Instagram Followers & Following Scraper - No Login, No Cookies

Export Instagram followers or following lists from public profiles without an Instagram login, cookies, or session setup. Add one or more usernames, choose the relationship you need, and receive clean, structured audience data for research, lead generation, influencer discovery, and automated workflows.

What this Actor does

• Downloads followers from public Instagram profiles.
• Downloads the accounts followed by public Instagram profiles.
• Accepts one or multiple source usernames in the same paid run.
• Applies resultsLimit separately to every source username.
• Automatically paginates while Instagram supplies a valid next page.
• Deduplicates profiles before they are written to the dataset and charged.
• Supports protected continuation tokens for splitting large exports across runs.
• Retries transient failures and preserves valid partial results.
• Exports results through the Apify Console, API, schedules, webhooks, and integrations.

Important Instagram availability update

Instagram recently changed how follower lists are exposed. Verified profiles, and some business or commercial profiles, may now return only the initial page of approximately 25 followers without a usable pagination cursor.

This is an Instagram-wide availability restriction, not an Actor error. When Instagram does not provide a valid next cursor, the Actor cannot continue that follower list even if the profile is public or displays a much larger follower count.

• Verified profiles are currently the most affected.
• Some business or commercial profiles can also return a limited first page.
• Public non-verified profiles may still paginate beyond 1,000 results when Instagram provides valid cursors.
• Availability can differ between Followers and Followings for the same profile.
• The Actor charges only the unique dataset rows actually delivered.

Test the target profile with 25 to 100 results before starting a large export. If the run returns approximately 25 profiles and hasNextPage is false, increasing resultsLimit will not create additional pages.

Quick start

1. Open the Actor input page.
2. Add one or more Instagram usernames to Account.
3. Select Followers or Followings in dataToScrape.
4. Set the maximum number of results per account in resultsLimit.
5. Start the Actor.
6. Open the default dataset to preview or export the delivered profiles.

Basic input

{
  "Account": ["mrbeast"],
  "resultsLimit": 200,
  "dataToScrape": "Followers"
}

Bulk input

{
  "Account": ["nasa", "natgeo"],
  "resultsLimit": 500,
  "dataToScrape": "Followings"
}

This requests up to 500 results from each source username, not 500 combined.

Input

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
Account	String array	Yes	['mrbeast']	Instagram usernames to process, one per line.
resultsLimit	Integer	Yes	200	Maximum results requested per source account. The currently published schema accepts values from 25 to 500,000, but Instagram availability, run duration, and budget can produce fewer results.
dataToScrape	String	Yes	Followers	Choose Followers or Followings.
continuationToken	String	No	Empty	Continue a previous extraction for one source account and the same relationship type.

For large exports, begin with a small test and increase resultsLimit gradually. A high limit authorizes the Actor to continue; it does not guarantee that Instagram will expose that many profiles.

Free usage limits

User and run type	Accounts processed	Limit
Free user through the Apify API	One or more submitted accounts	Up to 1,000 delivered results per run in total
Free user through Apify Console / Web UI	Subject to available free run budget	The Actor reports the applicable budget in the run
Paid Apify user	All submitted accounts	Controlled by resultsLimit per account and the run's maximum charge

These limits are intended to provide a useful trial while protecting the service from automated free-tier abuse. The run status and log show when a free limit or budget limit has been applied.

Dataset output fields

Each dataset row represents one follower or following profile found for one source username.

Field	Type	Description
username_scrape	String	Source Instagram username requested in the input.
type	String	Relationship downloaded: Followers or Followings.
id	String or number	Instagram user ID of the discovered profile.
username	String	Instagram handle of the discovered profile.
full_name	String or null	Public display name, when available.
is_private	Boolean or null	Whether the discovered profile is private.
is_verified	Boolean or null	Whether the discovered profile is verified.
profile_pic_url	String or null	Public profile picture URL, when available.

Continuation information is stored in the run OUTPUT. It is not added to every dataset row.

Example dataset output

[
  {
    "username_scrape": "mrbeast",
    "type": "Followers",
    "id": "4014759590",
    "username": "example_creator",
    "full_name": "Example Creator",
    "is_private": false,
    "is_verified": true,
    "profile_pic_url": "https://..."
  }
]

Continue a large export

When more pages are available, the run OUTPUT can include a protected nextContinuationToken. Use it to continue from the saved position instead of starting the same extraction again.

First run

{
  "Account": ["nike"],
  "resultsLimit": 1000,
  "dataToScrape": "Followers"
}

Example run OUTPUT

{
  "status": "SUCCEEDED",
  "success": true,
  "resultsDelivered": 1000,
  "continuations": [
    {
      "account": "nike",
      "dataToScrape": "Followers",
      "hasNextPage": true,
      "nextContinuationToken": "cursor_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
      "expiresAtUtc": "2026-10-01T00:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Continuation run

{
  "Account": ["nike"],
  "resultsLimit": 1000,
  "dataToScrape": "Followers",
  "continuationToken": "cursor_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}

Continuation rules:

• Submit exactly one account.
• Use the same account that generated the token.
• Keep the same dataToScrape value.
• Do not edit or share the token.
• Continue before the token's expiresAtUtc value.
• If Instagram invalidates the underlying cursor, the Actor preserves previously delivered data but may be unable to continue that export.

