The Fastest Path to Fame: Can You Buy Instagram Followers?

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Sep 05, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

The pressure is always on for Instagram creators. Aside from consistently coming up with high-quality content and nurturing their reputation, they also need to get new followers regularly. If you feel pressure from all sides to grow your online presence, you might wonder, “Can you buy Instagram followers?”

In the dog-eat-dog world of Instagram, the competition is fierce, and you can’t succeed if you’re stagnant. A hot, new, young influencer is always catching your target audience’s attention. 

In this guide, we’re digging deep into this controversial question to finally set the record straight. If you want to learn whether buying followers is a good idea (and how to do it), keep reading!

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Why People Want More Followers on Instagram

Before we answer the burning question, “Can you buy followers on Instagram?” Let’s get into people’s motivations to do so. Why do people go feral over the thought of having more fans online to begin with?

Perhaps the most common reason creators and brands want more fans is to get validation online. The more popular you seem on Instagram, the more people will see you in a good light. It’s essentially social proof that you’re an influencer to watch. That’s how many creators think, at least. 

So, they’ll artificially balloon their followers to make themselves seem more well-liked and influential than they actually are.

People also crave more followers on Instagram because it gives them more opportunities to work with brands. Brands who run influencer marketing campaigns often tap creators with a high following to be their brand ambassadors. Amassing more followers opens the doors to more ways to monetize your social media presence. 

So, many creators toil to ensure they have a high enough follower count to land brand deals and sponsorships.

Having more followers also indirectly means knowing more people online, which gives you an avenue to meet other like-minded creators. This is a terrific way to expand your network and grow professionally in the long run.

Fans in a crowd gathering and taking photos of a man making a peace sign with his fingers.

Can You Buy Real Instagram Followers Online?

There’s no more controversial question on the social media platform — can you buy real Instagram followers to boost your fame?

The straightforward answer is yes, you can buy Instagram followers online to grow your fanbase artificially. There are many websites on the internet that sell followers to brands and creators. All it takes is a quick Google search to see the most popular ones.

These service providers typically have follower packages you can choose from when buying fans. You can buy a basic package that simply boosts your follower count with random followers. But if you’re willing to splurge a bit, you can opt for a pricier package. This package guarantees premium followers who will always have real accounts.

You can even pay another premium on top of that to buy followers by location, age, gender, and more. This ensures that you reach your target audience accurately.

A woman in a white long-sleeved shirt and sunglasses pointing at a fan of cash bills she’s holding.

Where Can You Buy Instagram Followers?

If you’re considering putting in big bucks into driving growth, you’re probably wondering, where can you buy Instagram followers anyway?

Lucky for you, there are plenty of third-party apps and websites that sell followers online. You can buy followers on Instagram from these service providers at the touch of a button. You just select how many followers you want, pay the fee, and wait for instant growth. 

Other services that allow you to buy followers fast include social media marketing agencies and online marketplaces.

Services that sell Instagram followers are a dime a dozen, if we’re honest. The key is to find one that is trustworthy so you don’t get scammed and receive real followers. (But more on that later!)

A woman looking at a fan of dollar bills she’s holding.

What’s the Best Site To Buy Instagram Followers Cheap?

It’s difficult to say which is the best site to buy Instagram followers because there are many options. But if you’re looking for the cheapest, most affordable options, we have a few in mind for you.

Two of the most popular websites to buy cheap Instagram followers from are Twicsy and Buzzoid. These service providers work pretty much the same way — like absolute magic. With a couple of dollars, you can get their basic follower packages for what they promise to be genuine followers. It’s unclear what they do to lure in these real users to your page, but they get the job done.

What’s great about these providers is that they refund any order they don’t fulfill. They also both have 24/7 customer service to help you figure out issues you have with your order. With all these features, either site could be the best place to buy Instagram followers cheaply in anyone’s book. 

How To Buy Instagram Followers: Step by Step

Familiarizing yourself with how to buy followers on IG is a must before you even choose a service provider. That way, when you’re buying your follower package, you already know what to do and have less room for error. But what does this process even look like? We’ve got you, and we’ll hold your hand through the process.

