Is the Instagram API free?

Instagram Platform API: Not published. Business Discovery: Not published. Meta Content Library API: Free for approved researchers. The InsightSocial Instagram API is pay-per-call: calls start at 10 credits, your first 10 calls up to 100 credits each are free, and failed calls cost nothing.

How do I get Instagram data without the official API?

Use a public-data API. InsightSocial has 36 Instagram endpoints for public data, with one API key and no Instagram app review. A Instagram profile lookup costs 10 credits; Pro's 10,000 monthly credits cover about 1,000 of them.

Is it legal to collect public Instagram data?

Collecting publicly available data is generally treated differently from accessing private data, but the answer depends on your jurisdiction, Instagram's terms and what you do with personal data afterwards. The InsightSocial API reads public data only. Talk to a lawyer for anything commercial.

Does Instagram have an API?

Yes. The Instagram Platform API lets apps manage Instagram professional (Business or Creator) accounts that authorize them: publishing, comment moderation, insights, mentions and messaging. Personal accounts are not supported.

To read public Instagram data you do not own, a public-data API is the usual route. InsightSocial has 36 Instagram endpoints from 10 credits a call, with one key and no app review.

Official documentation checked 2026-10-05.

The official Instagram APIs

API	What it covers	Who can get it	Cost
Instagram Platform API	Content publishing, comment moderation, insights, mentions and messaging for the professional account that logged in to your app.	Users need an Instagram professional account. Standard Access covers accounts you own or manage; serving other accounts needs Meta App Review and Business Verification.	Not published
Business Discovery	Basic metadata and metrics (follower count, media count, media list, like and comment counts) for other professional accounts, by username.	Called with your own app user's professional account token.	Not published
Meta Content Library API	An archive of public content, including Instagram posts from business, creator and verified accounts.	Researchers at academic or not-for-profit institutions, through Meta Research Tools Manager.	Free for approved researchers

What the official API does not do

Personal accounts are not supported, and a permission only gives access to data created by the user who granted it. source
Business Discovery works only on professional accounts and returns nothing for age-gated ones. source
Hashtag search allows at most 30 unique hashtags per account in a rolling 7 days, excludes Stories, and needs App Review. source

Public Instagram data without the official API

Every Instagram endpoint has a published price, and failed calls cost nothing. A few of the 36:

Get a free API key All Instagram API endpoints Use it from Claude or ChatGPT

Instagram API: frequently asked questions

Does Instagram have an API?

The official Instagram APIs

What the official API does not do

Public Instagram data without the official API

Instagram API: frequently asked questions

Sources

Other platforms