How do you calculate Instagram engagement rate?
The follower count, a rate for each recent post, and the median rate with the average next to it.
Question How do you calculate Instagram engagement rate?
Social media tool
Instagram Engagement Rate Calculator
The median rate, so one viral post can't skew it.
For creators and brand teams: the typical engagement of any public account, not one viral post.
Part of social media monitoring
Calculate the engagement rate of a public account
Write a public handle for the Instagram engagement rate calculator.
Calculate rateThe Instagram engagement rate calculator opens SpringBrand with your handle filled in.
What the calculation returnsRuns in SpringBrandPer-post rates, the median with the average beside it, and a views-based rate for Reels.
- The follower count of the public account
- A rate for each recent post
- The median rate, with the average next to it
- A views-based rate for Reels
Median first, average alongsideViews-based rate for ReelsAny public account
START WITH A REQUEST
One handle. Three ways to read its engagement.
Each card is a real question people ask. Add the handle you care about and the Instagram engagement rate calculator opens it in SpringBrand.
One account Competitor check How do I check someone else's Instagram engagement rate?
The median and average rate for any public account, with the per-post table, so you can see where one post does most of the work.
Question
How do I check someone else's Instagram engagement rate?
Reels Do Reels count in Instagram engagement rate?
For each recent Reel, (likes + comments) ÷ views × 100, next to the follower-based rate, labelled so you know which is which.
Question
Do Reels count in Instagram engagement rate?
WHAT TO KNOW
Same account. Very different numbers.
Tools pick different posts and either average or take the median. Here is what to look at.
01 / BENCHMARKS
What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
Each source measures it differently. On 2026-11-13, published benchmarks for a good rate ranged from 0.70% (Socialinsider) to 2.2% (HypeAuditor).
Account size matters more than any benchmark. In our sample, @instagram (about 686 million followers) averaged roughly 0.07% by followers across 12 posts. Compare an account with others of a similar size, using the same formula.
CHECKED 2026-11-13
Published benchmarks
Socialinsider: 0.70%
HypeAuditor: 2.2% average
@instagram: roughly 0.07% by followers
02 / VIDEO
Followers or views: Reels and TikTok engagement rate
For video, the follower-based rate understates engagement, because most views come from people who don't follow the account. On a sample of 10 TikTok videos from one public account, the median rate was 6.73% by views and 0.12% by followers.
On the Instagram sample above, the median was 8.22% by views against 1.11% by followers. You get both for Reels and TikTok videos, labelled.
MEDIAN RATE
By views vs by followers
TikTok sample: 6.73% by views, 0.12% by followers
Instagram sample: 8.22% by views, 1.11% by followers
03 / IN BULK
Check a whole list of creators at once
Comparing creators or competitors in bulk? Connect SpringBrand over MCP and ask Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to run the Instagram engagement rate calculator on a list of handles.
Each handle gets the same per-post table and median.
IN BULK
A list of handles
One table per handle
Median and average for each
Same formula across the list
04 / THE LIMITS
What the calculator can't see
The Instagram engagement rate calculator only uses what anyone can see on a public profile. Private accounts can't be calculated, and if a post hides its like count, check that post by hand.
Followers who never engage lower the rate. A low rate can hint at bought followers, but the Instagram engagement rate calculator does not check whether followers are real.
NOT IN THE RATE
Outside public data
Private accounts
Posts that hide their like count
Whether followers are real
One viral post. A very different average.
We took the 12 latest posts of a public creator account with about 2 million followers. One older viral post, still pinned to the top, lifted the average from 1.97% to 9.25%. The median barely moved.
- Average rate by followers, 12 latest posts
- 9.25%
- Median rate by followers, same 12 posts
- 1.11%
- Average without the one older viral post
- 1.97%
HypeAuditor and Modash also use the median. Check which one a tool uses before you compare numbers.
Same handle. Different formulas.
Each Instagram engagement rate calculator uses its own formula, so one account can get very different numbers. Here is what each tool's page says.
| Tool | Sign-in | Formula | Median or average | Use from Claude Code or an API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpringBrand | Account, no card | (Likes + comments) ÷ followers per post; ÷ views for Reels | Median first, average alongside | Yes |
| HypeAuditor | No cost; more data after sign-up | (Likes + comments) ÷ views when there are enough Reels, otherwise ÷ followers | Median | Not stated |
| Modash | No cost, no sign-up | Median likes per post ÷ followers (likes only) | Median | Not stated |
| Socialinsider | Business accounts only | (Likes + comments) ÷ posts in the last 30 days ÷ followers | Average | Not stated |
| Vaizle | No sign-up required | (Likes + comments + shares) ÷ followers | Not stated | Not stated |
As stated on each tool's page, checked 2026-11-13. "Not stated" means the page did not say, not that the feature is missing.
Three steps from handle to rate.
The common formula: (likes + comments) on a post ÷ followers × 100. Here is each step, so you can check the number yourself.
1
Read the public profile and recent posts
The Instagram engagement rate calculator reads the follower count and latest posts of a public account: likes, comments and, for videos, views.
2
Calculate a rate for every post
For each post: (likes + comments) ÷ followers × 100. For Reels and videos it also calculates (likes + comments) ÷ views × 100, because views say more about a Reel than followers do.
3
Report the median, then the average
You get the median rate first and the average next to it, with the per-post table underneath. When the two are far apart, one post is doing most of the work, and the table shows which one.
A FEW THINGS TO KNOW
Engagement questions, answered.
Formula, benchmarks, median or average, and Reels.
How do you calculate Instagram engagement rate?
Add the likes and comments on a post, divide by the account's followers and multiply by 100. Do that for each recent post, then take the median (or the average) across posts. For Reels, dividing by views instead of followers gives a fairer picture. The Instagram engagement rate calculator does each step and shows the per-post table.
What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
Benchmarks published by calculator vendors ranged from 0.70% to 2.2% when we checked on 2026-11-13, because each uses a different formula and sample. Rates fall as accounts grow, so compare an account with others of similar size, using the same formula.
Should engagement rate use the median or the average?
The median, if you want the typical post. One viral post can pull the average far up: on a sample account it was 9.25% while the median was 1.11%. The Instagram engagement rate calculator shows both, because a big gap tells you one post did most of the work.
How do I check someone else's Instagram engagement rate?
If the account is public, enter its handle in the Instagram engagement rate calculator. The calculation only uses what anyone can see on the profile: follower count, likes, comments and views. Private accounts can't be calculated.
Do Reels and TikTok videos need a different engagement rate?
Reels are included with the other recent posts, but they reach many non-followers, so SpringBrand also gives a views-based rate for them, side by side with the follower-based one. For TikTok profiles, the TikTok engagement calculator reports the median rate by views and by followers.