Instagram Profile API
Bio, followers, posts count, engagement rate and category for any public account, ten per call.
Guides · Instagram
Can the Instagram API read other people's public data?
Only a little. Meta's official API reads other accounts through two features: Business Discovery, which returns basic metadata and metrics for other business and creator accounts, and Hashtag Search, capped at 30 hashtags per 7 days. Both need App Review. Personal accounts, follower lists and comments on other people's posts are out of reach.
- Other accounts
- Business and creator only
- Hashtags
- 30 per 7 days
- Comment text
- Owner only
- Approval
- App Review
Updated 21 October 2026
Public data, side by side
Instagram's side is from Meta for Developers, seen 21 October 2026.
| Official Instagram API | API for Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile counts of other accounts | Business and creator accounts, via Business Discovery | Any public account |
| Their recent posts | Basic media fields via Business Discovery | Yes, with likes, comments and views |
| Hashtag posts | 30 unique hashtags per 7 days | $0.00045 per record |
| Comment text on their posts | No | Yes |
| Followers or following lists | No | Yes |
| Who can get access | App Review and Advanced Access for accounts you do not own | Anyone. An agent signs itself up in one call and starts on a $0.10 trial |
| Price model | No per-call price listed | Pay as you go, from $0.00045 per record |
| Setup | Meta app, linked professional account, App Review | One API key. No Instagram account or app review |
What Meta's docs say
- Business Discovery gets basic metadata and metrics about other Instagram professional accounts. Age-gated accounts are not returned.
- Hashtag Search allows a maximum of 30 unique hashtags in a rolling 7-day period, and needs App Review for Instagram Public Content Access.
- Reading comments on a post needs an access token from the user who created it.
- Serving accounts you do not own or manage needs Advanced Access, which needs Meta App Review.
When the official API is still right
For anything you do on your own accounts or your clients' accounts (publishing, moderation, insights, messages) the official API is the right tool, and a data API cannot do it.
What you can get here
Instagram Posts API
An account's recent posts or Reels with caption, likes, comments, views and hashtags.
Instagram Comments API
Top comments on any public post or Reel by URL, with author, text, likes and date.
Instagram Hashtag API
Posts tagged with a hashtag, top or newest.
Instagram Followers API
The followers or following list of public accounts.
Operation pages
Questions people ask.
Can I get another account's followers list from the Instagram API?
No. Business Discovery returns a follower count, not a list. Here the followers operation returns the list for public accounts.
Can it read private accounts?
No, neither API can. This one reads what is public on the profile page and flags a private account as private.
Do I need an Instagram account to use this API?
No. You need an API key, or an agent signs itself up in one call. No Instagram login, password or cookie is used.
What is Business Discovery?
A feature of the Instagram API with Facebook Login that returns basic metadata and metrics, such as follower and media counts, for other business and creator accounts.
Sources (4)
- Meta for Developers: Business Discovery, seen 21 October 2026
- Meta for Developers: Hashtag Search, seen 21 October 2026
- Meta for Developers: IG Media comments reference, seen 21 October 2026
- Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform overview, seen 21 October 2026
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