Instagram API vs Data365 API: Comparing Documentation, Features, and Integration in One Guide

A fast, scalable, and cross-platform API from Data365 or basic Instagram API? Choose your own player with this in-depth guide. Compare features, limits, and pricing plans to select the option that goes the extra mile for your project.

Better than Basic Instagram API? Track, Analyze, and Build with Data365

  • Track Instagram profiles, hot topics, and engagement metrics

  • Monitor trending hashtags, mentions, and popular music

  • Analyze audience demographics and user behavior

  • Power real-time dashboards and build reports

  • Aggregate user-generated content and brand mentions

Unlike Instagram API which restricts the ability to collect data by imposing limitations and access requirements, Data365 offers a comprehensive tool that enables clients to retrieve the publicly available Instagram data they need. It supports requests for all publicly accessible data types, while simplifying setup, streamlining access and avoiding artificial limitations.

Social Media API for Instagram: API Documentation Explained

From our side, we have done what we could to make the integration process as simple as possible. Data365’s  Instagram developer API documentation is clear and convenient to implement, offering info on queries setup, path and optional parameters, request and response samples, professional recommendations on setup, and other helpful things. 

The Instagram API docs also cover all the available 20+ public data endpoints, including:

  • Public profiles (user IDs, bio, followers / following count, etc.)

  • Posts (text and media content, engagement count, etc.)

  • Media (photos, videos, reels, etc.)

  • Comments (count, engagements, and content)

  • Hashtag search 

  • Reactions (engagement count)

  • Plus other public information

Data availability is subject to Instagram's evolving platform policies, individual user privacy settings, and public access restrictions.

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Who is Data365 for?

  • Marketing teams specializing in social media listening and brand monitoring

  • BI professionals who analyze industry trends and consumer preferences

  • Developers and AI programmers who create Instagram-based apps and models

  • Colleges and universities that conduct behavioral research and social trend analysis

  • Cybersecurity specialists who are responsible for threat detection and removal

For example:

  • Marketing teams at large companies (like those in automotive, finance, or telecom) use the Instagram API integration to monitor brand visibility, measure campaign performance, and better understand audience engagement across the social network.

  • Digital threat research teams use the API to study how public Instagram content is used to spread misinformation or manipulate narratives, especially around political or social events.

  • Data intelligence and social listening firms use the API as a core data source to help their clients track brand mentions, monitor influencers, and spot potential PR issues early.

  • Sentiment and semantic analysis platforms rely on the Data365 API as a steady stream of public data to power tools that detect tone, intent, and emotional context in social content.

  • Consulting firms with in-house data and sociology teams combine the Instagram scraping API with their own models to show clients how their social presence stacks up, where they’re falling behind, and what they can do to improve.

All this without going through the hurdles of Instagram API integration.

The Data365 API does not access private content or require user accounts. All access respects visibility settings and platform limits.

Main Features of Data365 API

  • Real-time data collections 

  • All popular data endpoints are available

  • Unified access to the biggest social networks

  • Personal support and clear documentation

  • High scalability with 99% of uptime

  • Easy customization and diverse pricing options

  • 14-day free trial

Simplifying Data Retrieval from Instagram: Developer API Guide from Data365 API

To give an illustrative look at how to retrieve a post from Instagram, API examples of POST and GET requests will not be excessive. Here’s how it works: 

1

POST (A request to fetch the data)

https://data365.co/instagram/post/12345678910/update?access_token=TOKEN

2

GET (A request to get the data)

https://data365.co/instagram/post/12345678910?access_token=TOKEN

3

The GET request response

{
  "data": {
    "id": "12345678910",
    "shortcode": "CpudaLQDZsA",
    "created_time": "2024-03-31T18:00:01",
    "product_type": "feed",
    "text": "Here you will see social media post text",
    "text_tagged_users": [
      "username_example1",
      "username_example2"
    ],
    "text_tags": [
      "hellokitty",
      "bartsimpson",
      "unikitty"
    ],
    "attached_video_url": "https://example.com/video.mp4",
    "attached_media_display_url": "https://example.com/image.jpeg",
    "attached_carousel_media_urls": [
      "https://example.com/image1.jpeg",
      "https://example.com/image2.jpeg",
      "https://example.com/image3.jpeg"
    ],
    "is_video": true,
    "likes_count": 445,
    "comments_count": 8,
    "owner_id": "12345",
    "owner_username": "username_example"
  },
  "_comment": "This sample shows how the API works with Instagram, but we also provide data from Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit. Social media rules change often, so contact us to learn what data is available. We provide any public info that doesn't require login.",
  "error": null,
  "status": "ok"
}
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How to Fetch from Instagram: API Examples of Use from Data365

Case studies

This Hungarian company provides an Enterprise Text Analytics toolkit for IT, research, and communications departments and individual text analysis solutions. Usage of our API for social media data extraction helps the company provide intelligent media monitoring, media analysis, social listening, and create sentiment and semantic analysis toolkits for in-house corporate use.

Case studies

Jin is a European communication agency specializing in digital influence and public relations. The company provides business intelligence solutions powered by artificial intelligence. Our API was a helpful tool in this field and was used for social media monitoring, hashtag tracking, and a lot more.

Case studies

This powerful brand advocacy platform helps businesses increase brand awareness through a wide network of key influencers. Using our social media APIs, the company can find the right target audiences for their clients by monitoring more than 1000 user profiles per hour. Social media monitoring and analytics are the main tools in such fields.

