# IGDetective review

Overall score: 3.5/5 · Facts checked October 12, 2026 · Canonical: https://instagram-follower-tracker.com/reviews/igdetective/

IGDetective is a browser-based tracker for public Instagram accounts you don’t own. It doesn’t ask for your Instagram login, and its paid plan lists dated follows and unfollows for up to 5 profiles, but there are no alerts, the free plan leaves out follow tracking, and its handful of Trustpilot reviews are mixed.

- Good for: Seeing who a public account recently followed or unfollowed, without connecting your own Instagram.
- Skip it if: Private accounts, anyone who wants alerts, or anyone hoping to track follows for free.

## Key facts

| | |
|---|---|
| Needs your Instagram login | No Instagram login; an IGDetective account is needed |
| Tracks | Public accounts, including ones you don’t own |
| Platforms | Web browser only |
| Price | Free plan; Premium $30/month (“from $1/day”) |
| Free tier | Yes, but without follow tracking |
| Alerts | None mentioned |
| Store ratings | Trustpilot 3.5 (17 reviews) · not in the app stores |

## Pros

- Never asks for your Instagram password
- Dated follows and unfollows for public accounts
- Track up to 5 profiles on Premium, with unlimited manual refreshes
- Anonymous story viewer is free

## Cons

- Follow tracking needs Premium, at $30 a month on the pricing page
- No push or email alerts are mentioned
- New follows can take a few days to appear
- Can’t see private accounts or very large follow lists
- Some Trustpilot reviewers report refund problems
- Privacy policy and FAQ disagree on Instagram connections

## What IGDetective does

IGDetective is a website that tracks public Instagram accounts, including ones you don’t own. Its About page says it was founded in 2025 and runs in the browser. We found no iPhone or Android app.

The main feature is a list of a public account’s recent follows, followers and unfollows, each dated the day IGDetective first sees it. Around that sit an “Activity History” feed of likes and comments, an anonymous story viewer, a story archive, and DeepSearch, which looks at activity between two users. There’s also a chatbot called Gossip Chat and premium extras such as an “Admirers Analysis”.

It can’t see private accounts or DMs. We found no mention of push, email or other alerts on its site, so you have to check back yourself.

## Do you have to log in?

Not with Instagram. The FAQ says you don’t need to log in with your Instagram account and that IGDetective never asks for your Instagram password. You do need an IGDetective account, opened with Google, email or a magic link.

One detail doesn’t line up. The privacy policy’s deletion section mentions “your Instagram connection data” and connecting an Instagram account through Facebook Login, which conflicts with the FAQ. The site also doesn’t explain how it collects Instagram data beyond calling it publicly available. We found no user reports of account trouble, so the safety score stays high, with half a point off for the mixed messages.

## How current is the data?

IGDetective’s methodology page is open about its limits. On the paid plan, each tracked profile, up to 5, refreshes automatically once every 24 hours, and you can refresh manually as often as you like. Free accounts track 1 profile and can’t refresh on demand. A new follow can take a few days to appear, and if someone follows and then unfollows between two refreshes, it won’t show up at all.

It can’t track follows for private accounts, very large lists or lists Instagram limits, and it doesn’t say how large is too large. The same page says Instagram changed follow lists on 9 September 2026 and that IGDetective paused follow tracking until 12 September. We couldn’t check that, but it shows how much trackers like this depend on Instagram.

## Price

The free plan covers 1 profile with anonymous stories, a manual story archive, limited Gossip Chat and a free check of any public account. It doesn’t include follow tracking. For that you need Premium, which adds daily refreshes, DeepSearch and up to 5 profiles.

The homepage advertises Premium “from $1/day”, billed monthly. The pricing page showed a US visitor $30 a month in October 2026, plus a weekly option whose price didn’t show when we checked. No free trial is mentioned. The pricing page lists a 7-day refund, though the terms of service have no refund section. You cancel from your dashboard, where IGDetective says it may ask why and offer an alternative.

## Reviews and privacy

IGDetective has 17 reviews on Trustpilot and a TrustScore of 3.5 out of 5. The company replies to most negative reviews. Low-star reviewers mostly describe trouble with refunds and cancelling, including a reported double charge, and features that didn’t work or data they felt was wrong. Positive reviewers mention quick support and ease of use. The homepage says both “85,000+ users” and “thousands of users”, so treat the user count loosely.

The privacy policy says IGDetective collects your email address, name and usage data such as your IP address, and names Google Analytics and Stripe as providers. Data is kept “indefinitely or until you request its deletion”, which you can ask for by email.

## Who should use it

IGDetective suits someone who wants to see who a public account has recently followed or unfollowed without connecting their own Instagram. Expect to pay for that, to check back yourself, and to wait a few days for some new follows to appear. To compare it with other trackers, see [our ranking](https://instagram-follower-tracker.com/).

## Score breakdown

| Criterion | Weight | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account safety | 30% | 4.5 | No Instagram login and no reports of account trouble, but the privacy policy mentions Instagram connection data, which conflicts with the FAQ. |
| What it can track | 25% | 3.5 | Dated follows and unfollows for up to 5 public profiles, but no alerts, new follows can take days, and very large lists aren’t covered. |
| Price and value | 20% | 2.5 | Prices are shown and cancelling is self-serve, but follow tracking is paid only and low-star reviews mention refund and billing trouble. |
| Reliability | 15% | 2.5 | Only 17 Trustpilot reviews at 3.5, some reporting features not working or inaccurate data, plus a three-day pause in September 2026. |
| Privacy | 10% | 3.5 | Collects email, name and usage data with Google Analytics and Stripe; deletion on request, but data is otherwise kept indefinitely. |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is IGDetective safe?

It doesn’t ask for your Instagram login, so your own account isn’t connected, and we found no reports of account trouble. Its privacy policy does mention Instagram connection data, which doesn’t match its FAQ. The complaints we saw on Trustpilot are mostly about billing and refunds.

### Is IGDetective free?

There’s a free plan for 1 profile with anonymous stories and profile views, but it doesn’t track follows or unfollows. Premium is advertised “from $1/day”, and the pricing page showed $30 a month for a US visitor.

### Can IGDetective see private accounts?

No. It says it only works with public profiles and can’t see private accounts or DMs.

### Does IGDetective send alerts when someone follows a new account?

We found no alert feature on its site. On Premium, tracked profiles refresh once a day, and you check the results yourself.

## Sources

- [igdetective.com](https://igdetective.com/)
- [IGDetective About page](https://igdetective.com/about)
- [IGDetective FAQ](https://igdetective.com/faq)
- [IGDetective methodology](https://igdetective.com/methodology)
- [IGDetective follower tracker page](https://igdetective.com/instagram-follower-tracker)
- [IGDetective pricing](https://igdetective.com/subscribe)
- [IGDetective sign-in page](https://igdetective.com/sign-in)
- [IGDetective privacy policy](https://igdetective.com/privacy)
- [IGDetective terms of service](https://igdetective.com/tos)
- [IGDetective on Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/igdetective.com)
- [iTunes Search API results for “igdetective”](https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=igdetective&entity=software&country=us)
- [Google Play search for “igdetective”](https://play.google.com/store/search?q=igdetective&c=apps)