Ready to wake up to instant fame overnight with tons of new fans? Here’s how to buy Instagram followers, step by step:

1. On your web or mobile browser, head to the website of your chosen third-party provider.

2. Choose which follower package you’d like to buy. These packages will likely be based on the number of followers you receive and their quality.

3. Type in your Instagram username when prompted. You can also use another user’s username if you want to buy followers for someone else.

4. Settle the payment for your package to finalize the order process.

5. Keep an eye on your Instagram account to check on the followers that should come rolling in!

And that’s it, you’re done! Now, you know how to buy followers on Instagram from a typical service provider.

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How Much To Buy Instagram Followers: The Price You Pay for Fame

We’ve discussed affordable ways to buy high-quality followers, but some people might still be baffled by the prices. You have to spend how much to buy Instagram followers?!


So, let’s talk cold, hard numbers. What is the price you pay for fame? Well, the straightforward answer is that it depends on the website from which you buy followers.

Most websites selling followers have low-cost packages that let you buy anywhere from 10-1,000 followers for around $1-$15. If you want to upgrade your package to include active users only, that price gets a little pricier. Think anywhere up to $20 for 1,000 high-quality followers or just shy of $100 for 5,000 fans.

On the other hand, Premium packages that include other additional organic growth features might be worth even more. If you buy packages with followers and likes and comments for your posts, for example, the prices could double.

What’s fantastic about these third-party sites that sell followers is that they let customers be flexible with their purchases. There are many custom packages available depending on the exact number of followers you want and their quality and demographics. 

Essentially, the package you end up investing in can be tailored according to your Instagram needs. Awesome, right? 

The Ultimate Checklist for Buying Followers Online

Convinced that buying Instagram followers online is the best marketing strategy for you to boost your social media presence? Go do your thing — we won’t stop you. Just make sure to tick off all the things on this list to ensure you’re doing it the right way.

1. Only Trust Reputable Services With Reviews and Case Studies

The safest way to buy followers is by choosing a trustworthy, reputable service with lots of good reviews. Check out their website or review sites like TrustPilot to see what real customers have to say about the service.

You should also look for case studies that showcase how they’ve helped brands and creators grow in the past. This can give you an idea of how successful their track record actually is.

2. Never Give Out Your Username and Password

The safety of buying followers is always an issue you need to consider. Plenty of websites posing as reputable services could just be out to scam you. That’s why it’s important to only liaise with providers that don’t ask for your Instagram username and password.

The only thing these websites really need is your username so they can deliver your followers to your page. Other than that, they have no use for your login credentials. If they ask for those, run as fast as you can. It’s usually a sign they’re in it to hack into your account, not help you grow. So, if you’re looking for places to buy followers safely, only go for those who don’t demand your password.

Someone holding a phone displaying Instagram’s login page on the screen.

3. Turn Bought Followers Into Genuinely Engaged Fans Afterward

Before asking, “Can I buy Instagram followers?” think about whether you can commit to building a relationship with those fans. It’s one thing to buy followers online. Engaging them with your content and nurturing your Instagram community is a completely different ball game.

After buying followers, it’s important to convert them into engaged fans. So, post content you know will resonate with your audience to increase the chances of them interacting with you. 

You could also make the first move and engage with their posts by liking and commenting on them. That way, you can turn a “purchased” relationship into an authentic, meaningful one. 

The Cons of Buying Followers Online

In a perfect world, the journey of buying followers online ends there. You pay for real, active followers, watch them roll in and engage with your posts, and call it a night. But things aren’t that simple, and it’s rarely ever just happily ever after.

Unfortunately, buying fans online has a handful of negative effects and risks. You can’t ask, “Can I pay for Instagram followers?” without considering the cons of that sneaky move.

We’re not here to burst your bubble — we just want you to know the realities of this “game plan.” So, without further ado, here are the biggest cons of purchasing Instagram followers instead of driving organic growth:

  • You could get scammed out of your money and see no legitimate followers delivered. That’s why it’s essential to only work with reputable third-party tools with good reviews.
  • You could receive fake followers who don’t engage with your content. This could lead to a drop in your engagement rates, which can negatively affect your visibility on the Instagram feed.
  •  You won’t be able to measure how successful you actually are on the platform. It will be difficult to tell which fans followed you spontaneously and which you just bought online. Plus, purchased followers can skew analytics, making it challenging to gauge how your content is performing.
  • There may be a negative impact on your reputation if your genuine fans find out you bought followers. This can destroy your credibility and trustworthiness instantly, which leads to losing your authentic followers.
  •  It’s possible for you to get shadowbanned because of your actions. Instagram condemns those who generate inauthentic activity. If they catch you, there’s a chance you’ll face consequences like a shadowban or an account suspension.

