Instagram Similar API
Returns the accounts Instagram suggests as similar to a given user, each with username, display name, avatar URL, verification status, and URL.
GET /v1/instagram/similarLast updated November 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
When to use the Instagram Similar API
Use it to find accounts comparable to one you already know; it returns a single fixed list and cannot be paged.
From the API reference
Returns a list of Instagram accounts similar to a given user: the related accounts Instagram surfaces as suggestions. Each account includes username, display name, avatar URL, verification status, and profile URL. Pass either handle or user_id. Passing user_id is faster because no username lookup is needed. This is a suggestion list, so on a plain call the per-account metrics are null on every row: author.followers, author.following, author.posts_count and author.bio. Send include=profile and every row is joined, in the same call, to the profile lookup that carries them: exact follower and following counts plus the bio land on each row. author.posts_count lands only on a row the lookup's backup source answered, so it is null on most rows; GET /v1/instagram/profile returns the lifetime post count for any single account. Cost: 5 credits for the list plus 1 credit per row filled from a fresh lookup; rows already in cache are free, unfilled rows are refunded, and a repeat within the cache window is 0. With include=profile the list is its top 20 accounts unless you pass limit (1 to 80), so the default hydrated call is at most 25 credits (the same as limit=20&include=profile) and limit=80&include=profile, the full roster, is at most 85. Time: a plain call is 2 to 3 seconds; with include=profile allow 3 to 6 seconds more for 20 rows (the lookups run in parallel and the call waits for the slowest, never more than 12 seconds) and about four times that for all 80, which run as four waves of 24. The response carries a hydration block itemising rows, lookups, cache hits, credits and milliseconds. author.likes_count stays null: Instagram publishes no account-level like total. The list is a single fixed window: it is not paginated and returns no cursor.
Searching 69 platforms in parallel
What can you do with the Similar API?
The Similar endpoint gives you structured Instagram data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.
Example Request
# GET /v1/instagram/similar: Metered: holds 5 credits per call up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
# --max-time 28: this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
# --retry 3: retries timeouts, 429 and 5xx, honoring Retry-After.
# -o response.json keeps only the final attempt's body.
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
IDEMPOTENCY_KEY=$(od -An -N16 -tx1 /dev/urandom | tr -d ' \n')
curl -sS --max-time 28 --retry 3 -o response.json \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $IDEMPOTENCY_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/similar?handle=mrbeast" && cat response.json# GET /v1/instagram/similar: Metered: holds 5 credits per call up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
import os
import random
import time
import uuid
import requests
API_KEY = os.environ.get("SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")
TIMEOUT_S = 28 # this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
MAX_RETRIES = 3
URL = "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/similar"
def backoff(attempt):
# Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
return 2 ** attempt * (0.5 + random.random() / 2)
def socialcrawl(params):
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
idempotency_key = str(uuid.uuid4())
for attempt in range(MAX_RETRIES + 1):
try:
res = requests.get(
URL,
params=params,
headers={"x-api-key": API_KEY, "Idempotency-Key": idempotency_key},
timeout=TIMEOUT_S,
)
body = res.json()
except (requests.RequestException, ValueError):
# A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise
time.sleep(backoff(attempt))
continue
if body["success"]:
return body
error = body["error"]
