# Instagram Profile API. Pay per record.

> Instagram profile data as JSON: bio, followers, posts count, engagement rate and category. From $0.0018 per profile, pay as you go.

Canonical: https://apiforagents.dev/platforms/instagram/profile-api · Updated 2026-10-21

Turn an Instagram username or profile URL into clean JSON: name, bio, category, followers, following, post count, engagement rate and when the account last posted. Up to ten accounts per call, priced per profile.

- Price: $0.0018 / profile
- Billed: Per record
- Free to start: $0.10
- Endpoint: POST /v1/instagram

## What people build with the Instagram Profile API

- **Vet influencers.** Check followers, engagement rate and how recently an account posted before you offer a deal.
- **Enrich a creator list.** Paste in a list of handles and get back the bio, category, website and size of each account.
- **Research before outreach.** Let your agent read a brand's bio, link and recent posts before it writes the first message.

## Quote it, then run it

1. free quote: the exact price, nothing charged:

```bash
curl -X POST https://apiforagents.dev/v1/instagram \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AFA_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"op":"profiles","subjects":["natgeo","nike"],"estimateOnly":true}'
```

2. the same call, run:

```bash
curl -X POST https://apiforagents.dev/v1/instagram \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AFA_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"op":"profiles","subjects":["natgeo","nike"]}'
```

## Inputs

Everything you can send in one profiles call. Required inputs first.

| Input | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| subjects * | text list | Usernames or profile URLs. 1-10 items |
| fields | enum list | 'contact' adds the business email/phone fields to the answer; the fetch is the same either way, so this shapes the RESPONSE, not the bill. |
| include.posts.limit | integer | Recent posts to fetch per account, newest first; 1-48. |
| include.posts.tab | enum | Which tab to read: the grid ("posts") or Reels ("reels"). |
| include.posts.since | string | Only posts on or after this day (YYYY-MM-DD). Omit for the newest. |

## What comes back

The fields of every row, always present. Nothing is guessed: a value that could not be measured is null, and the answer's coverage says why.

| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| username | string |
| igUserId | string |
| fullName | string |
| biography | string |
| avatarUrl | string |
| profileUrl | string |
| externalUrl | string |
| bioLinks | list of object |
| category | string |
| isVerified | boolean |
| isPrivate | boolean |
| isBusiness | boolean |
| followers | integer |
| following | integer |
| mediaCount | integer |
| highlightReelCount | integer |
| engagementRate | number |
| contactEmail | string |
| contactPhone | string |
| location | string |
| businessStreet | string |
| businessZip | string |
| businessCityId | string |
| businessLatitude | number |
| businessLongitude | number |
| facebookPage | object |
| lastPostedAt | string |
| recentPosts | list of object |
| relatedAccounts | list of object |
| details | object |

details is always the last field: everything else the source sent for that row, under our own field names. Its keys depend on the source that answered, so read them defensively; it is {} when there is nothing more.

## A sample answer

Made-up names and values in the real field names, so you can see the shape before you spend anything.

| username | fullName | biography | category | isVerified | isBusiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| brewlab.coffee | Brewlab Coffee | Small-batch roasters · Austin, TX | Coffee shop | false | true |
| mira.moves | Mira \| Pilates | Pilates for busy people · new class every Monday | Fitness trainer | true | true |
| northfold.studio | Northfold Studio | Brand and product design | Design studio | false | true |

## Pricing

Pay as you go, in US dollars, per record. No subscription, nothing expires, $5 first top-up, and every new agent starts with $0.10 free.

| Request | Records | At the list price |
|---|---|---|
| One profile | 1 | $0.0018 |
| 10 profiles | 10 | $0.018 |

These are per-record list prices. Some calls also carry a minimum, such as a page of search results, so a small request can cost more than the table shows. The quote ("estimateOnly": true) is free, gives the most your exact request can cost, and the charge then settles to what came back. Records that do not come back are refunded.

## Try it without writing code

- [Open the Instagram Profile API in the playground](https://apiforagents.dev/dashboard/run?platform=instagram&op=profiles): The playground runs any endpoint by hand: pick a platform and what you want from it, fill a short form named in plain words (or press Use sample input), see the free quote on the Run button, run it, then read the answer as a table or JSON and download it as CSV or JSON. The same call is written out as cURL, Python and Node while you type.

## Why this one, and not a scraper you run yourself

- No login, no Instagram account, no cookies, no proxies, no browser to babysit.
- When the site changes its pages, your request stays the same: keeping the reads working is our job, not yours.
- A fetch that fails costs nothing: it is named in the answer with a reason, and the quote says the most a call can cost before it runs.

## Use it from your tools

- [Instagram in n8n](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/n8n/instagram)
- [Instagram in Make](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/make/instagram)
- [Instagram in Zapier](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/zapier/instagram)
- [Instagram in Python](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/python/instagram)
- [Instagram in LangChain](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/langchain/instagram)
- [Instagram in Claude Code](https://apiforagents.dev/integrations/claude-code/instagram)

## Questions

### What does the Instagram Profile API return?

One row per account: username, full name, biography, category, whether it is verified, a business or private, followers, following, media count, engagement rate, location, user id, avatar URL, external link and the date of the last post. Ask for the contact field to add the business email and phone fields to the answer.

### What do I pass in?

Up to ten usernames or profile URLs in subjects. Add include.posts to get each account's recent posts (up to 48 per account, grid or Reels) in the same call.

### How much does an Instagram profile lookup cost?

$0.0018 per profile at the list price. A small call can carry a minimum, so quote first with "estimateOnly": true, which is free and is the most the call can cost. You pay for what comes back.

### Can it read private accounts?

No. It reads what is public on the profile page. A private account comes back flagged as private.

### Can an AI agent use it without me creating an account?

Yes. An agent registers itself with one POST request, gets $0.10 free and can run calls straight away. The recipe is at https://apiforagents.dev/auth.md.

## Why API for Agents

- One key for 26 platforms: social, commerce, jobs, places, search and contacts, with one request shape and one response shape.
- A free quote before any spend: add "estimateOnly": true to any call and see the most it can cost.
- Pay per record in US dollars. No subscription, nothing expires, top-ups from $5.
- $0.10 free to try, no card. An AI agent can sign itself up in one request; a person claims it later.
- Measured, not estimated: every answer says when each row was measured, whether it was fresh or a recent capture, and how sure to be of each field.
- Partial success is success: anything that could not be fetched is named with a reason, and the charge settles to what came back, never above the quote.
- Typed fields that keep their names whichever source answered, and a details object last with everything else the source sent, under our own field names.
- Try any endpoint in the playground and download the answer as CSV or JSON.

## Start

The playground runs any endpoint by hand: pick a platform and what you want from it, fill a short form named in plain words (or press Use sample input), see the free quote on the Run button, run it, then read the answer as a table or JSON and download it as CSV or JSON. The same call is written out as cURL, Python and Node while you type. Open it at https://apiforagents.dev/dashboard/run?platform=instagram&op=profiles (sign in first).

Agents register at https://apiforagents.dev/auth.md (one POST, $0.10 free). People: https://apiforagents.dev/docs#start. Prices: https://apiforagents.dev/pricing.md