Free Instagram Competitor Analysis MCP: No-Code Setup

  • Free forever plan: unlimited connected accounts, up to 30 days of history (15 days in AI chats) and 100 automation credits a month.
  • Any business or creator account: ask by @username. The competitor connects and approves nothing.
  • Posts, Reels and hashtags: followers, captions, likes, comments, formats and the top posts for a hashtag.
  • Safe for live accounts: every question is a read, so your own account stays exactly as it is.
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By Kashmala Malik · Last updated November 9, 2026

What is a Instagram Competitor Analysis MCP server?

A Instagram Competitor Analysis MCP server lets an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT reach your Instagram Competitor Analysis data through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). You ask in plain language, and the assistant calls the Instagram public data for public profiles, posts, Reels and hashtags of any business or creator account.

  • Quick setup: paste https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor and sign in with your Porter account. Full steps
  • Works in: Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and Codex
  • Data: followers, captions, likes, comments, formats and top hashtag posts for any business or creator account
  • Changes: none, Porter only reads Instagram Competitor Analysis
  • Price: free plan, paid plans from $15 per account a month
  • Official Instagram Competitor Analysis server: none for public Instagram data; Meta’s MCPs cover ad accounts
Use cases

Instagram Competitor Analysis MCP use cases

Porter Metrics brings public Instagram data into Claude, ChatGPT and other AI clients through one MCP server. Ask what a rival posts, which Reels pull the most likes or how often they post, and Claude runs the Instagram competitor analysis from public profile data.

Reports

Competitor profiles

  • Any business or creator account: look it up by @username, no follow request and no login of theirs.
  • The profile itself: followers, following, number of posts, bio, website and profile picture.

Posts and Reels

  • Every recent post: caption, publish time, likes, comments and the permalink to the post.
  • Formats: Reels or feed, and image, video or carousel for each post, with the slides of every carousel.
  • The creative: image URLs and video thumbnails for every post, ready for a report.

Hashtag research

  • Top posts for a hashtag: the most popular public posts for any tag you name.
  • Recent posts for a hashtag: what went up under a tag lately, with likes and comments.
  • What a topic looks like: captions and formats across a tag, before you plan your own posts.

Competitor reports

  • A report at its own link: Claude turns a teardown into a hosted Porter report, dated, with every post linked.
  • Email delivery: the finished report goes to you or a client by email, on the day and hour you pick.

Research

  • Several rivals side by side: one lookup per account, then Claude puts them in one table.
  • Going further back: up to 50 posts per lookup, then the next 50, until the window you want is covered.
  • Data Studio and Google Sheets: the same public profiles as a connector in the tools your team already uses.

Audits

  • Your account vs rivals: posting frequency and format mix against the accounts you track.
  • Engagement per follower: rivals that earn more likes and comments per follower than you.

Example answer

Demo data, from made-up public accounts. Prompt: “Compare these accounts on followers, posts in the last 30 days, their most-used format and average likes and comments per post, with engagement per 1,000 followers.”

AccountFollowersPosts (30 days)Top formatAvg likesAvg commentsEngagement per 1,000 followers
@copperlinecoffee48,20012Reel1,2408627.51
@bramblewoodcandles21,6009Carousel98011250.56
@northvaleoutfitters96,40015Reel2,31014125.43
@yourbrand18,9006Image4203824.23

The candle brand posts less than the outfitter but earns more engagement per follower with carousels, so Claude suggests testing carousels on your account.

Reference

Instagram Public Data MCP server reference

One server, any public professional account: Porter brings public Instagram data to the AI clients and workflows social media teams already use. The same Porter server URL works in Claude, ChatGPT and any MCP client that supports remote servers. Porter calls Meta’s official Instagram API on your behalf, so there’s no scraper, no password sharing and no app to register.

Instagram objects

Public objects: business and creator profiles · feed posts · Reels · carousels and their slides · hashtags · top and recent posts for a hashtag

Profile data

Profile: username · name · biography · website · followers count · following count · posts count · profile picture

Post data

Engagement: likes · comments

Content: caption · publish time · media type (image, video, carousel) · product type (feed or Reels) · permalink · image URL · video thumbnail · carousel slides

Actions

Porter’s Instagram public data actions: profile lookup · profile posts · hashtag search · hashtag top posts · hashtag recent posts. Every one is a read.

