UnfollowChecker vs FollowMeter

How each one works

FollowMeter asks you to sign in with your Instagram credentials inside the app. From then on it keeps your account connected in the background and reads your followers, following, likes and story viewers through the same private endpoints the Instagram app uses. That is what lets it show a live activity feed and send a push notification when someone unfollows. It is available on iOS and Android.

UnfollowChecker never connects to your account. You ask Instagram for your own data (Accounts Centre → Export your information → Followers and following, JSON, All time), Instagram emails you a ZIP in roughly 10–20 minutes, and you drop that ZIP on this site. The comparison runs in your browser tab; the file is never uploaded. The count is free, the followers and following CSVs are free, and the two-export unfollowers comparison is free. The full list of who doesn't follow you back is a one-time $2.99, with fans and mutuals a $3 add-on.

Safety and account risk

Instagram's terms don't allow third-party apps to log in on your behalf, and its systems treat a login from an unfamiliar server as a suspicious session. FollowMeter's own site says it only reads data and never posts or follows for you, which is true as far as it goes, but the login itself is the problem. Recent App Store reviews mention a two-day restriction on the reviewer's Instagram account after using the app, a suspicious-activity warning, and being logged out of the real Instagram app over and over. Reviews also mention Instagram's "too many refresh requests" error, which is the rate limit FollowMeter hits when it polls your lists. If you have ever seen the Action Blocked message, that is the mechanism at work.

UnfollowChecker has nothing to log into. Instagram generates the export, you download it, and the comparison happens in your browser. There is no session for Instagram to flag and no server holding your lists. We describe exactly what we check on how we test; FollowMeter fails the first two checks (password, private API) by design, and UnfollowChecker passes them by design.

What you get

Both tools answer the two questions people actually ask: who doesn't follow me back, and who unfollowed me. FollowMeter also lists ghost followers (followers who never engage), "secret admirers" ranked by engagement, blockers and story viewers — things an export cannot contain, because the export has no engagement data. If those matter to you, FollowMeter has them and we don't.

UnfollowChecker gives you the non-followers list, fans and mutuals, free CSV downloads of your raw followers and following lists with follow dates, and an unfollowers comparison between two exports. It also works for Threads and TikTok exports, which FollowMeter doesn't cover.

• Live unfollow alerts: FollowMeter (PRO). UnfollowChecker: no — you re-export when you want a fresh answer.
• History: FollowMeter keeps it; UnfollowChecker only if you keep your ZIP files.
• Ghost followers / story viewers: FollowMeter only.
• CSV of your lists: UnfollowChecker (free). FollowMeter: no.
• Threads and TikTok: UnfollowChecker only.

Price

FollowMeter is free to download, and its site says core follower tracking is free. In practice, recent reviews describe most of the useful lists sitting behind FollowMeter Plus: $3.99 a week, $4.99 a month, or a yearly plan listed at $23.99 and $39.99 depending on the listing. There is a separate $8.99 PRO purchase and $1.99 feature packs for Ghost Followers, Secret Admirers, Blockers and Insights. Reviews mention paying and not getting the features unlocked, with no reply from support. The weekly plan is the one to watch: forgotten, it costs about $200 a year.

UnfollowChecker's count is free, the raw CSVs are free, and unfollowers between two exports are free. The full non-followers list is $2.99 once; fans and mutuals are a $3 add-on. There is no subscription to cancel.

When FollowMeter is the better choice

Choose FollowMeter if you want to know within minutes that someone unfollowed you, want ghost-follower or story-viewer data, or run several accounts and want them in one app. Those are real capabilities, and the export route cannot match them. Go in knowing you are trading account safety for them, use a strong unique password, and expect Instagram to ask you to re-verify from time to time.

When UnfollowChecker is the better choice

Choose UnfollowChecker if you don't want to give any app your password, if your account matters enough that a restriction would hurt, or if you just want the list once without a subscription. It is also the only option of the two for Threads and TikTok, and the only one that hands you your lists as CSV. For the broader picture, see the safe way to check unfollowers and checking without a password.