Best overall
Iconosquare
The most detailed Instagram data, with shareable reports.
TOP LIST · INSTAGRAM ANALYTICS
The 5 best Instagram analytics tools in 2026
Good analytics tell you what to post next and whether your growth is real. We compared the leading Instagram analytics tools on the depth of their data, how long they keep it, who they suit and what they cost each month. Iconosquare is our top pick, Metricool is the best value, and Meta's own free tool is where everyone should start.
Our quick picks
How they compare
| # | Tool | Our score | Price from | Best for | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iconosquare | 4.5/5 | Free, paid plans from €11/month | Brands and agencies that want detailed Instagram analytics and reports | Visit site of Iconosquare |
| 2 | Metricool | 4.5/5 | Free, paid plans from $25/month | Small teams that want analytics and scheduling in one tool | Visit site of Metricool |
| 3 | Sked Social | 4/5 | $69/month | Teams that publish and report on Instagram together | Visit site of Sked Social |
| 4 | Sprout Social | 4/5 | $99 per seat/month | Larger teams that need reporting across many networks | Read review of Sprout Social |
| 5 | Meta Business Suite | 3.5/5 | Free | Anyone who wants free Instagram and Facebook insights | Visit site of Meta Business Suite |
1. Iconosquare: best for the deepest Instagram analytics
4.5/5Best for: Brands and agencies that want detailed Instagram analytics and reports
Iconosquare goes further into Instagram data than anything else on this list, with custom dashboards and, on higher plans, automated reports. There's a free plan for two profiles, and monthly billing starts at €11, and every paid plan can be trialled free for 14 days.
- Free plan
- Yes, 2 profiles
- Paid from
- €11/month
- Analytics history
- 1 year on Starter
- Free trial
- 14 days
Overview
Iconosquare started as an Instagram analytics tool and still feels like one, even though it now covers other networks and scheduling. Its strength is detail: how each post, Reel and story performed, when your audience is online, and how those numbers move over months.
How Iconosquare works
You connect your Instagram professional account and the dashboard fills with your data. Starter adds custom dashboards and a year of history; Launch adds automated reports you can send to a client or manager without building them by hand each month.
Who it is best for
Brands, agencies and serious creators who make decisions from data and want reports that look good enough to share.
What we liked
- Pro: Detailed Instagram analytics
- Pro: Custom dashboards and automated reports
- Pro: Free plan for 2 profiles
What we didn't like
- Con: Free plan keeps 1 month of history
- Con: Priced in euros
Price from Free, paid plans from €11/month
2. Metricool: best for analytics and scheduling on a budget
4.5/5Best for: Small teams that want analytics and scheduling in one tool
Metricool combines analytics with a content planner, and its free plan is unusually generous: one brand, 30 days of analytics and up to five competitor profiles to track. Paid plans start at $25 a month on monthly billing and unlock unlimited history.
- Free plan
- Yes, 1 brand
- Paid from
- $25/month
- Competitor tracking
- 5 on free
- Priced by
- Brands, not users
Overview
Metricool suits people who want to see what works and plan their next posts in the same place. Its pricing is based on how many brands you manage rather than how many people log in, which makes it good value for small teams and freelancers.
How Metricool works
Connect your Instagram account alongside other networks, then use the analytics tabs to see post performance, audience data and competitor comparisons. The planner lets you schedule posts based on what the data shows.
Who it is best for
Freelancers, small businesses and creators who want solid analytics plus scheduling without paying per seat.
What we liked
- Pro: Generous free plan
- Pro: Analytics plus scheduling
- Pro: Tracks competitor profiles, even on the free plan
What we didn't like
- Con: Free plan keeps 30 days of data
- Con: Many features to learn
Price from Free, paid plans from $25/month
3. Sked Social: best for teams reporting on Instagram together
4/5
Best for: Teams that publish and report on Instagram together
Sked Social is built for teams that plan, approve and report on Instagram as a group. Its Grow plan costs US$69 a month on monthly billing with three users and six profiles included, and there's a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
- Free plan
- No, 14-day trial
- Paid from
- $69/month
- Users included
- 3
- Profiles included
- 6
Overview
Sked Social's analytics sit inside a wider publishing workflow. That makes it a strong fit when the person who posts, the person who approves and the person who reports to the boss are three different people.