Other destinations

The same Instagram Public Data connection also sends data to Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio), BigQuery and Google Sheets, at no extra cost.

Meta’s Business Discovery docs describe the call: it returns data about other Instagram business or creator accounts, runs on the business or creator account making the request and leaves out age-gated accounts. Every field is listed in the Instagram Public Data fields list.

Security and trust

Safety and security

Porter’s Instagram Public Data MCP reads only what a business or creator profile already shows the public. Every question is a read: nothing is posted, liked, followed or messaged, and the account you research connects nothing. Your own Instagram professional account opens the door, through Meta’s official API.

Safe for live accounts

Your Instagram account signs the request and nothing else. Its posts, followers, settings and messages stay exactly as you left them.

Meta’s API, not a scraper

Porter calls Meta’s Business Discovery and hashtag search endpoints. You never share an Instagram password, and no browser bot logs in on your behalf.

Public numbers, never guesses

Reach, impressions, saves, shares, Stories, follower history and audience demographics belong to the account owner. Claude compares profiles on followers, likes, comments and posting patterns, and labels anything it infers.

Hashtags within Meta’s weekly limit

Meta’s hashtag search docs allow up to 30 unique hashtags in a 7-day period per account. Asking about the same hashtag again doesn’t count twice, so pick the tags that matter.

Revoke access anytime

Disconnect Instagram in Porter, or remove Porter from your Instagram and Facebook business integrations. Access lives in your Porter connection, never in a token file.

Setup

How to set up the Instagram Public Data MCP server

Porter’s Instagram Public Data MCP uses one server URL in every AI client, plus an Instagram sign-in you complete once. Claude takes Porter as a plugin or a custom connector. ChatGPT takes it through the Porter Metrics app or a custom MCP server. Both look up the same public profiles.

https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp

What you need

  • An Instagram business or creator account of your own: Meta runs every public lookup through one.
  • A competitor with a business or creator account: personal accounts and age-gated accounts don’t return data.
  • The exact @username: brands often run several accounts, so the handle picks the right one.

How to install Instagram Public Data MCP in Claude

  1. Open claude.ai and go to Settings → Connectors.
  2. Click Add custom connector.
  3. Name it Porter and paste https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp.
  4. Click Add, then sign in with your Porter account and approve access.
  5. Connect Instagram Competitor Analysis when Porter asks: sign in with Instagram.
  6. Ask a competitor question, like “Show followers, posts count and the last 12 posts with likes and comments for @copperlinecoffee.”

On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner adds the connector first. Anthropic’s custom connector guide covers the same steps. The Data Studio side lives on the Instagram Public Data connector for Data Studio page.

Watch the Claude setup demo

How to install Instagram Public Data MCP in ChatGPT

ChatGPT has two routes to the same data. The Porter Metrics app in ChatGPT’s app directory works on any plan with apps. The Porter MCP gets every new tool the day Porter ships it, on Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces.

Porter Metrics app: in ChatGPT, open Apps, search “Porter Metrics”, click Connect and sign in with your Porter account, then connect Instagram Competitor Analysis: sign in with Instagram.

Porter MCP:

  1. Open ChatGPT on the web and go to Plugins.
  2. Click +, then Add custom MCP server.
  3. Name it Porter and paste https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp under Connection.
  4. Choose OAuth, tick “I understand and want to continue” and click Create as a plugin.
  5. Sign in with your Porter account.

Pro accounts can add it with read access only, per OpenAI’s custom MCP server guide.

The guide on how to connect Instagram Public Data to ChatGPT covers the ChatGPT side step by step.

Watch the ChatGPT setup demo

How to install Instagram Public Data MCP in Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and Codex

Pick your coding agent. Each one uses the same server URL and a Google sign-in, so no API key or credentials file sits in a config.

