Instagram data API: the official API or an Apify Actor?

Instagram has an official API with limited access. 4 Apify Actors in this catalogue return Instagram data over HTTP too: send the input to Apify's run-sync endpoint with your token and get the records back as JSON, from $0.01 a run plus $0.49 per 1,000 results at Store prices (plus platform usage).

Side by side

	Instagram Platform API	Apify Actors (4)
Access	Limited access	Apify API token (any account)
What you get	The official API covers professional accounts and their own content. It does not provide general search over public profiles and posts.	Rows defined by each Actor's published schema; up to 30 fields per record
Price	No published per-call price for standard use; access depends on Meta app configuration.	From $0.01 a run plus $0.49 per 1,000 results (Store price, Free plan), plus platform usage
Limits	Rate limits and permitted scopes apply. Public-content scraping is outside the official API.	Synchronous calls wait up to 300 s; longer runs go asynchronous
Docs	Instagram Platform API	Apify API: run-sync

Official API facts checked 2026-11-09. Public business/profile data only; respect Instagram's terms; not legal advice.

Which Actor for which job

Actor	Returns	Fields include	Store price	Call it
Instagram Profile Scraper - Bio & Posts	Scrape public Instagram profiles from a list of usernames: bio, followers, following, post count, verified badge and bio links…	post_url, shortcode, post_id	$0.70 per 1,000 results	run-sync · Apify
Instagram Downloader API - Reels, Video & Photo	Downloaded Instagram media files with metadata	filename, post_url, username	$0.49 per 1,000 results	run-sync · Apify
Instagram Posts & Reels Data Scraper	Instagram posts, Reels, IGTV and carousels: caption, hashtags, author, photo and video links, likes, comments, location and music.	post_url, shortcode, post_id	$0.99 per 1,000 results	run-sync · Apify
Instagram Transcript Scraper - Reels & Video	Instagram video to text: paste many reel, post or IGTV links and get each transcript with creator, caption and likes. Reads…	postUrl, profileUrl, shortCode	$0.50 per 1,000 results	run-sync · Apify

Call Instagram Profile Scraper - Bio & Posts

The call waits for the run and returns the records as JSON. Swap the Actor ID for any Actor in the table. Set APIFY_TOKEN first; runs bill to that account.

curl

Actor on Apify

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/dataspryva~instagram-profile-scraper-bio-and-posts/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"usernames":["instagram"],"maxPosts":3}'

Install: pip install "apify-client>=3"

Python

Actor on Apify

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run_input = {
    "usernames": [
        "instagram",
    ],
    "maxPosts": 3,
}

run = client.actor("dataspryva/instagram-profile-scraper-bio-and-posts").call(run_input=run_input)
if run is None:
    raise RuntimeError("The Actor run could not be started")
print(run.status, "dataset", run.default_dataset_id)
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

Install: npm install apify-client

JavaScript

Actor on Apify

import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const input = {
  "usernames": [
    "instagram"
  ],
  "maxPosts": 3
};

const run = await client.actor("dataspryva/instagram-profile-scraper-bio-and-posts").call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items.length, items[0]);

Generated from the Actor's published schema and checked, not executed.

Same data, other routes

Instagram MCP server: these Actors as tools in Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.
Instagram posts to Google Sheets: an n8n workflow you can import.
Instagram posts to Slack: an n8n workflow you can import.
Every Actor with a one-request API

When a call fails

Why does the workflow or script stop with HTTP 408?

The synchronous endpoint waits at most 300 seconds. After that it answers 408 while the run keeps going in Apify. Lower the result limit, or start the run asynchronously, wait for it to finish and then read its dataset.

Source: Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items

What do 400, 401, 402 and 403 from the Apify API mean?

Read error.type in the response body. 400 is invalid Actor input. 401 (user-or-token-not-found) means a token reached Apify but it is wrong or revoked. 402 with x402-payment-required means no token reached Apify at all: the n8n credential or the Authorization: Bearer header is missing, and Apify is offering its pay-per-run x402 route for agents instead; any other 402 is an exhausted usage limit on the account that pays for the run. 403 is a token without permission for that Actor or storage.

Source: Apify API: authentication; Apify documentation: agentic payments with x402; Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items

Why does starting an Actor through the API return run information instead of scraped results?

The Run Actor endpoint starts the Actor and immediately returns a Run object without waiting for completion. For results stored in the default dataset, pass the response's defaultDatasetId to Get dataset items; to wait and receive output directly, use the synchronous endpoint for dataset items or a key-value store record.

Source: Apify Run Actor API

Why are rows and hidden fields missing from my Apify dataset export?

The clean parameter enables both skipEmpty and skipHidden, removing empty items and fields whose names begin with #. This can produce fewer items than the requested limit; to retain those rows and fields, disable clean and ensure skipEmpty and skipHidden are also disabled.

Source: Apify Get dataset items API

Every fix in one place

Questions

Is there an official Instagram API?

The official API covers professional accounts and their own content. It does not provide general search over public profiles and posts. No published per-call price for standard use; access depends on Meta app configuration.

How much does Instagram data cost through an Apify Actor?

The Actors listed here charge from $0.01 a run plus $0.49 per 1,000 results on the Apify Store (Free plan), checked 2026-11-12, billed to the Apify account whose token makes the call. Actor start events and platform usage can add to that.

Can I get Instagram data as JSON in one HTTP request?

Yes, through Apify's run-sync-get-dataset-items endpoint: POST the Actor input with your token and the response is the dataset as JSON. It waits up to 300 seconds; longer runs need the asynchronous run endpoint.

Can an AI agent use the same Instagram data?

Yes. The Instagram MCP page bundles these Actors into one Apify MCP URL for Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.

Is it allowed to collect Instagram data?

Public business/profile data only; respect Instagram's terms; not legal advice. Read Instagram's terms before you build on the data.

Sources

Instagram Platform API documentation, checked 2026-11-09
Apify API: run Actor synchronously, checked 2026-11-11
Instagram terms