How Sked Social works
Your team connects accounts, plans content in a visual calendar, sends posts for approval and tracks results in shared reports. Role settings decide who can see analytics, approve posts or use listening tools.
Who it is best for
Marketing teams and agencies that need approvals and shared reporting, not just numbers for one person.
What we liked
- Pro: 3 users included
- Pro: Visual planning and reports
- Pro: 14-day free trial
What we didn't like
- Con: No free plan
- Con: Built for teams, not solo users
Price from $69/month
4. Sprout Social: best for larger teams across many networks
4/5
Best for: Larger teams that need reporting across many networks
Sprout Social is the most polished platform here, with publishing, inbox, listening and reporting in one place. It's priced per seat, starting at $99 per seat a month on monthly billing, and offers a 30-day free trial.
- Free plan
- No, 30-day trial
- Paid from
- $99 per seat/month
- Priced by
- Seat
- Best feature
- Presentation-ready reports
Overview
Sprout Social is built for organisations where social media is a department rather than a side job. Its reports are easy to share with stakeholders, and higher plans add competitor insights and AI-assisted analysis.
How Sprout Social works
Every team member gets a seat. You connect your networks, then use one platform to publish, answer messages and report. Reports can be customised and shared through links, and listening tools track conversations about your brand.
Who it is best for
Mid-size and larger companies with several people working on social media every day.
What we liked
- Pro: Polished reports
- Pro: Inbox, publishing and listening
- Pro: 30-day free trial
What we didn't like
- Con: Priced per seat
- Con: Expensive for small accounts
Price from $99 per seat/month
5. Meta Business Suite: best for free Instagram and Facebook insights
3.5/5Best for: Anyone who wants free Instagram and Facebook insights
Meta Business Suite is free and comes straight from the company that runs Instagram. It shows insights for your Instagram and Facebook accounts in one place, alongside scheduling and your inbox.
- Free plan
- Free
- Paid from
- Free
- Covers
- Instagram and Facebook
- Competitor tracking
- No
Overview
Every account should know Meta Business Suite exists before paying for anything. The data comes straight from Meta, it costs nothing, and for many small accounts it answers the basic questions: which posts did well, who your audience is, and when they're online.
How Meta Business Suite works
Connect your Instagram professional account to your Facebook Page, then open the insights section. You'll see reach, engagement and audience details for both accounts, and you can schedule posts from the same dashboard.
Who it is best for
Small businesses and new creators who want free, reliable numbers and don't need competitor data or custom reports.
What we liked
- Pro: Free
- Pro: Data straight from Meta
- Pro: Covers Instagram and Facebook
What we didn't like
- Con: Basic reports
- Con: No competitor tracking
Price from Free
What Instagram analytics are for
Analytics answer one question: what should I post next? Followers alone don't tell you much. Reach shows how far a post travelled, engagement shows whether people cared, and audience data shows who those people are and when they're online.
The right tool depends on how many accounts you run and who reads your reports. One creator checking their own numbers needs something very different from an agency sending monthly reports to ten clients.
Analytics also keep you honest about your own habits. It is easy to feel that a week went well because one post got a lot of comments, while reach across the whole week actually fell. Looking at the same few numbers every Monday turns gut feeling into something you can act on, and makes it obvious when a new format or posting time is really working.
Start with what Instagram gives you for free
Before you pay for anything, open the insights built into Instagram. Instagram's insights overview explains that public professional accounts get free insights on followers and content performance, including views, interactions and new followers.
The catch is history. Instagram's guide to viewing account insights says you can look at any period within the last 90 days. If you want to compare this autumn with last autumn, you need a tool that stores your data for longer.