  1. Add Porter’s plugin in Claude Code. It installs the Porter connector and Porter’s skill in one step.
    /plugin marketplace add portermetrics/porter /plugin install porter-metrics@portermetrics
  2. Ask for your data. The first time, your browser opens: sign in with the Google account you use in Porter.
  3. No plugins? Add the server directly instead:
    claude mcp add --transport http porter https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp
  4. Check: /mcp shows porter as connected. Ask: “Which Instagram Public Data accounts can you see?”
  1. Open Cursor Settings → Tools & Integrations and click New MCP Server. Cursor opens mcp.json.
  2. Paste this and save.
    { "mcpServers": { "porter": { "url": "https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp" } } }
  3. Click Connect next to porter and sign in with the Google account you use in Porter.
  4. Check: porter shows a green dot in Tools & Integrations. Open an Agent chat. Ask: “Which Instagram Public Data accounts can you see?”
  1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P) and run MCP: Add Server → HTTP.
  2. Paste https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp, name it porter and choose Global. Or add it to .vscode/mcp.json:
    { "servers": { "porter": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp" } } }
  3. Allow the sign-in prompt and sign in with the Google account you use in Porter.
  4. Check: open Copilot Chat in Agent mode; Porter’s tools appear under the tools icon. Ask: “Which Instagram Public Data accounts can you see?”
  1. Add Porter from your terminal.
    codex mcp add porter --url https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp
  2. Sign in. Your browser opens: sign in with the Google account you use in Porter.
    codex mcp login porter
  3. Check: codex mcp list shows porter as logged in. Start codex. Ask: “Which Instagram Public Data accounts can you see?”

The same URL works in Windsurf, Cline, Zed and any client that supports remote MCP servers over HTTP.

Add Porter’s skill

Porter’s skill teaches Claude which Porter tools to call for each Instagram Competitor Analysis task, so answers need fewer retries. In claude.ai, download https://mcp.portermetrics.com/skill.zip and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills. In Claude Code, Porter’s plugin adds it for you, and other agents can run npx skills add portermetrics/porter.

Test the connection

Paste this into a new chat. It only reads data.

Use Porter only. Look up @copperlinecoffee and show username, name, followers, following, posts count and website. Say so if an account returns no data.

Guides and videos

Automate Instagram Competitor Research With Claude AIVideoAutomate Instagram Competitor Research With Claude AIPorter Metrics on YouTube
→TutorialHow to connect Instagram Public Data to Claude

Porter’s short runs Instagram competitor research in Claude, from the first lookup to the comparison. The same server URL works in ChatGPT.

Prompts

Instagram Public Data MCP prompts

Copy a prompt into Claude or ChatGPT, then change the dates or thresholds to fit your account. Every prompt only reads data.

Profile research skills

Competitor benchmark

Look up the three accounts I paste next. For each, show followers and posts count, then the median likes and median comments of its last 50 posts, and engagement per post as (likes + comments) ÷ followers. Put them in one table.

Top posts

List the last 50 posts from @bramblewoodcandles with publish date, the first line of the caption, format, likes and comments. Rank by likes and tell me what the top 5 have in common.

Reels vs feed

For the last 50 posts from @northvaleoutfitters, split Reels from feed posts, and feed posts into images and carousels. Show the count, median likes and median comments for each format.

Carousel depth

For the last 25 posts from @copperlinecoffee, count the slides in every carousel and compare median likes for short and long carousels.

Posting rhythm

From the last 100 posts of each account I name, count posts per week and per weekday. Note that publish times are UTC.

Hashtag research skills

Hashtag top posts

Find the hashtag #specialtycoffee and show its top posts with format, likes, comments and the first line of each caption.

What’s new under a tag

Show recent posts for #candlemaking with format, likes and comments, and sum up the three content themes that repeat.

Hashtag shortlist

Compare the top posts for #trailrunning, #hikinggear and #outdoorgear: median likes, main formats and caption style for each. Which tag fits a gear brand’s Reels best?

Reporting prompts

Competitor report

Build a competitor report for @copperlinecoffee from its last 100 posts: followers, posting frequency, format mix, top posts and the creators it works with, and give me the report link.

Content brief

From the top 10 posts across the three competitor accounts I track, write a brief for next month: five Reels ideas for my account, each tied to the competitor post it answers.