Pricing

The Actor uses pay-per-result pricing. One result event is charged only when one valid profile row is written to the default dataset. Platform usage is included.

Apify plan	Price per 1,000 results	Example: 500 results	Example: 5,000 results
Free	$0.85	$0.425	$4.25
Starter / Bronze	$0.70	$0.35	$3.50
Scale / Silver	$0.65	$0.325	$3.25
Business / Gold	$0.60	$0.30	$3.00

Retries, failed requests, empty pages, and skipped duplicate rows are not dataset results and are not charged as results. Continuation runs charge only the new rows delivered during that run.

Prices and subscription discounts can change. Review the Actor's live Pricing tab before a large production run.

Use cases

Competitor audience research

Export public followers from relevant brands or creators and compare recurring usernames or user IDs across their audiences.

Influencer discovery

Build a candidate list from public follower communities, then qualify creators using verification status, privacy status, and your own enrichment workflow.

Lead generation

Create structured lists of public Instagram accounts for lawful research, segmentation, and outreach preparation.

Audience overlap analysis

Run multiple source accounts and compare discovered IDs to identify shared audience segments and community affinity.

Following and interest research

Download the accounts followed by a public profile to study visible interests, creator networks, media sources, or partnerships.

Reliability and result availability

Instagram controls whether follower and following lists are available, the number of profiles returned per page, and whether pagination can continue. For that reason, resultsLimit is a maximum target rather than a guaranteed delivery count.

• Verified profiles, and some business or commercial profiles, may return only an initial page of approximately 25 followers without a usable next cursor.
• Public non-verified accounts may paginate, but Instagram can still expose fewer profiles than the count displayed in the app.
• Private, restricted, renamed, deleted, or unavailable source profiles can return no results.
• Instagram can change page sizes, pagination, and availability without notice.
• Public profile pictures can expire or change after collection.

The Actor keeps unique rows already delivered, retries temporary failures, and stops repeated or invalid pagination rather than restarting from the first page and billing duplicate rows.

For a first run, test one account with 25 to 100 results. Confirm the returned data and pagination availability before increasing the limit.

Export and integrations

The default dataset can be exported as JSON, JSONL, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML, or RSS. You can also use the Actor through the Apify API, Python or JavaScript clients, schedules, webhooks, integrations, and MCP.

For automated continuation workflows, read nextContinuationToken from the run OUTPUT, not from the dataset.

FAQ

Do I need an Instagram login or cookies?

No. The Actor does not require your Instagram credentials, cookies, or browser session.

Can it scrape private source accounts?

No. Private, restricted, or unavailable source profiles may return no follower or following data.

Can I submit multiple usernames?

Yes. The Actor accepts multiple usernames. Free API runs can deliver up to 1,000 results in total; paid runs are controlled by resultsLimit per account and the maximum run charge.

Is resultsLimit shared across all usernames?

No. It applies separately to every source username. Three accounts with resultsLimit: 500 can therefore deliver up to 1,500 dataset rows.

What is the difference between Followers and Followings?

Followers returns accounts following the source profile. Followings returns accounts the source profile follows.

Why did the Actor return fewer results than requested?

Instagram may stop exposing pagination, the source profile may have fewer available records, the account may be restricted or verified, or the run may reach its free-tier or maximum-charge limit.

Where is the continuation token?

It is stored in the run OUTPUT, not in the default dataset. A token is provided only when the Actor receives usable continuation state.

Can I use a token with another account?

No. A token is bound to the same source account and relationship type that created it.

Are duplicates charged?

Profiles skipped as duplicates are not written as new dataset rows and are not charged as results during that run.

Can I retrieve every follower from a verified account?

Not reliably under current Instagram restrictions. Verified profiles, and some business or commercial profiles, may expose only an initial page of approximately 25 followers without further pagination. This can happen even when the profile is public and displays a much larger follower count.

Can I run the Actor through the API or MCP?

Yes. Free API executions have a stricter testing limit; paid users can automate according to their requested limits and maximum run charge.

Can I use the output for lead generation?

Only use public data for legitimate and lawful purposes. You are responsible for privacy, marketing, anti-spam, and platform-policy compliance in your jurisdiction.

Responsible use

Use this Actor for legitimate research, analytics, and business workflows. Process personal data according to applicable laws, Instagram's terms, and your organization's privacy obligations. Do not use the output for spam, harassment, discrimination, surveillance, or unauthorized profiling.

Related Actors by Scraping Solutions

• Instagram Scraper Followers Following - alternative Instagram followers and following export.
• Instagram Hashtag Scraper Pro - No Cookies - extract public Instagram posts by hashtag.
• TikTok Followers & Following Scraper - export TikTok followers or following profiles.
• TikTok Profile Posts Scraper - collect TikTok profile videos and metadata.
• LinkedIn Posts Engagers - extract public LinkedIn post likers and commenters.
• LinkedIn Profile Comments & Reactions Scraper - collect LinkedIn comments and reactions.

Categories

Social Media | Lead Generation | Marketing | Automation | Developer Tools

Support

Open the Actor's Issues tab and include the run ID, public input, and exported full log. Never publish continuation tokens, raw pagination values, API keys, or other credentials.