# Instagram Following Scraper & Enricher · No Login (`data-slayer/instagram-following`) Actor

See who any Instagram account follows and optionally enrich each with emails, phones, websites, and bios. Map partnership networks, competitor connections, and supplier relationships. 31 fields per result. Optional email verification. No login, no cookies. JSON/CSV/Excel.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-following.md
- **Developed by:** [Data Slayer](https://apify.com/data-slayer) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 360 total users, 19 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 2 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $1.50 / 1,000 following (basic)s

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Instagram Following Scraper & Enricher · No Login

See who any public Instagram account follows — then optionally enrich each followed account with business emails, phone numbers, websites, bios, and follower counts. Map partnership networks, discover what competitors are paying attention to, and identify supplier relationships. No login required.

### 📺 Video Tutorial: How it Works

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehnJAemUP1w

***

### Three Output Modes

| Mode | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| **Basic** (default) | Username, full name, verified status, profile pic | $2.50/1,000 results |
| **Enriched** | Everything above + email, phone, website, bio, category, follower count, location, account age | $12/1,000 enriched profiles |
| **Enriched + Verified Email** | Everything above + MillionVerifier SMTP email verification | $20/1,000 with verified emails |

Configure pay-per-event in the Apify Console: `result-basic` ($0.0025), `result-enriched` ($0.012), `result-verified` ($0.02), plus `apify-actor-start` ($0.0005).

### Why "Following" Data Is Different from "Followers"

Followers tell you who's interested in someone. Following tells you who **they** are interested in and paying attention to. This reveals things followers never show:

- **Partnership networks** — brands follow their agencies, PR firms, photographers, and content partners
- **Competitor suppliers** — see which vendors, tools, and service providers your competitor actually works with
- **Influencer preferences** — discover which brands an influencer follows before pitching a deal
- **Thought leader curation** — who a top creator follows is a manually curated list of accounts worth knowing

Every competitor on Apify returns thin following data (3–8 fields: username, bio, profile link). This actor enriches every followed account with 44 fields including contact info.

### What You Get (Enriched Mode — 44 fields)

Same field set as the Followers Scraper — see that actor's field table. Key enrichment fields: `public_email`, `contact_phone_number`, `external_url`, `bio_links`, `biography`, `category`, `is_business`, `follower_count`, `date_joined`, `country`, `enrichment_status`.

### How It Works

**Step 1.** Enter an Instagram username or profile URL.

**Step 2.** Choose output mode: Basic, Enriched, or Verified.

**Step 3.** Click "Start." Download as JSON, CSV, or Excel.

***

### Use Cases

**Partnership intelligence.** See who a brand follows to discover their actual agency, PR firm, content creators, and business partners. These are confirmed business relationships — far more reliable than guessing.

**Competitive supply chain research.** See who your competitor follows — their tool providers, platforms, and service partners. Identify which vendors they trust and approach the same suppliers (or offer alternatives).

**Influencer pre-vetting.** Before signing an influencer partnership, see who they follow. If they follow 500 brands, they're heavily monetized — your deal will be lost in the noise. If they follow thoughtfully curated accounts, their audience is more engaged.

**Industry mapping.** A thought leader's following list is a manually curated directory of valuable people in their space. Extract it, enrich it, and you have a qualified prospect list for your niche.

***

### Sample Output (Enriched mode)

```json
{
  "username": "acquisitioncom",
  "full_name": "Acquisition.com",
  "is_verified": true,
  "enrichment_status": "success",
  "public_email": "team@acquisition.com",
  "external_url": "https://acquisition.com",
  "bio_links": [{ "title": "Apply", "url": "https://acquisition.com/apply" }],
  "biography": "We invest in companies doing $3–30M/yr",
  "category": "Venture Capital & Private Equity",
  "is_business": true,
  "follower_count": 120000,
  "account_type": 2,
  "country": "United States",
  "date_joined": "January 2020",
  "email_found": "team@acquisition.com",
  "email_source": "public_email",
  "email_verified": null
}
```

***

### FAQ

**Why does enrichment sometimes "fail"?**
About 30% of enrichments may fail — typically due to API rate limits on the User Info endpoint. Failed rows appear in the output with `enrichment_status: "failed"` and null contact fields. All 44 fields are always present — CSV columns align across all rows.

**Can I use this alongside the Followers Scraper?**
Yes. Run both on the same account: Followers shows who follows them, Following shows who they follow. Together they map the full relationship graph of any Instagram account.