Monthly email

Email the Copperline Coffee competitor report to me and my client on the first Monday of every month at 8 a.m.

Instagram next to Facebook

Compare @copperlinecoffee on Instagram with facebook.com/copperlinecoffee: followers on each, posts in the last 90 days and median engagement per post. Keep the two platforms in separate columns.

The Instagram-next-to-Facebook skill reads the Facebook Page through the Facebook Public Data connector for Claude, on the same Porter server URL.

Who this is for

Who this is for

Marketers who plan Instagram content against what rivals post get the most from Porter’s MCP. Agencies, social media managers, content and creative strategists, and small business founders use it to turn a competitor’s profile or a hashtag into a benchmark, a brief or a report in one chat.

Agencies and freelancers

  • New-client audits: the client and three rivals, benchmarked before the kickoff call.
  • Monthly recaps: a competitor report at its own link, emailed on the first Monday.

Your client isn’t asking how many followers a rival has. They’re asking which posts made people stop.

Social media managers

  • Format choices: Reels, carousels or images, picked on what rivals’ followers like.
  • Posting rhythm: how often competitors post, week by week.

Content and creative strategists

  • Top posts explained: what the best five posts share, in one answer.
  • Hashtag reads: the top posts under a tag before you join it.
Comparison

Instagram public data MCP options vs. Porter

Instagram competitor research in an AI chat comes in three shapes: a scraper-based MCP, a self-hosted server on Meta’s API, or a hosted MCP like Porter’s. All three put rivals’ posts in front of Claude. Porter hosts the server, uses Meta’s official Business Discovery API and adds your own channels, reports and skills.

A self-hosted server hands your AI Meta’s Business Discovery endpoint. Porter hands it the competitor analysis, ready to ask.

Both read public Instagram data through Meta’s official API. Here is where they part.

PorterYour own server on Meta’s API
Same job, different reach
SetupPaste one hosted URL, sign in with InstagramBuild, host and maintain the server
Meta appNot neededYour own app, with Meta’s permissions to manage
Accounts it readsBusiness and creator profilesBusiness and creator profiles
Profiles and postsProfile lookups and post history, 50 posts per lookupThe raw Business Discovery response
HashtagsTop and recent posts, within Meta’s 30-a-week limitThe same limit, handled by your code
Works inClaude, ChatGPT, Cursor and any remote MCP clientThe clients you configure it for
PriceIncluded in every Porter plan, the free plan tooFree to build; you maintain it
Only one side
Your own Instagram, Facebook and Meta Ads in the same chatYes, from Porter’s 30+ data sources—
Hosted competitor reports at their own linkYes—
Reports by email on a scheduleYes—
Data Studio and Google SheetsYes—
Skills: whole competitor tasks, already writtenYes—

The right column follows Meta’s Business Discovery and hashtag search docs (as of November 2026).

Build your own if you want to own the code and manage a Meta app. Everything under Only one side is what happens when competitor research sits next to your own marketing.

Is there an official Instagram competitor MCP?

Meta’s own MCP servers cover ad accounts, developer apps and WhatsApp, as Meta’s MCP documentation lists them (as of November 2026). None of them looks up other accounts’ public profiles. Porter’s Instagram Public Data MCP does, on Meta’s Business Discovery API and from the same server URL as your other channels.

And the scraper-based Instagram MCPs?

Plenty of them rank for this search, and they split by how they get the data. The method tells you what you’re signing up for.

  • Scraper MCPs: they collect public pages through a scraping service, usually billed per result.
  • Login-based servers: they ask for an Instagram password instead of an API sign-in.
  • Open-source API servers: free to download and yours to host, with your own Meta app.

Porter reads public profiles and hashtags through Meta’s official API from one hosted server, starting on the free plan.

Porter vs other hosted Instagram Competitor Analysis MCPs

Other hosted Instagram Competitor Analysis MCPs also skip the setup. Porter is built for teams that report on several accounts and channels:

1

Every account at once

One prompt answers for all your Instagram Competitor Analysis accounts and clients, not one account per setup.

2

Instagram Competitor Analysis next to 30+ sources

GA4, Google Tag Manager, Meta Ads, TikTok and YouTube, blended in one answer.

