Instagram Follower Tracker: Track Growth Over Time

An Instagram follower tracker keeps a running history of your follower count over time, so you can see growth trends instead of a single snapshot. One thing worth saying upfront: this tracks the numbers, it does not name who specifically unfollowed you, Instagram’s API doesn’t expose that at an individual level, and no tool honestly can without violating Instagram’s terms.

Two connectors cover the two versions of this question, and the fix for both is the same idea: build your own history with a scheduled daily pull, because Instagram’s API itself only looks backward a limited distance.

Tracking your own account

Instagram’s API only returns follower_count for a recent rolling window, not your account’s full history, which is the most common wall people hit the first time they try to chart growth over months. Metrics data generally is capped further back too, so even a long-standing account can’t pull years of history after the fact.

The fix is a daily scheduled pull into Sheets or BigQuery, using follower_count_1d alongside follows_and_unfollows, reach_1d, and profile_views_1d, so your own history accumulates going forward instead of relying on Instagram to remember it for you. See why Instagram’s follower count data goes missing for the full explanation of the API limit.

Tracking any public account (not just your own)

You don’t need to own or log into an account to track its follower count. Windsor’s Instagram Public connector pulls profile_followers_count and profile_media_count for any public account, competitor research, influencer vetting, benchmarking, with no login required. Set up the same daily schedule and it builds a history the same way the owned-account version does.

Track the follower count for these 3 competitor Instagram accounts
weekly, and show me which one is growing fastest over the last month.

Set up the Looker Studio dashboard

Configure the Looker Studio connector: Windsor.ai
Once installed, open the Instagram Followers Tracker Dashboard and make a copy of it (File → Make a copy)
Select the newly created data source
Your dashboard is set up

FAQs

Does this tell me who unfollowed me?

No. Instagram’s API doesn’t expose who specifically unfollowed you, only the net change in your follower count over time. Any tool claiming to name individual unfollowers is working around Instagram’s terms, not through its official API.

Why does my follower history only go back so far?

Instagram’s API only returns recent follower-count history and caps how far back other metrics go, regardless of how long your account has existed. The fix is starting your own daily record going forward, since Instagram itself won’t retroactively provide older history.

Can I track an account I don't own?

Yes. Windsor’s Instagram Public connector pulls follower and media counts for any public account with no login required, which is what most competitor and influencer tracking uses.

Is this free to use?

Yes. The Looker Studio dashboard template is free, and Windsor.ai has a free forever plan for connecting your data.