How to Scrape Instagram
Scraping Instagram means collecting public data — posts, Reels, and creator profiles — into a spreadsheet instead of screenshotting and copying it by hand. Done right, it turns hours of profile-hopping into a two-minute export with followers, engagement, bios, and even public contact info in tidy columns. This guide covers how to do it without code, what you can (and can't) collect, and what it costs.
What you can scrape from Instagram
Everything public is fair game — which covers more than most people expect:
- Posts under a hashtag — captions, likes, comments, and the accounts behind them.
- Reels — the short-form video actually driving reach in a niche.
- Creator profiles — username, follower count, bio, external link, verified and business flags.
- Location posts — everything tagged at a venue, neighborhood, or city.
- Public contact info — the email or phone a creator lists in their bio, extracted into its own column.
What you can't scrape
Private accounts, followers-only content, DMs, and anything behind a login wall. No honest tool touches these — if an account is private, it simply doesn't appear in your results. That's not a limitation to work around; it's the line that keeps public-data scraping in the safe lane.
Step by step
Instagram's official API is built for managing your own account, not for research — approval processes, tight rate limits, and code. The self-serve route skips all of it:
- Pick your mode — hashtag, profile, Reels, or location — depending on what slice of Instagram you're after.
- Add filters — a minimum follower count, or "only profiles with an email" if you're building an outreach list.
- Set a cap for how many results you want.
- Start the run and watch it collect live.
- Download the CSV — it opens straight in Excel or Google Sheets.
Finding influencer emails
Creators who want brand deals publish a contact path on purpose — an email in the bio, a phone on the business profile, a link to a media kit. A scrape with the "only profiles with an email" filter turns a niche hashtag into a contact list: every row a creator, with email, phone, and bio-link columns. You're billed per profile scraped — the filter shapes the file, not the bill — and your run summary shows both numbers.
What it costs
Runs are $8 per 1,000 results, and new accounts start with $5.00 in free credits — thousands of rows before you pay anything. You're billed per result scraped, never for your cap, and failed runs are refunded in full. No subscription.
Is it legal?
Collecting public data is generally treated very differently from accessing private systems — and public posts, profiles, and bio contact info are exactly that: public. Platform terms are a separate layer, and privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA can apply to how you use personal data, so keep outreach relevant and respectful. General information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I scrape Instagram for free?
You can start free — every new account gets $5.00 in credits, which covers thousands of rows. After that it's $8 per 1,000 results, billed per result scraped, with no subscription.
Can I scrape private Instagram accounts?
No. Only public data is collected — private accounts, followers-only posts, and DMs are never accessible. If an account is private, it just doesn't appear in your export.
How do I find Instagram influencers' email addresses?
Scrape your niche — a hashtag or location — with the "only profiles with an email" filter on. Creators who list a public email in their bio come back with it in a dedicated column, alongside followers and engagement so you can prioritize the list.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You fill in a short form — what to scrape and how many results you want — watch the count climb live, and download the CSV when it finishes. There's nothing to install and no API to wire up.