Instagram username checker

Check whether an Instagram username is taken.

What the answers mean

PlatformTakenA public profile has this name. You see who.
PlatformNot foundNo public profile. It looks free.
PlatformUnclearThe platform did not answer. Try again.

Free, no signup. A limited number of lookups per visitor each hour. Public data only.

How it works

The tool asks Instagram whether a public profile with that username exists. If one does, it shows who has it. If not, the name looks free. Instagram also holds names that no public profile uses, so check the sign-up form before you plan around a name.

Use this in your app

This tool calls GET /v1/instagram/profile. See the reference, or get early access for a key.

curl

curl -G "https://api.socialscrape.io/v1/instagram/profile" \
  -H "x-api-key: $SOCIALSCRAPE_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "handle=nasa"

Python

import os
import requests

params = {
    "handle": "nasa",
}
res = requests.get(
    "https://api.socialscrape.io/v1/instagram/profile",
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["SOCIALSCRAPE_API_KEY"]},
    params=params,
)
body = res.json()

if body["ok"]:
    print(body["data"])
else:
    print(body["error"]["code"], body["error"]["message"])

TypeScript

const url = new URL("https://api.socialscrape.io/v1/instagram/profile");
url.search = new URLSearchParams({
  "handle": "nasa"
}).toString();
const res = await fetch(url, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SOCIALSCRAPE_API_KEY! },
});
const body = await res.json();

if (body.ok) {
  console.log(body.data);
} else {
  console.error(body.error.code, body.error.message);
}

n8n

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "SocialScrape Instagram profile",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "typeVersion": 4.2,
      "position": [
        0,
        0
      ],
      "parameters": {
        "method": "GET",
        "url": "https://api.socialscrape.io/v1/instagram/profile",
        "sendQuery": true,
        "queryParameters": {
          "parameters": [
            {
              "name": "handle",
              "value": "nasa"
            }
          ]
        },
        "sendHeaders": true,
        "headerParameters": {
          "parameters": [
            {
              "name": "x-api-key",
              "value": "={{ $env.SOCIALSCRAPE_API_KEY }}"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "connections": {}
}

Questions

A free name that will not register?

Instagram reserves names it has removed or banned, and those have no profile to find. This tool can only see public profiles.

Does it work for private accounts?

Yes. A private account still has a public header, so its name shows as taken.

Is this tool free?

Yes. No account and no card. Each visitor gets a limited number of lookups an hour, so it stays free for everyone.

How do I get this data in my own app?

Send GET /v1/instagram/profile with your key in the x-api-key header. A request costs 1 credit. A repeat of something fetched recently costs 0 credits, and failed requests are free. See the reference.