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Instadata vs ScrapeCreators for Instagram data

Short version: want a pay-as-you-go social API that usually charges one credit per request, with free cache hits and coverage across many platforms? ScrapeCreators is a strong choice. Want an Instagram-first API that bills most reads per result, with reel transcripts, Meta Ad Library ads, collaborations, and a hosted MCP server on the same key? Use Instadata.

Try Instadata free: 25 credits, no card → Set up MCP

At a glance

Instadata ScrapeCreators
Model One Instagram API, 28 endpoints, 9 families One API across 9 social platforms; homepage lists 20 Instagram endpoints and 38+ APIs
Billing unit Credits; most reads 1 credit per result Credits; official copy says 1 credit equals 1 request for most endpoints, a few use more
Headline paid rate $5 per 1,000 credits on free/monthly top-ups and the $5 monthly plan grant; $4.50 per 1,000 on annual top-ups and the $54 annual grant Freelance $47 for 25,000 credits ($1.88 / 1k one-credit requests). Business $497 for 500,000 credits (advertised $0.99 / 1k)
Free start 25 credits at signup, no card 100 credits, no card required (stated on the comments endpoint page and homepage). Up to 1,200 bonus credits to claim
Failed / empty Errors, timeouts and upstream failures never charged. Empty results free for 25/day/account, then 1 credit Comments docs: empty pages and errors cost 0 credits. Pages with comments cost 1 credit, or 15 with include_replies=true. Treat other endpoints as "see that endpoint's docs"; do not assume the same rule everywhere
Cache Stored copy costs the same as a live read Cache hits cost 0 credits; cache miss fetches live at the endpoint's normal price
Reel transcripts Built in (/transcript): 1 credit plus 20 per started minute Official Post/Reel Info page links GET /v2/instagram/media/transcript. Credit cost and full docs for that path were not fetched as a standalone pricing page this run
Ads library Built in (Meta Ad Library search and ads by page), 3 credits per ad Homepage lists ad-library use cases and Facebook / Google ad endpoints among platforms. Do not treat Instagram ads as confirmed or ruled out without the specific Instagram endpoint docs
Collaborations Built in, 3 credits per row Not listed on the pages fetched this run (homepage pricing and the Instagram comments endpoint). Unlisted is not proof of absence
MCP Hosted at https://mcp.instadata.dev, OAuth or key Official homepage: hosted MCP at https://api.scrapecreators.com/mcp, plus CLI and an agent skill
Response / ops Request then response over REST or MCP Request then response over REST; official copy recommends staying below 500 concurrent requests and says there are no account-level rate or concurrency caps
Credits expiry Top-ups never expire while the account is open Purchased credits have no expiration date under the policy on the homepage (with a disclosure about possible future changes)

Where ScrapeCreators is better

  • Price per request. At the published Freelance rate of $1.88 per 1,000 one-credit requests, a typical one-credit call is much cheaper than Instadata's $5.00 per 1,000 1-credit results. If one ScrapeCreators request returns a page of posts, the gap can widen. We will not pretend otherwise.
  • Free cache hits. If the result is already cached, official copy says it costs 0 credits. Instadata charges the same for stored and live reads.
  • Multi-platform coverage. One key covers TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, and other networks listed on the homepage, not only Instagram.
  • Credit packs without a monthly plan. Pricing is pay as you go. There is no required subscription.
  • Larger free and bonus credit pool as published (100 credits, plus optional claimed bonuses), versus Instadata's 25 signup credits.
  • Published concurrency stance. Official copy says no account-level rate or concurrency caps, with a reliability recommendation under 500 concurrent requests.

