Instagram API alternative · 100 free credits

Public Instagram data,
back in your app.

Q: How do I page through posts and reels?

Posts return page_info.end_cursor: send it back as end_cursor while has_next_page is true. Reels return paging_info.max_id, sent back as max_id while more_available is true.

The Basic Display API is gone. Send a username or a post link and get public profiles, posts, reels and comments as clean JSON, with one API key and no Meta app review or tokens to refresh.

Look up a profile, free Read the docs

Credits per call: 5
Per 1,000 calls: $0.91
Failed calls: Free

curl -X POST https://scrapingbot.io/api/v1/instagram \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "endpoint": "/user/by_username",
    "params": { "username": "instagram" }
  }'

curl -X POST https://scrapingbot.io/api/v1/instagram \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "endpoint": "/medias/by_user_id",
    "params": { "user_id": "25025320", "count": 12 }
  }'

200 OK · 0.34 s · 5 credits application/json

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "25025320",
    "username": "instagram",
    "full_name": "Instagram",
    "biography": "Discover what's new on Instagram 🔎✨",
    "follower_count": 686587747,
    "following_count": 305,
    "is_verified": true,
    "is_private": false,
    "external_url": "http://help.instagram.com",
    …
  },
  "duration": "0.34",
  "statusCode": 200,
  "creditsUsed": 5
}

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "edges": [{ "node": {
      "shortcode": "Dd9RyBWBVih",
      "product_type": "clips",
      "like_count": 466223,
      "comment_count": 6933
    } }, …],
    "page_info": {
      "end_cursor": "3993558187001191079_25025320",
      "has_next_page": true
    }
  },
  "duration": "1.29",
  "statusCode": 200,
  "creditsUsed": 5
}

Moving off Basic Display

Every call you used, and a few you didn’t have.

Basic Display only read the account that logged in to your app. These endpoints read any public account, so the same code works for your own feed and for creators you report on.

Basic Display	ScrapingBot endpoint	What you get
Profile: id, username, media count	`/user/by_username`	Adds name, bio, follower and following counts, verification and links.
A user’s media list	`/medias/by_user_id`	Posts with captions, media links, like and comment counts, one page at a time.
—	`/reels/by_user_id`	Reels with play, like and comment counts.
One media item	`/media/by_shortcode`	Or /media/by_url with the post or reel link.
—	`/comments/media_comments_by_id`	Comments with text, likes and commenter profiles.

Use cases

What people rebuild with it.

Most moves off Basic Display fall into one of these.

Feeds on websites

Show a public account’s latest posts or reels on your site, refreshed on your own schedule.

/user/by_username/medias/by_user_id

Creator vetting

Check follower counts and how recent posts perform before you sign a creator.

/user/by_username/reels/by_user_id

Campaign reports

Pull likes, comments and plays for the posts in a campaign by their links.

/media/by_url/comments/media_comments_by_id

Client dashboards

Track the public accounts your agency manages without asking each client for a login or token.

/user/by_username/medias/by_user_id

Billing

You pay for answers,
not attempts.

A Instagram call costs 5 credits, and only when it succeeds. Every endpoint costs the same.

Failed calls are refundedErrors and timeouts are credited back automatically, and requests with missing or invalid parameters are never charged.
100 free credits to startThat covers 20 Instagram calls on the free plan. No credit card needed to sign up.
See the cost of every callEach response carries a creditsUsed field, and your dashboard logs every request with its status, duration and credits.
One balance for every APIThe same credits work for website scraping, TikTok, Instagram, Google, Amazon and ChatGPT. Paid plans refresh them every billing cycle.

See plans and credits

Every successful Instagram call

5credits

Free to start: 20 calls; from 100 free credits
Failed calls: 0 credits; refunded automatically

Questions, answered

What happened to the Basic Display API?

Meta retired the Instagram Basic Display API on December 4, 2024. Apps that used it to show a feed or read a profile stopped getting data and had to move to another source.

Does this work for any account?

Any public account. You do not need the account owner to log in to your app or grant a token. Private accounts and their posts are not available.

Do I need a Meta app, app review or access tokens?

No. You authenticate with your ScrapingBot API key only. There are no Instagram logins, cookies or tokens to refresh.

Can I show my own Instagram feed on my website?

Yes, if the account is public: fetch the profile, then its posts or reels, and cache the results on your side. Image and video links from Instagram expire, so store copies if you need them to last.

What does it cost?

5 credits per successful call. On the Starter plan ($49.99 for 275,000 credits) that is about $0.91 per 1,000 calls. Failed calls are refunded, and new accounts get 100 free credits (20 calls) with no card.

How do I page through posts and reels?

Posts return page_info.end_cursor: send it back as end_cursor while has_next_page is true. Reels return paging_info.max_id, sent back as max_id while more_available is true.

Public Instagram data,back in your app.