What is an Instagram Bot?
Instagram bots automate following, liking, commenting, and unfollowing activities on Instagram. Bots are a common method used to boost follower counts and increase post likes. However, Instagram has openly stated that they do not want botted activity occurring on their platform because it fosters inauthentic activity which violates community guidelines and jeopardizes the integrity of its platform. In the past, we’ve explained why you should not use bots on Instagram. In this post, we’ll explain how to spot Instagram growth services that actually use bots.
10 Ways to tell if your Instagram Services is using bots
Without wasting your time, let’s address the red flags you can look for to verify if a service is using a bot or not.
The Team Who Operates the Service is a Ghost
If you’ve encountered an Instagram service that doesn’t share any information about who they are, where they are from, or where they are from that should immediately raise a red flag. Why would you trust a service with your username and password if you don’t know who they are, instead of relying on an open source password manager where you can verify exactly how your data is handled? Also, ask yourself what type of agency hides their ’employees’ – likely one that wants their identity hidden. Let’s be clear you don’t have to know the team personally. However, you should be able to find some information about them on an about page or even a LinkedIn Company Page.
The Instagram Growth Service is Insanely Cheap
If the service doesn’t cost at least a few hundred dollars per month, it’s safe to assume they’re using bots. After all, performing research, custom targeting, identifying followers, and engaging with these followers are all very time-consuming tasks that a real person must get paid to do. There’s no possible way anyone can do it for $29 or $49 bucks per month.
Note, there is a distinction between an assistant and a social media growth service. You may be able to hire a freelancer or a VA at a low rate, but even then no experienced virtual assistant would charge an insanely cheap amount. It takes at least 40 hours per month to manage an Instagram account at a decent level. Therefore, if you paid some even a minuscule $2.00 per hour every month it would still amount to much more than $49.
New Authorized App in Instagram Settings
Check if any new apps have been connected to your profile. This is a clear indicator that your provider has connected your profile to an app. While not all ‘apps’ are bad as some are approved partners of Instagram, most are not.
See the screenshot attached, which has no applications authorized.
If you do not see an app authorized because you have not started using the service be wary of any request to authorize a connection. Whenever any company asks you to connect ANYTHING to your Instagram account (and they cannot confirm they have Instagram API access) be very afraid.
Claims of Tracking all Followers, Unfollowers, Likes, or Comments
If an Instagram growth service claims to keep track of every single follower, unfollower, likes, and other Instagram activities you should be incredibly wary. The process of tracking is almost manually impossible. If they claim to do so, ask them to see the spreadsheet they use. It’s likely you’ll never see it because it’s impossible to do without a bot.
Let’s be honest here, even Amazon has a hard time tracking packages and we all know they use crazy expensive custom-built software. Do you really believe it’s possible for a company that doesn’t use bots to track every single follower, unfollower, like, or comment?
The obvious answer is NO but we had to emphasize how unreasonable that idea is. Keep in mind this use case is also valid for whitelists and blacklists as the types of lists are programmatic tells, they can only really be executed consistently with software.
Examine the Service’s Instagram Account
If an account purchased followers then their engagement rate is most likely going to be super low. Let’s say that the account has 100K followers but gets no likes on an image then you know they’ve purchased fake followers. Since followers and likes can be purchased also observe nuances on the account. For example, ask yourself questions like.
- What was the account’s first post?
- Do you see a history of content on the account?
- Do people engage with the account?
- Can you identify other people who have used the service?
- Is the service willing to hop on a call?
- Do they answer DMs in a reasonable time?
- Do they answer emails in a reasonable time?
- Do they have other social network profiles? (Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook)
Companies that have invested a great deal in their brand are likely to do things above the board as they are not operating a dump and run service.
If you’re a marketing agency or influencer and you’re looking to work with an Instagram growth service, these are the red flags you should be looking for. Be diligent with your research beforehand because you don’t want to end up using a service that wastes money and hinders your online brand in the process.
6 Responses
I’m reading the discussion about bots on Instagram and I see how people still believe in the magic of numbers, even though in 2025 fake accounts already make up more than 60% of all boosts and bring companies nothing but bans and fines. A friend of mine in Austin poured $7000 into “subscriber growth” and ended up with an audience that didn’t even open posts. The real value is in behavior analysis and precise algorithms that separate real people from empty shells. Many are now looking at solutions like n-ix.com where computer vision helps filter the audience and track genuine engagement. Don’t you ever feel that dead likes are worse than none at all because they create the illusion of success?
Thanks for sharing these tips! It’s beneficial to have concrete red flags to watch Retro Bowl 26 out for when choosing an Instagram growth service. I didn’t realize how easy it is to get caught up with bots and fake engagement, especially with services that are extremely cheap or anonymous.
When I started exploring Instagram growth services, I quickly realized some use bots to inflate follower numbers. I learned to spot them by noticing sudden spikes in followers without real engagement, generic comments, or profiles with little activity. Services that aren’t transparent about their methods are usually suspicious. Over time, I’ve preferred reliable providers, just like I trust professionals for critical tasks such as EMR migration services https://www.abtosoftware.com/expertise/emr-migration-services, which require precision and authenticity.
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I totally agree with the points made here. It’s crazy how many “growth” services out there promise the world for next to nothing, and it’s so easy to get sucked in if you’re not careful. The thing that really stands out to me is how people often overlook the fact that good, authentic Instagram growth takes time and effort. It’s just not something that can be automated and done cheaply. If a service is offering you results that seem too good to be true for a ridiculously low price, it probably is.
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Also, the part about the new authorized app in Instagram settings is a huge red flag. Anytime a service asks you to authorize a connection to your account without clear, legitimate backing, that’s a big nope. I think the most frustrating thing about bots is that not only do they fake growth, but they also mess with engagement and can end up hurting your credibility in the long run.
This is such an important breakdown — so many creators and small businesses still fall for “growth services” that are just bots with a fancy landing page. The points about price and ghost teams are spot on. If a company can’t tell you who they are or how they operate, that’s already your answer.
As someone who manages client content, I’ve learned that real growth always comes from consistent engagement and clean, authentic communication. Even small tools like the Hashtag Analyzer Toolhelp more with organic visibility than any bot ever could.
Thanks for laying out the red flags so clearly — more marketers need to read this before trusting their accounts to the wrong service.