Free tool · Instagram · no sign-up
Instagram engagement rate calculator
Enter a handle and we pull the last 12 posts, add likes and comments, divide by followers and show the rate post by post. Compare it with the tiers from our own tracked creators, or use the manual calculator lower down.
Public data only, fetched live and kept for three days. To have a profile excluded, email hello@sup.co.
Benchmarks
What a good Instagram engagement rate looks like
Engagement rate falls as an account grows. A small account is followed by people who know the creator. A large one is followed by people who saw one post. So there is no single good number, only a good number for the size of the account.
The table below is not an industry estimate. It is computed from the creators in Sup’s public directory, the same rows the Creator Directory pages render, and it updates whenever that data is refreshed. Read across the row for the creator’s follower tier. Under the bottom quarter is low for that size. Over the top quarter is strong.
| Follower tier | Creators | Low (bottom quarter) | Median | Strong (top quarter) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10k to 50k followers | 73 | under 1.69% | 2.97% | over 6.29% |
| 50k to 100k followers | 26 | under 1.49% | 2.08% | over 4.30% |
| 100k to 500k followers | 104 | under 1.37% | 2.09% | over 3.88% |
| 500k and up followers | 20 | under 1.35% | 2.45% | over 4.52% |
Computed from the 223 creators in Sup’s public directory, data collected 8 September 2026. Quarters are the 25th and 75th percentiles. The directory has no creators under 10k followers, so there is no tier for them.
Two cautions. Our directory is built from creators that brands actually book, so these medians run higher than a random sample of Instagram would. And an account under 10k followers has no tier here, because the directory does not track that size. Most guides put a healthy rate for very small accounts somewhere between 4% and 8%.
Method
How we calculate it
Calculated for each of the last 12 posts, then averaged. The median post is shown beside it.
We fetch the 12 most recent posts on the profile grid, add likes and comments for each, divide by the follower count at the time of the check, and average the 12. We show the median as well, because one giveaway or one viral Reel can double the average while the typical post is unchanged.
If a creator has hidden their like counts, we use comments alone and say so on the result. Pinned posts are included. Stories are not, because Instagram does not expose their numbers to anyone. Reel plays are not part of this rate. They have their own tool, because views and engagement answer different questions.
Some tools divide by reach or impressions instead of followers. Those figures are only visible to the account owner, so a public tool that claims to use them is estimating. We divide by followers because you can see it, the creator can see it, and it is the number a fee is negotiated against.
Context
What moves an engagement rate
Two creators with the same follower count can post very different rates. These are the usual reasons.
Audience size
Engagement falls as accounts grow, so compare a rate with creators of a similar size and never with a global average.
Content format
A carousel of ten photos often collects more saves and comments than one image. Reels reach people who do not follow the account, which adds likes without adding followers.
Post age
A post from this morning has not finished collecting likes. Because we take the 12 most recent posts, a very active account will have one or two unfinished posts pulling the average down a little.
Bought followers
They sit in the denominator and never engage, which pulls the rate down. Run the fake follower checker if a rate looks low for the size.
Giveaways and bought engagement
A giveaway post can carry ten times the usual comments. Bought likes do the same with no comments to match. The median post shows what is normal.
Niche
Food, fitness and beauty audiences comment more than most. A B2B or news account can be healthy at a rate that would worry you on a food creator.
In practice
How to use the number when you book a creator
Compare the rate with creators of the same size, not with a global average. Then look at the post by post row before you decide. A rate carried by one post is a different creator from a rate that is steady across twelve.
Check the comments per hundred likes on the fake follower checker. Likes are cheap to buy and comments are not, so a wide gap between them deserves a question.
Then ask for the numbers that are not public: reach, saves and link clicks from the creator’s own insights. A creator who is proud of their audience will send the screenshots the same day.
Manual calculator
Calculate from your own numbers
Useful for a media kit, a screenshot, or a TikTok account. Enter the follower count and the average likes and comments per post.
Average the last 10–12 posts (skip giveaways — they inflate the number). Works for Instagram and TikTok alike.
Engagement rate
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Enter the numbers to see the rate and how it compares.
Bands are a rough industry guide. We vet every creator against live category data before a booking.
