# Instagram API pricing

You pay per request from a prepaid balance in US dollars. A request is one call, or one page of a list. Every request costs $1.50 per 1,000 today. Lower rates for larger top-ups open soon, and top-ups made now count toward them. There is no subscription and no monthly minimum.

## Price per request by level

Your rate depends on the total of everything you have topped up. It moves to the next level when the total reaches the amount in the table, and it never moves back down.

Rates above Start are not open yet: $0.95 for Growth, $0.80 for Business and $0.70 for Scale per 1,000 requests. Until they open, every top-up is priced at the Start rate. Top-ups made now still count toward the higher levels, so an account with enough top-ups moves up on its own when a rate opens.

Every account gets 100 free requests once, when it signs in with Telegram. Free requests are spent before the balance.

| Level | Reached by | Per 1,000 requests | Per request | Requests per second | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free | Signing in with Telegram | 100 requests, once | - | 1 | Open |
| Start | Top up from $10 | $1.50 | $0.0015 | 3 | Open |
| Growth | Top-ups totalling $100 | $0.95 | $0.00095 | 5 | Opens soon |
| Business | Top-ups totalling $300 | $0.80 | $0.0008 | 10 | Opens soon |
| Scale | Top-ups totalling $1,000 | $0.70 | $0.0007 | 15 | Opens soon |
| Enterprise | An agreement for 10 million requests a month and more | From $0.55 | From $0.00055 | By agreement | Write to us |

## What $10, $100 and $1,000 buy

This is what a first top-up of each size buys, priced at the rate the amount earns today. The table counts requests. A profile takes 1 request, the stories of an account take 1, and a page of posts takes 1.

The higher rates are left out because they are not open yet.

| Top-up | Rate | Per 1,000 requests | Per request | Requests |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $10 | Start | $1.50 | $0.0015 | 6,666 |
| $100 | Start | $1.50 | $0.0015 | 66,666 |
| $1,000 | Start | $1.50 | $0.0015 | 666,666 |

## What is charged

A call to a profile, an about page, a post or a story takes 1 request. The stories of an account take 1. A page of posts, reels, followers or comments takes 1. Resolving a share link takes 2. Checking your balance is free.

You are charged for answers: the data, `not_found` and `private_account`. A wrong parameter, a rate limit and an empty balance cost nothing. When our side fails after a charge, the charge is refunded automatically.

Every answer from a data endpoint carries `X-Units-Charged`, `X-Balance-Remaining`, `X-Free-Units-Remaining` and `X-RateLimit-Remaining`, so your code can read what was taken and what is left.

| Status | Code | Charged | When |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `200` | `ok` | 1 request | The data you asked for |
| `404` | `not_found` | 1 request | The account or post does not exist |
| `403` | `private_account` | 1 request | The account is private |
| `400` | `bad_request` | free | A parameter is missing or wrong |
| `402` | `credits_exhausted` | free | Top up to continue |
| `429` | `rate_limited` | free | Too fast; wait for `Retry-After` |
| `5xx` | `upstream_unavailable` | refunded | Our side failed or timed out |

## How to pay

Top up in the [dashboard](https://storiesfly.com/developers/dashboard) from $10 up to $10,000 per payment. Pay with crypto (USDT, BTC, ETH and more) or with TON and USDT on TON. Card payments are not available for the API.

The balance is credited when the payment arrives. No promo code or other discount applies to API prices: the rate follows only the total of your top-ups.

## Large volumes

For 10 million requests a month and more, the price is set by agreement and starts from $0.55 per 1,000 requests. [Write to us](https://storiesfly.com/contact) with your volume and the endpoints you use.

## Refunds and expiry

The balance never expires. There is no deadline to spend it and no monthly fee, so an unused balance stays on your account.

If you want an unused balance back, write to support with the date of your payment. Refunds follow the [refund policy](https://storiesfly.com/legal/refund).

## Questions developers ask

### How much does the Instagram API cost?

From $1.50 per 1,000 requests, which is $0.0015 per request. Lower rates open soon, down to $0.70 per 1,000.

### Is there a free plan?

Yes. Every Telegram account gets 100 free requests once, with no card and no payment. After that you top up from $10.

### How do I pay?

With crypto (USDT, BTC, ETH and more) or with TON and USDT on TON, from $10 per top-up. Card payments are not available for the API.

### Does the balance expire?

No. An unused balance stays on your account for as long as you keep it.

### Am I charged for errors?

Only for answers: the data, `not_found` and `private_account`. A wrong parameter, a rate limit and an empty balance are free, and a failure on our side is refunded automatically.

### What happens when my balance runs out?

Calls answer `402` with the code `credits_exhausted` and cost nothing. Top up and the same key works again. The StoriesFly bot also sends a message in Telegram when your balance runs low.

### Can I get a lower price for a large volume?

Yes. For 10 million requests a month and more, the price starts from $0.55 per 1,000 requests and is set by agreement. [Write to us](https://storiesfly.com/contact).

### Can I get a refund?

An unused balance can be refunded under the [refund policy](https://storiesfly.com/legal/refund). Write to support with the date of your payment.

## Links

- [This page on the site](https://storiesfly.com/developers/pricing)
- [Read the docs](https://storiesfly.com/developers/docs)
- [Instagram data API](https://storiesfly.com/developers): what the API is and what it returns
- [OpenAPI file](https://storiesfly.com/openapi.json): the whole API in one file
- [API dashboard](https://storiesfly.com/developers/dashboard): get a key and top up
- [Changelog](https://storiesfly.com/developers/changelog): what changed and when