***

### 🧩 Other Instagram Actors by Data Slayer

| Actor | What it does | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Followers Scraper | Who follows any account — with enrichment | [Try it →](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-followers-scraper---no-login) |
| Instagram Contact & Email Finder | Enrich known usernames with contact info | [Try it →](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-user-info-scraper-cookieless) |
| Instagram Similar Accounts | Lookalike profiles with enrichment | [Try it →](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-similar-accounts-scraper) |
| Instagram User Search | Search by keyword + get contact info | [Try it →](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-search-users) |

***

### 💬 Feedback & Support

We actively maintain this actor weekly. Open an issue on the **Issues tab** or leave a rating. We respond within 24 hours.

### Related actors

More Instagram actors from the same portfolio. Apify only auto-recommends actors in the same category, so here are the rest of ours:

| Actor |
|---|
| [Instagram Audio & Trending Sounds Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-audio-scraper) |
| [Instagram Brand Mentions & UGC Monitor](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-brand-monitor) |
| [Instagram Comments Scraper with Replies · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-comments-scraper-no-login-required) |
| [Instagram Creator Lead Finder · Keywords & Hashtags](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-creator-lead-finder) |
| [Instagram Engaged Audience Exporter](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-engaged-audience-exporter) |
| [Instagram Follower Count & Growth Monitor](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-follower-count-growth-monitor) |
| [Instagram Followers & Following Search](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-followers-following-search) |
| [Instagram Followers Scraper & Enricher · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-followers-scraper---no-login) |
| [Instagram Hashtag Finder · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-hashtags-scraper-no-login-required) |
| [Instagram Hashtag Posts & Reels Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-hashtag-posts-reels-scraper-no-login) |
| [Instagram Hashtag Research Reports](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-hashtag-research) |
| [Instagram Highlights Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-highlights-scraper) |
| [Instagram Keyword Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-keyword-posts-scraper) |
| [Instagram Likes Scraper · No Cookies](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-likes) |
| [Instagram Location Posts Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-location-posts) |
| [Instagram Media Archive Downloader](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-media-archive-downloader) |
| [Instagram Place Finder & Details](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-place-finder) |
| [Instagram Post & Reel Details Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-post-details) |
| [Instagram Profile Posts & Reels Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-posts) |
| [Instagram Profile Reels Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-profile-reels) |
| [Instagram Profile Scraper · Account Age & Verified Emails](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-user-info-scraper-cookieless) |
| [Instagram Public Contact Finder](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-email-phone-scraper) |
| [Instagram Reel Performance Tracker](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-reel-performance-tracker) |
| [Instagram Reel Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-reel-transcript-scraper) |
| [Instagram Reels Search & Trend Discovery · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-search-reels) |
| [Instagram Reels by Audio ID · Sound & Music Tracker · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-reels-by-audio) |
| [Instagram Related Creator Network](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-related-creator-network) |
| [Instagram Reposts Scraper · Profile Repost History · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-reposts) |
| [Instagram Similar Accounts Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-related-profiles-scraper) |
| [Instagram Similar Accounts Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-similar-accounts-scraper) |
| [Instagram Stories Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-stories-scraper) |
| [Instagram Tagged Posts & Mentions Scraper · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-tagged-posts) |
| [Instagram Trending Audio & Sounds Search · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-trending-audio-search) |
| [Instagram User Search · Find Leads by Keyword · No Login](https://apify.com/data-slayer/instagram-search-users) |

# Actor input Schema

## `username` (type: `string`):

Instagram username, user ID, or profile URL whose following list you want

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Pay-per-result tiers. Basic = thin following rows. Enriched = /instagram/v1/info per public account in the list (no MillionVerifier). Verified = enriched + MillionVerifier SMTP verification.

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Pages to fetch (~50 accounts per page). Legacy default is 1 when omitted. API-only alias still accepted.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Optional cap on total following rows. Omit for no cap (legacy). API alias maxPages controls pages when maxItems is omitted.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "username": "natgeo",
  "mode": "basic",
  "maxPages": 1
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset items produced by this run (one record per scraped item).

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("data-slayer/instagram-following").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("data-slayer/instagram-following").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call data-slayer/instagram-following --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,data-slayer/instagram-following"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/0qq38f9Uh1xQspiaq/builds/cmf7ES0zAI3I8swHh/openapi.json