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Instagram data API comparisons for agents

Instadata is one REST API (28 endpoints across 9 families) plus a hosted MCP server at https://mcp.instadata.dev. Your code and your agent get the same JSON records. You don't need an Instagram login, a Meta developer app, or App Review. Free and monthly top-ups cost $5 per 1,000 credits, and every account starts with 25 free credits, no card required.

There's more than one way to get public Instagram data into an app or agent. The pages below compare them. Each one tells you where the other option is the better pick.

Get an API key: 25 free credits → Set up MCP →

Comparisons

Instagram API for agents →

Hosted MCP and REST for Cursor, Claude, and ChatGPT. What an agent actually needs, and how to wire it up.

Instadata vs Meta Graph API →

When to use Meta's official API (your own accounts, publishing, private insights) and when to use Instadata for public reads without App Review.

Instadata vs Apify →

Apify is often cheaper per raw scraped item. Instadata gives you one API and one MCP, with transcripts, ads, and collaborations built in.

Instadata vs instapi.co →

Both are hosted APIs with MCP. The real differences are coverage and list price.

Facts at a glance

  • Interfaces:REST API plus hosted MCP at https://mcp.instadata.dev. Both use the same records and the same credit balance.
  • MCP tools (10):get_transcript, get_summary, get_post_stats, get_comments, get_profile, get_channel_posts, search_hashtag, download_media, list_endpoints (free), call_endpoint.
  • Billing:errors, timeouts and upstream failures are never charged. Empty results are free up to 25 per day per account, then cost 1 credit.
  • Official MCP Registry:dev.instadata/instagram@1.0.0 → https://mcp.instadata.dev
  • Agent skills pack:npx skills add nikhonit/instagram-api-skills
  • No Meta app:Instagram API without a Meta app

Connect your agent

  • MCP overview
  • Cursor: add Instadata to mcp.json with the remote URL https://mcp.instadata.dev. 
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "instadata": {
      "url": "https://mcp.instadata.dev",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ik_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

    Save this as ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (per project). Get your key at /app/keys/.

  • Claude · ChatGPT
  • Reel transcript API
Get an API key: 25 free credits → Set up MCP →