# Branch on error["type"], never on the message text.
if error["type"] == "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND":
return None # refunded: nothing to read
retry_after = res.headers.get("Retry-After")
# SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
permanent = error["type"] == "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" and retry_after is None
if not error.get("retryable") or permanent or attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise RuntimeError(f"{error['type']}: {error['message']} (request_id {body['request_id']})")
# Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
time.sleep(float(retry_after) if retry_after else backoff(attempt))
params = {
"handle": "mrbeast",
}
body = socialcrawl(params)
if body is not None:
print(body["data"])// GET /v1/instagram/similar: Metered: holds 5 credits per call up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
// Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
const API_KEY = process.env.SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY ?? "YOUR_API_KEY";
const TIMEOUT_MS = 28_000; // this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
const MAX_RETRIES = 3;
type Page = { next_cursor: string | null; has_more: boolean };
type SocialCrawlResponse =
| { success: true; data: any; pagination?: Page; credits_used: number; request_id: string }
| { success: false; error: { type: string; message: string; retryable: boolean }; request_id: string };
const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
// Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
const backoffMs = (attempt: number) => 2 ** attempt * 1000 * (0.5 + Math.random() / 2);
async function socialcrawl(url: URL) {
// One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
const idempotencyKey = crypto.randomUUID();
for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
let res: Response;
let body: SocialCrawlResponse;
try {
res = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
"x-api-key": API_KEY,
"Idempotency-Key": idempotencyKey,
},
signal: AbortSignal.timeout(TIMEOUT_MS),
});
body = (await res.json()) as SocialCrawlResponse;
} catch (error) {
// A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if (attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) throw error;
await sleep(backoffMs(attempt));
continue;
}
if (body.success) return body;
// Branch on error.type, never on the message text.
if (body.error.type === "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND") return null; // refunded: nothing to read
const retryAfter = res.headers.get("Retry-After");
// SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
const permanent = body.error.type === "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" && retryAfter === null;
if (!body.error.retryable || permanent || attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) {
throw new Error(`${body.error.type}: ${body.error.message} (request_id ${body.request_id})`);
}
// Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
await sleep(retryAfter ? Number(retryAfter) * 1000 : backoffMs(attempt));
}
}
const url = new URL("https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/similar");
url.searchParams.set("handle", "mrbeast");
const body = await socialcrawl(url);
if (body) console.log(body.data);Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| handle | No | Instagram username without the @ symbol. |
| user_id | No | Instagram numeric user ID. Use this for faster responses. |
| include | No | Set to `profile` (one token only) to fill `author.followers`, `author.following` and `author.bio` on every row in this one call, plus `author.posts_count` where the lookup has an exact total. The hydrated list is its top 20 accounts unless you pass `limit` (1 to 80). Holds 1 credit per row and keeps only the rows filled from a fresh lookup; rows already in cache and rows that could not be filled are refunded, so the most a call can cost is 5 + rows (25 by default, 85 with `limit=80`) and the usual bill is lower. Adds 3 to 6 seconds for 20 rows (never more than 12) and about four times that for 80, and nothing when the accounts are already cached; read `data.hydration` for the rows, the credits held and kept, and the time. (profile) |
| limit | No | Take the top N accounts of the list (1 to 80). With `include=profile` the list defaults to its top 20 (at most 25 credits) and `limit` caps both the rows and the extra credits: `limit=80&include=profile` buys the full roster for at most 85 credits. Without `include=profile` the full list is returned unless you cap it. |
What does the Instagram Similar API return?
Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"platform": "instagram",
"endpoint": "/v1/instagram/similar",
"data": {
"items": [
{
"author": {
"id": "user_ec1f5d",
"username": "user_00d85c",
"display_name": null,
"avatar_url": "https://example.com/avatars/user_1fb763.png",
"bio": null,
"verified": true,
"followers": null,
"following": null,
"posts_count": null,
"likes_count": null,
"url": "https://example.com/user_e4123b"
}
},
{
"author": {
"id": "user_230dd0",
"username": "user_a9ff1f",
"display_name": null,
"avatar_url": "https://example.com/avatars/user_56fdf6.png",
"bio": null,
"verified": true,
"followers": null,
"following": null,
"posts_count": null,
"likes_count": null,
"url": "https://example.com/user_7e5711"
}
}
],
"total": null,
"dropped": 0
},
"credits_used": 5,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"pagination": {
"next_cursor": null,
"has_more": false,
"page_size": 2
},
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"source": "captured",
"captured_at": "2026-10-02T13:07:38.450Z",
"redacted": true
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
How does the Instagram Similar API work?
Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.
Method
GET
Response
JSON
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 69 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 69 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.
Computed fields, not just scraped
When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language. Ready to use.
See your data before you code
Visual Data Explorer. Paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usHow do I get Instagram's suggested similar accounts via API?
Where do the similar accounts come from?
Can I use user_id for the similar accounts lookup?
How much does the similar accounts API cost?
What is this endpoint good for?
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