FAQ
Engagement rate questions
It depends on the size of the account. Among the 223 creators in Sup’s directory, the median is 2.97% for accounts with 10k to 50k followers and 2.09% for accounts with 100k to 500k. A rate above the top quarter for its tier is strong. Below the bottom quarter is low, and worth a closer look at the fake follower checker.
We add the likes and comments on each of the 12 most recent posts, divide by the follower count and multiply by 100, then average the 12 results. We also show the median post, so one giveaway or one viral Reel cannot hide what a typical post does.
Yes. The 12 most recent posts on the profile grid are used whatever their format, and each tile on the result shows which it is. Reel views are not part of the engagement rate; the average views calculator handles those.
Instagram lets people hide likes. When fewer than half of the sampled posts show a like count, we calculate the rate on comments alone and label the result so you know the number is not comparable with a likes-based rate.
Three reasons. Some tools use only likes, some use the median rather than the average, and some sample more or fewer posts. Instagram also changes follower counts and like counts by the hour, so two checks minutes apart can differ slightly. Compare rates from the same tool, on the same day.
Yes, in both directions. Bought followers sit in the denominator and never like anything, which pulls the rate down. Bought likes and comments push it up. The fake follower checker looks at both, and the comments per hundred likes figure there is a quick test for bought likes.
Both. The big number is the profile average across 12 posts. The post by post row underneath shows each one, and the median is listed beside the average.
No. Instagram does not show a private account’s posts to anyone who does not follow it, so there is nothing to count. The tool tells you the account is private and shows the public follower, following and post counts.
They are computed from the creators Sup tracks in its public Creator Directory, 223 of them at the last data refresh, grouped by follower tier. They are recalculated whenever that data is refreshed, and they are not typed in by hand.
Yes. There is no sign-up and no email gate. Each visitor can run 20 lookups an hour and 60 a day. If you need more than that, book a call and we will run the analysis for you.
What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
It depends on the size of the account. Among the 223 creators in Sup’s directory, the median is 2.97% for accounts with 10k to 50k followers and 2.09% for accounts with 100k to 500k. A rate above the top quarter for its tier is strong. Below the bottom quarter is low, and worth a closer look at the fake follower checker.
How do you calculate Instagram engagement rate?
We add the likes and comments on each of the 12 most recent posts, divide by the follower count and multiply by 100, then average the 12 results. We also show the median post, so one giveaway or one viral Reel cannot hide what a typical post does.
Does the calculator include Reels and carousels?
Yes. The 12 most recent posts on the profile grid are used whatever their format, and each tile on the result shows which it is. Reel views are not part of the engagement rate; the average views calculator handles those.
What if a creator has hidden their like counts?
Instagram lets people hide likes. When fewer than half of the sampled posts show a like count, we calculate the rate on comments alone and label the result so you know the number is not comparable with a likes-based rate.
Why is the rate different from other calculators?
Three reasons. Some tools use only likes, some use the median rather than the average, and some sample more or fewer posts. Instagram also changes follower counts and like counts by the hour, so two checks minutes apart can differ slightly. Compare rates from the same tool, on the same day.
Can fake followers change the engagement rate?
Yes, in both directions. Bought followers sit in the denominator and never like anything, which pulls the rate down. Bought likes and comments push it up. The fake follower checker looks at both, and the comments per hundred likes figure there is a quick test for bought likes.
Is the engagement rate calculated per post or for the whole profile?
Both. The big number is the profile average across 12 posts. The post by post row underneath shows each one, and the median is listed beside the average.
Does the tool work on private accounts?
No. Instagram does not show a private account’s posts to anyone who does not follow it, so there is nothing to count. The tool tells you the account is private and shows the public follower, following and post counts.
Where do the benchmark numbers come from?
They are computed from the creators Sup tracks in its public Creator Directory, 223 of them at the last data refresh, grouped by follower tier. They are recalculated whenever that data is refreshed, and they are not typed in by hand.
Is this engagement rate calculator free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no email gate. Each visitor can run 20 lookups an hour and 60 a day. If you need more than that, book a call and we will run the analysis for you.
More free tools
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Fake Follower Check
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Average Views Calculator
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Influencer Search
Search Instagram by keyword and browse Sup’s tracked creators
Want the numbers that are not public?
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