Discover public Instagram accounts similar to the profiles you already know. Add up to five seed usernames or profile URLs and export Instagram-related profiles with rank, public profile metadata, seed provenance, and cross-seed overlap.
Use this Instagram profile discovery API to expand influencer shortlists, map adjacent brands, discover niche creators, and find similar Instagram accounts that Instagram associates with several competitors. It also works as an Instagram related users scraper for repeatable prospect exports.
Quick start
{
"usernames": ["nasa", "instagram"],
"maxRelatedPerSeed": 20,
"includeProfileDetails": true,
"deduplicateAcrossSeeds": false
}
Example output
{
"seedUsername": "nasa",
"seedUserId": "528817151",
"rank": 1,
"depth": 1,
"userId": "53737425368",
"username": "cosmic.travelerr",
"fullName": "CosmicTraveler",
"profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/cosmic.travelerr/",
"profilePicUrl": "https://scontent...jpg",
"biography": "Space and astronomy",
"bioLinks": [],
"externalUrl": null,
"followersCount": 12000,
"followingCount": 350,
"postsCount": 91,
"isPrivate": false,
"isVerified": true,
"isBusinessAccount": false,
"isProfessionalAccount": true,
"category": "Digital creator",
"businessEmail": null,
"businessPhoneNumber": null,
"businessAddress": null,
"relatedToSeed": true,
"matchedSeedUsernames": ["nasa"],
"seedMatchCount": 1,
"collectedAt": "2026-08-10T12:00:00.000Z",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/"
}
Optional fields are null or empty when a public profile does not expose them.
What data can you export?
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
seedUsername, seedUserId |
Seed profile that produced the recommendation |
rank, depth |
Position within the seed's direct related-profile list and discovery depth |
userId, username, fullName |
Stable profile identity and display name |
profileUrl, profilePicUrl |
Canonical profile and public profile image URLs |
biography, bioLinks, externalUrl |
Public bio and outbound links |
followersCount, followingCount, postsCount |
Public profile counters when available |
isPrivate, isVerified |
Account visibility and verification flags |
isBusinessAccount, isProfessionalAccount, category |
Public account classification |
businessEmail, businessPhoneNumber, businessAddress |
Public business contact details when disclosed |
relatedToSeed |
Confirms the row came from the seed's related-profile list |
matchedSeedUsernames, seedMatchCount |
Seeds that recommend this profile and overlap count |
collectedAt, sourceUrl |
Collection timestamp and seed provenance |
Input settings
| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
usernames |
string[] | required | 1–5 public usernames or Instagram profile URLs |
maxRelatedPerSeed |
integer | 20 | Maximum direct suggestions per seed, from 1 to 50 |
includeProfileDetails |
boolean | true | Add public profile details and counters |
deduplicateAcrossSeeds |
boolean | false | Emit each profile once while retaining every matching seed |
proxyConfiguration |
object | platform default | Optional Apify proxy configuration |
Input recipes
Find related space and science profiles
{"usernames":["nasa","natgeotravel"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":20,"includeProfileDetails":true}
Fast identity-only discovery
{"usernames":["instagram"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":10,"includeProfileDetails":false}
Find cross-seed overlap
{"usernames":["nasa","instagram"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":50,"deduplicateAcrossSeeds":true}
Who is it for?
- Influencer and creator agencies expanding prospect lists from known accounts
- Brand and partnership teams mapping adjacent public profiles
- Researchers comparing which profiles overlap across several seeds
- Developers building repeatable Instagram profile discovery pipelines
Tips and limits
- Start with one or two seeds and a low limit, then expand.
- Recommendations can change over time; keep
collectedAtwhen comparing runs. - Direct recommendations are returned. The Actor does not claim follower/following access or recursive pagination.
- Private or unavailable seeds may not expose recommendations. Mixed batches preserve successful seeds.
- Public profile details vary by account. Missing optional values are not inferred.
- Duplicate rows are meaningful when you need per-seed rank. Enable
deduplicateAcrossSeedsfor one row per profile.
API usage
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-related-profiles-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"usernames":["nasa"],"maxRelatedPerSeed":10}'
JavaScript:
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-related-profiles-scraper').call({
usernames: ['nasa'], maxRelatedPerSeed: 10,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
Python:
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-related-profiles-scraper').call(run_input={
'usernames': ['nasa'],
'maxRelatedPerSeed': 10,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
Use with MCP and AI agents
Connect Apify's MCP server at https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-related-profiles-scraper. Agents can run the Actor, monitor completion, and read structured dataset rows for creator discovery and market research workflows.
Support
Found an unavailable seed, unexpected empty result, or schema issue? Open an issue from the Actor page and include the public seed username, run ID, and expected behavior. Do not include passwords or cookies.