Where Instadata is better

  • Transcripts with published per-minute pricing on the same Instagram API. Pass a reel URL, get the spoken words. 1 credit plus 20 per started minute. Stored once, served fast. Reel transcript API → ScrapeCreators links an Instagram media transcript path from its Post/Reel Info docs. We did not verify that path's credit rate on a dedicated page this run.
  • Ads and collaborations. Same API, same key, published credit rates (3 credits per ad or collaboration row).
  • Per-result billing when you need one record at a time. A single profile or post is 1 credit ($0.005 at the $5 per 1,000 rate). That maps more cleanly to "I needed 200 profiles" than a request-priced page, even when request pricing wins on list jobs.
  • Agent-first MCP. The MCP page and docs say each tool description includes params, unit and price. list_endpoints is free. call_endpoint is billed at the path you pass. Hosted at https://mcp.instadata.dev.
  • Errors are free. Errors, timeouts and upstream failures are never charged. Empty results are free up to 25 per day per account, then cost 1 credit.
  • Instagram-only surface. 28 endpoints in 9 families, including hashtag analytics, location posts, ads and collaborations, without a multi-network catalog to navigate.

Same task, both ways

Look up a public profile

Instadata:

curl "https://api.instadata.dev/v1/instagram/channel-stats?handle=instagram" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ik_live_..."

ScrapeCreators (from their official homepage example):

curl "https://api.scrapecreators.com/v1/instagram/profile?handle=zuck" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Instadata bills 1 credit for that profile. ScrapeCreators bills 1 credit for the request on most endpoints, or 0 credits on a cache hit, per their published rules. Check the live endpoint docs if you enable extras such as media download (their official Post/Reel Info page says download_media costs 10 credits if media is found, 1 credit otherwise).

Which should you pick?

  • Pick ScrapeCreatorsfor multi-platform social reads, for workloads where one request returns many items, or when free cache hits and pay-as-you-go packs are the main requirement.
  • Pick Instadataif an agent is the caller, you need Instagram transcripts, ads or collaborations on one key, or you want per-result pricing and a hosted MCP with priced tool descriptions.
  • Use both.You can use ScrapeCreators for bulk or cross-platform pulls and Instadata for live Instagram lookups and transcripts.

For agents / MCP

If an agent is the caller, this is the case Instadata was built for:

  • One Instagram API and one hosted MCP.Agents call https://mcp.instadata.dev directly.
  • Priced tool descriptions.The MCP page and docs say each tool description includes its params, unit and price. list_endpoints is free. call_endpoint is billed at the path you pass.
  • Same JSON recordin REST and MCP.
  • Built in:reel transcripts, the Ads library, and collaborations, all in the same API and MCP.
  • Billing:errors, timeouts and upstream failures are never charged. Empty results are free up to 25 per day per account, then cost 1 credit.
  • Setup:Cursor (mcp.json) · Claude · ChatGPT · Overview · Docs
  • Registry:dev.instadata/instagram@1.0.0 (official MCP Registry)
  • Tools:get_profile, get_channel_posts, get_post_stats, get_comments, get_transcript, get_summary, search_hashtag, download_media, list_endpoints (free), call_endpoint.
  • Pricing:free/monthly top-ups cost $5 per 1,000 credits; annual top-ups cost $4.50 per 1,000. Accounts start with 25 free credits. A $5 monthly plan grants 1,000 credits; an $54 annual plan grants 12,000 credits up front.

ScrapeCreators also publishes a hosted MCP at https://api.scrapecreators.com/mcp. Pick Instadata for Instagram transcripts, ads, collaborations and per-result billing, not for the lowest per-request pack rate.

FAQ

Is Instadata cheaper than ScrapeCreators?

Often not, if you compare $ per 1,000 requests on ScrapeCreators packs with $ per 1,000 results on Instadata. Compare the actual calls your job makes, including items per request and cache hits, then include integration work.

Does Instadata need an Instagram login?

No. Public data only, no login, no Meta app.

Is Instadata affiliated with Meta?

No. Instadata is an independent public-data API.

Do ScrapeCreators credits expire?

Their homepage says purchased credits have no expiration date, and that if expiration is introduced for future purchases they will disclose it before purchase.

ScrapeCreators pricing and docs checked on 10 Nov 2026 IST. Features and endpoint prices vary; tell us if something is out of date.

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