2/2

Data365 API vs. Instagram API Comparison

Feature

Data365 API

Instagram API

Available Social Media Networks

Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit

Only Instagram

How Easy It Is to Start

Easy –

After a brief introductory call with the Data365 team to understand your requirements and ensure the API will be used responsibly and in line with appropriate practices, the team will provide you with setup guidance and an API key to test and explore the possibilities.

Challenging —
due to strict requirements and limitations.

It requires creation of a Facebook developer account and then building an app through the Facebook Developer portal.

Specify its purpose, which is then reviewed. Additional approval is required to access detailed data like followers or profile information.

It can take time, and approval is not guaranteed.

Data Availability

Any publicly available data from the social network's web version can be accessed.

Limited to business and creator profiles. Cannot retrieve data from personal accounts.

Response time

Asynchronous, real-time data with 1-5 minutes latency.

Synchronous, real-time

Live Support and Customization Availability

Yes, full live support is available Monday to Friday during business hours. Customization options are available based on client needs.

No, there is no direct support available

Free Trial Duration

14 Days free trial

No trial available

Rate limits

Up to 100 requests per second

Maximum 200 calls per hour

Data extraction limitations

Data365 does not impose specific limitations on the number of results that can be retrieved in a single API call. For each endpoint, the volume of data that can be accessed is contingent on the availability of public information from each social network itself. Monitoring or re-filtering queries can increase the volume of data collection.

The number of post (plus all info) you can retrieve in a single API call is limited. The maximum number of results per page is 20000.

Stories are temporary by nature, and can only be accessed if they are still active within the 24-hour time window.

Limited access to hashtags, a maximum of 30 unique hashtags on behalf of an Instagram Business or Creator Account within a rolling, 7-day period.

The number of media objects (like images or videos) you can retrieve in a single API call is limited. The maximum number of results per page is 50.

Stories, temporary by nature, can only be accessed if they are still active within the 24-hour time window.

Historical Data

You can retrieve media and post information for any period as long as it is publicly available on the social network's web version. Historical data can be accessed for any public post.

No historical data retrieval for posts older than 24 hours unless from business accounts.

Monthly Data Limits

Depends on the subscription package you choose and the API endpoints you use.
There is more flexibility in scaling based on the data you need to collect across multiple endpoints and networks.

Limited by subscription tier and specific API rate limits. Instagram's API is restricted to 200 API calls per hour. The overall monthly data usage depends on these hourly rate limits and what endpoints you are accessing.

Extra features

Data365 can be used for data extraction only

The ability to post content via the API is available for Business Accounts.

Need to extract data from Facebook?

Request a free trial of Data365 API for extracting data

  • 5 social network in 1 place

  • Fair pricing

  • Email support

  • Detailed API documentation

  • Comprehensive data of any volume

  • No downtimes, uptime of at least 99%

Instagram API FAQ

What is Instagram API?

API Instagram is a set of programmable interfaces that allow developers to access and manipulate Instagram's functionalities programmatically. While Meta offers its own official solution — Graph API, there are also lots of third-party options like Data365, which simplifies setup and streamlines public data retrieval.

Does Instagram have an API?

Instagram provides the Instagram API as part of the Meta platform. This Instagram API for developers opens some specific features and data points, if having Business and Creator accounts. Yet, the official solution often comes with strict rate limits, long approval periods, and other pitfalls.

How to use Instagram API?

To extract data from Instagram, you can use the Instagram API, which requires a developer account and app setup. However, it has limitations on raw data. For a more flexible solution across multiple social networks, consider Data365.co, which offers comprehensive public data collection and tailored services.

Is there an Instagram API Docs?

Yes, there is an official Instagram API documentation, which presents the API's structure, endpoints, authentication methods, etc. Still, the Instagram API integration, even with this documentation, is often considered complicated, especially for novices. Data365 offers its own documentation, which includes examples, best practices, and troubleshooting tips to assist in the seamless integration of Instagram features into applications and websites. 

Is Instagram API free? 

Instagram offers a free Basic Display API that allows read‑only access to users' media. More extensive capabilities of the Instagram Graph API require a long approval process and account review. In contrast, Data365 provides access on any scale to public data with a free 14‑day trial.

What does the Instagram API do?

The Instagram API from Meta allows apps to access and manage data in a way of posting feed, managing communication, and tracking performance. Still, sophisticated features require the presence of a Business account. For a streamlined process, consider using Data365’s Social Media API for large-scale data retrieval and seamless integration of JSON-formatted info into most dashboards and marketing tools.

How to get Instagram API?

To get the Instagram API, you will first need to create a Meta (Facebook) Developers account, then create a new app, add a description of your product, connect your Instagram Business or Creator account, set permissions, and wait for approval. Lastly, create an access token in the app dashboard, which helps in authenticating the API requests.

How to get access to Instagram API?

To get the Instagram API, create a Meta Developer account and get an Instagram Business account or Creator account. Register your app on the Facebook Developers portal, add the Instagram product, connect to the Instagram account, and finish up the permission setup. Then, to get the Instagram data, API will request a personal access token for authenticated access.

How to get an Instagram API key?

An Instagram API key is an access token. Once a Facebook Developer account is created and your app is registered, go to your Instagram Business account. To get the API key, go to the Instagram section and generate a token to view the access parameters and set them. Or, integrate Instagram data without any hassles with Data365 Social Media API.

Is there an alternative to Instagram API?

Yes, there are alternatives to the Instagram API, such as third-party tools like Data365.co. It allows you to gather all the public data available on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Reddit, and even Facebook. Moreover, Data365.co provides you with additional bonuses: a faster setup process, a wider range of data to gather, live support, and a free trial option.