap. `0` = no limit |

### Honest limits - read before you buy

- **No email, phone or business category.** Instagram does **not** expose contact fields or the business-category field to logged-out callers - the logged-out profile payload has 23 keys and none of them is a contact field. Rather than ship empty columns, this actor omits them. Anyone promising no-login Instagram emails is either logged in or guessing.
- **`latestStoryAt` is ephemeral** - it is set only while a 24-hour Story is live, so it legitimately differs between runs (measured 42% of sampled accounts had one).
- **Engagement stats need Reels.** They come from the account's Reels tab (its 12 most recent Reels). An account with no Reels returns nulls rather than a misleading zero.
- **`threadsUsername`, `pronouns`, `accountBadges` are per-account settings** - present-but-empty for accounts that have not set them (measured: Threads handle on ~50% of large accounts).
- **Private accounts** return the limited public record; use `skipPrivate` to drop them.
- **RESIDENTIAL proxy is the tested default.** Instagram rate-limits datacenter ranges hard.

### Pricing (pay per event, no start fee)

| Event | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| `profile` | **$0.0025** | One profile: exact follower/following counts, bio, links, flags, Threads handle, recent post mix |
| `profileDetail` | **$0.01** | Adds Reel engagement stats (avg/median plays, avg likes/comments, engagement rate, engagement per follower) and resolves bio links to their real destination |

Profiles are billed **before** they are written, and profiles removed by your filters are never billed.

### Use with AI assistants (MCP)

Works as an LLM tool via the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) - ask an assistant to "vet these 20 creators by engagement per follower" and it can call this actor directly.

### Agent-ready: autonomous payments (x402 & Skyfire)

This actor is **agent-ready** — AI agents can discover it, run it, and **pay for it autonomously**, with no Apify account and no human in the loop. It uses [pay-per-event](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/publishing/monetize/pay-per-event) pricing and [limited permissions](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/development/permissions), so it qualifies for Apify's agentic-payment standards:

- **[x402](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/x402)** — an open, HTTP-native payment protocol. Agents pay per run in USDC on the Base network directly through the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) — no account, no API key.
- **[Skyfire](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/skyfire)** — agent-to-service payments for fully autonomous AI-agent workflows.

Building an AI agent, MCP tool, or autonomous data pipeline? This scraper is ready to plug in and pay as it goes.

### Integrations

[Make](https://apify.com/integrations/make), [Zapier](https://apify.com/integrations/zapier), [Slack](https://apify.com/integrations/slack), [Google Drive](https://apify.com/integrations/google-drive), [Airbyte](https://apify.com/integrations/airbyte), [GitHub](https://apify.com/integrations/github), the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2), [Schedules](https://docs.apify.com/platform/schedules) and [Webhooks](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/webhooks).

### Monitor mode

`onlyChangedProfiles: true` fingerprints follower/following/post counts, bio and links per handle and emits a row only when one of them changes - a clean growth-tracking feed for a creator roster on [Apify Schedules](https://docs.apify.com/platform/schedules).

### FAQ

**Do I need a login or cookies?** No.

**Can I get emails or phone numbers?** Not from Instagram logged-out - see the limits section. This actor will not fake it.

**Why is `postsCount` sometimes from a different source?** Instagram often returns `all_media_count` as null on large accounts, so the count is parsed from the profile's own meta description as a fallback. Same number, more coverage.

**What is engagement per follower?** Average (likes + comments) on recent Reels divided by follower count - the standard ratio for spotting a bought audience.

### Related scrapers by scrapesage

- [Instagram Reels Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapesage/instagram-reels-scraper) - play counts and full Reel analytics
- [Instagram Hashtag Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapesage/instagram-hashtag-scraper) - filtered hashtag and keyword post search
- [Instagram Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapesage/instagram-comments-scraper) - comment likes and commenter profiles
- [Threads Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapesage/threads-scraper) - the Threads side of the same creator graph

# Actor input Schema

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

Handles or profile URLs to scrape. Any number - this actor is built for bulk lists.

## `includeProfileDetail` (type: `boolean`):

Reads the account's Reels tab to compute average/median plays, average likes and comments, engagement rate and engagement per follower, and resolves bio links to their real destination. Billed as the profileDetail event.

## `resolveBioLinks` (type: `boolean`):

Follows each bio link (including link-in-bio services like Linktree and Beacons) to record where it actually lands, plus the final domain. Up to 5 links per profile.

## `minFollowers` (type: `integer`):

Skip profiles below this follower count. Applied before any paid detail work, so filtered profiles cost you nothing.

## `onlyVerified` (type: `boolean`):

Return only accounts with the blue verification badge.

## `skipPrivate` (type: `boolean`):

Drop private accounts instead of returning their (limited) public record.

## `onlyChangedProfiles` (type: `boolean`):

Remembers follower/following/post counts, bio and links per handle and emits a profile only when something changed. Ideal on a schedule for tracking a creator roster.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Total profiles to return. 0 means no limit (the run's time budget stops it safely).

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel profile fetches. Keep at 4 or below to respect the per-IP rate limits.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

RESIDENTIAL is the tested default and strongly recommended.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "includeProfileDetail": true,
  "resolveBioLinks": true,
  "minFollowers": 0,
  "onlyVerified": false,
  "skipPrivate": false,
  "onlyChangedProfiles": false,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "concurrency": 4,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Every scraped profile with exact follower and following counts, bio, resolved bio-link destinations, verified/private flags, Threads handle and recent-Reel engagement stats as JSON items in the default dataset.

# 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",
        "nasa"
    ],
    "includeProfileDetail": true,
    "maxResults": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapesage/instagram-profile-scraper").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",
        "nasa",
    ],
    "includeProfileDetail": True,
    "maxResults": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapesage/instagram-profile-scraper").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",
    "nasa"
  ],
  "includeProfileDetail": true,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call scrapesage/instagram-profile-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

```

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/ELvxTlK5hm5C4FHoy/builds/QLs79lbXKTB8GQJE1/openapi.json