3

Competitor research

Competitor ads, keywords and search results, next to your own Instagram Competitor Analysis numbers.

4

Reports outside the chat

Live dashboards, scheduled email reports, and the same data in Data Studio, BigQuery and Google Sheets.

5

Read-only by design

Porter reads Instagram Competitor Analysis and changes nothing in it.

6

Claude and ChatGPT both covered

A remote MCP URL, plus an approved app in ChatGPT’s app directory.

Instagram Public Data MCP pricing

The Instagram Public Data MCP is included in every Porter plan, the free-forever plan too. Reporting is billed per connected account.

  • 14-day trial: everything unlimited, no credit card.
  • Free forever: unlimited connected accounts, 30 days of history (15 days in AI chats), 100 automation credits a month.
  • Paid Reporting: from $15 per account a month, or $12.50 billed annually.
  • Unlimited questions: AI chats, queries and dashboards are included. Reads are free; each completed change uses 1 automation credit.
5 accounts
Monthly billing
$40
Annual billing, per month
$33.33
Per account
$8.00

Reporting price for connected accounts, in USD. AI chats, queries and dashboards are unlimited. Annual billing is 10 months for 12.

The more accounts you connect, the lower the price per account. See the full calculator on Porter pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Can it analyze any Instagram account?

Porter looks up public Instagram business and creator accounts by @username, through Meta's Business Discovery API. Personal accounts and age-gated accounts return no data, so Claude tells you when a handle isn't a professional account.

What is the Instagram Public Data MCP server URL?

Porter's Instagram Public Data MCP server URL is https://mcp.portermetrics.com/mcp. Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or another AI client as a custom connector, then sign in with your Instagram business or creator account. The same URL reaches your own Instagram, Facebook and Meta Ads data in Porter.

Is the Instagram Public Data MCP free?

Porter's Instagram Public Data MCP is included in every Porter plan, the free-forever plan too. The free plan covers unlimited connected accounts, up to 30 days of history, 15 days in AI chats and 100 automation credits a month. Paid Reporting starts at $12.50 a month per data source account, billed annually, and the 14-day trial needs no card.

Does the competitor have to approve anything?

No. Porter reads what a profile already shows the public, through Meta's Business Discovery API. Your own Instagram business or creator account makes the request, and nothing posts from it. The competitor never connects or approves anything.

Can it show a competitor's reach, saves or Stories?

Porter shows what Instagram makes public: followers, posts, likes, comments, captions and formats. Reach, impressions, saves, shares, Stories and follower history stay with the account owner. Claude compares accounts on engagement per follower and labels anything it infers.

Can I see the ads a competitor runs on Instagram?

Yes. Porter audits any brand's active ads in Meta's Ad Library, which covers ads on Instagram and Facebook, through the same server URL. Ask Claude for an Ad Library audit by brand name, website or Facebook Page URL.

Troubleshooting

Why does a lookup return nothing for a real account?

Check that the handle is exact and the account is a business or creator account; personal and age-gated accounts return no data. Then check your own connection. An error that names your account, such as a changed password, means reconnecting Instagram in Porter, not a problem with the competitor.

Why did a big request fail?

Meta caps how much one lookup returns. Ask for 50 posts or fewer at a time, or about 25 when you also want image URLs and carousel slides. Claude pages back through older posts in batches and joins them.

Why don't I see who posted the top posts for a hashtag?

Meta's hashtag endpoints return the posts, not the accounts behind them. Claude reads names from the captions, or you give it the handles to look up. Each tag you search counts toward the 30 unique hashtags a week.

Start free

Connect public Instagram data to Claude or ChatGPT and start with competitor benchmarks, hashtag reads and reports you can send.

Start free: unlimited connected accounts on the free-forever plan, or a 14-day trial with everything unlimited and no card.

Start free
  • Agencies: every client's rivals benchmarked in one prompt.
  • Social media managers: rivals' best Reels ranked before the next content plan.
  • Content and creative strategists: a hashtag read before every brief.
  • Small business founders: a weekly look at local rivals in ten minutes.

Automate marketing reporting and analysis with AI like it's 2026.

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