Write down your numbers once a month: followers, average reach and engagement rate. Even a simple spreadsheet beats having no history at all.
The metrics that actually matter
| Metric | What it tells you | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | How many accounts saw your content | Growth over weeks, not single posts |
| Engagement rate | How many of them reacted | Drops after follower spikes |
| Saves and shares | Content people want to keep or pass on | Topics that earn them |
| New followers | How your audience is growing | Which posts bring them in |
| Follower activity | When your audience is online | Best times to post |
Engagement rate deserves special attention. When a service adds thousands of followers who never react, the follower count rises while engagement falls. In our tests of growth services, the ones that delivered bot followers saw engagement collapse while the count jumped, which is easy to spot once you track both.
How to choose an Instagram analytics tool
Count your accounts and people
Some tools charge per profile, some per brand and some per seat. Work out your real numbers before comparing prices.
Decide how much history you need
Instagram keeps 90 days in its own insights. Free plans often keep 30 days or a month. Paid plans keep a year or more.
Check who reads the reports
If clients or managers see your reports, automated and branded reports save hours every month.
Look for competitor data
Comparing yourself with similar accounts shows what's realistic. Metricool includes some competitor tracking even on its free plan.
Try before you pay
Every tool here has a free plan or a free trial. Run it for two weeks on your real account before committing.
Turning numbers into better posts
Look for patterns, not one-offs. If carousels about one topic keep earning saves, make more of them. If Reels posted in the evening reach more people, plan for evenings. Our guide to growing followers organically shows how to build a posting routine around what works.
Most analytics tools here also schedule posts, but if planning is your main need, compare them with the dedicated options in our list of Instagram scheduling tools.
If your numbers show plenty of comments but few conversions, automate the next step. Our ranking of DM automation tools covers tools that turn comments into conversations.
Using analytics to judge a growth service
Analytics are the best defence against a growth service that sells numbers instead of an audience. Track reach and engagement rate before you start, then every week. Real growth lifts both; bot followers lift only the count.
That's exactly how we test. In our 30-day trials, our top pick Kicksta raised our engagement rate from 4.1% to 5.5% while followers grew. Our list of best growth services shows how each service performed.
If you just want to know who followed or unfollowed you, a lighter tool does the job. We compare those in our list of follower tracker apps.
How we ranked these tools
We started wide. We listed the tools people use most for this job, then dropped any that have shut down or no longer do what they claim.
We checked each tool's own site. Features, limits and monthly prices come straight from the company, on the date shown at the top.
We read what users say. App store and review-site feedback helped us spot problems the sales pages leave out.
We scored and ranked them. Each score reflects how well the tool does the job, how safe it is for your account, and what it costs.
FAQ
What is the best Instagram analytics tool?
Iconosquare for depth and shareable reports. If you'd rather have analytics and scheduling in one cheaper tool, Metricool is the best value, and its free plan is a good place to start.
Is there a free Instagram analytics tool?
Yes. Instagram's own insights and Meta Business Suite are free. Iconosquare and Metricool also have free plans, with limits on profiles and history.
What can Instagram's own insights show?
Views, interactions, new followers and how your content performed, for any period within the last 90 days. You need a professional account, which is free to switch to.
Why pay for analytics if Instagram has insights?
Paid tools keep longer history, compare you with competitors, combine several accounts and build reports automatically. If you only manage one account and check it weekly, the free tools may be enough.
Which tool is best for agencies?
Iconosquare and Sked Social both handle client reporting well. Metricool's pricing per brand also makes it popular with freelancers managing several small clients.
Do analytics tools need my Instagram password?
No. The tools here connect through Meta's official login for professional accounts. Be wary of any analytics app that asks you to type your password into it.
How often should I check my Instagram analytics?
Once a week is enough for most accounts. Look at reach, engagement rate and new followers for the week, note anything unusual, and do a deeper monthly review to spot trends. Checking several times a day mostly creates worry, not insight.
