How we calculate Instagram stats

Where the data comes from

Every report is built from what a logged-out visitor can see on Instagram: the public profile (followers, following, post count, verified status, bio, category) and the most recent posts Instagram shows on the profile, usually 12 (likes, comments, video views, caption, hashtags and post time). We do not log in, and we do not see private accounts, stories, demographics or Instagram's own insights.

Each report states the date of its follower count ("as of"). Reports are rebuilt when we collect an account again, not on a fixed schedule, so an older report describes the account as it was on that date. To ask for a refresh or a correction, use the contact page.

Follower counts

Instagram sometimes returns a rounded follower count, such as 507M. When it does, the report says "about 507M" rather than printing 507,000,000 as if it were exact.

Follower change comes from our own readings of the account on different days. Rounded readings (exact multiples of 1,000) are left out of the change whenever exact readings exist, because a rounded first reading would invent a gain or a loss. A report shows a change only when we have enough readings.

The posts we analyse

Averages and medians (likes, comments, video views) are taken over the analysed recent posts, and the report says how many that is. Twelve posts is a small sample: one viral post can double the average, so the median, the middle post, is the better guide to a typical post.

Engagement rate = (likes + comments) per post / followers. It is measured against followers, not views, because Instagram shows views only for videos.

Posting hours come from the time of each analysed post, in UTC. They show when the account posts, not when its audience is online.

Posts per week = analysed posts, leaving out pinned ones, divided by the number of weeks between the oldest and newest of them. Instagram keeps up to three pinned posts at the top of a profile however old they are, so counting them would stretch the date range. Reports built before October 2026 counted pinned posts; where the account's posts include any, the weekly rate is not shown.

Tiers and engagement guide ranges

Tier is set by followers: Starter under 1,000; Nano 1,000+; Micro 10,000+; Mid-Tier 50,000+; Macro 100,000+; Mega 1,000,000+.

Reports compare an account's engagement rate with a fixed guide range for its tier: Mega 1-3%, Macro 1.5-4%, Mid-Tier 3-6%, Micro 3.5-8%, Nano 5-12%, Starter 8-20%. These are rough rules of thumb, not figures measured from our own data. Larger accounts usually have lower rates.

Sponsorship estimates

Instagram does not publish what creators are paid, so the estimate for one sponsored post is a range based on followers only: $0.005 to $0.012 per follower for accounts with 1M+ followers, $0.008 to $0.015 for 100K+, $0.01 to $0.02 for 10K+, and none below 10K. Real deals vary widely with niche, audience country, format and usage rights.

How the text on a report is written

The opening summary on each report is generated by our code from the report's own numbers, so every figure in it is a figure shown on the page. Reports do not show AI-written text.

Corrections and removal

If a number looks wrong, or you are the creator and want a report refreshed or removed, write to [email protected] with the report's address.