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How Can You Tell if Someone Buys Followers on Instagram?

Cybersecurity firm Cheq tells CBS News that one sign of an account with purchased followers is a strange follower-to-engagement ratio. 

For example, an account might have 500,000 followers but only get 25 likes per post. This is a tell-tale sign of fake followers that should sound the alarms. If the account was only recently created, that makes it even more suspicious.

You could also go through the account’s follower list and visit their profiles for quick background checks. If their “fans” have random, incoherent usernames, no profile pictures, and seem to be inactive accounts, they could be fake.

Next, go to the person’s IG page and check the comments section. Organic followers will typically post funny, witty, meaningful comments in an effort to make conversation. But bot followers will likely only leave generic comments, from an empty “Nice photo!” to a soulless thumbs-up emoji. 

Comments like these show that there is no genuine relationship between the creator and their followers. It’s like the fake accounts comment for the sake of commenting.

Keep tabs on profiles that get sudden spikes in followers, too. Unexplainable spikes in new fans are yet another tell-tale sign of someone buying fake followers.

So, how can you tell if someone buys followers on Instagram? In a nutshell, you need to keep your eyes peeled for red flags and sketchy characteristics in a profile. Be skeptical of accounts with disproportional follower-to-engagement ratios, fluctuating follower numbers, generic comments, and suspicious, bot-like behavior.

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Is It Possible To Buy Instagram Accounts With Active Followers?

Some people might also be curious: can you buy Instagram accounts with active followers already? It seems like a convenient option to start your online presence strong. The idea is that you can skip the growth strategies and post away because you already have an engaged audience. But is it at all possible, and is it even a good idea?

Yes, it’s possible to buy Instagram accounts with high-quality followers online — if you know where to look. There are tons of users in online marketplaces selling old accounts, like those who are about to quit social media. From there, you can claim their account and rebrand it.

However, buying someone else’s account will likely bite you back later on. Sure, you’ll have tons of followers on your page as soon as you obtain the account. But that doesn’t always mean those followers will engage with your content. You could be looking at a case of a mismatched audience. 

Do you want to know the worst part? When they realize that the account doesn’t post the same kind of content as before, they might unfollow you.

Buying accounts with followers is tempting, but it’s not a great idea. You will most likely disengage and lose those followers, so it’s never worth it. 

Better, More Sustainable Ways To “Buy” Instagram Followers

So, can you buy followers for Instagram? Yes, you can. But it has tons of risks and is hardly sustainable. You’ll also likely find yourself trapped in the vicious cycle of constantly buying new followers. Why? Because the moment you stop, you’ll get stagnant and see little to no organic growth. Basically, you’ll be stuck.

Put off by the risks and cons of buying fans online? Don’t worry; you still have plenty of options if you’re interested in driving genuine growth. Here are other, more sustainable alternatives for investing in growth and gaining authentic followers on the platform:

  • Invest in a trusted growth service: Work with a reputable provider like Path Social, which uses proven promotional strategies to drive organic growth. Our AI-driven targeting strategies help ensure people within your target audience see your content. This leads to more followers and better engagement rates in the long run.
  • Run paid ads featuring highquality content: While running ads isn’t exactly the same as purchasing followers, it’s the safest way to “buy” visibility for potential followers. You can accurately target your niche audience through targeted ad campaigns, allowing them to discover your page. The best part? Setting up ads is super flexible. You can choose your budget and ad duration based on your bandwidth!
  • Sponsor influencer posts to boost brand awareness: You can also borrow the influence of popular creators and sponsor their content surrounding your brand. It’s an awesome way to reach a wider audience in a way that looks more authentic.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Instagram allow bought followers?

No, buying followers goes against Instagram’s terms of use. The platform prohibits using any kind of third-party app to generate inauthentic activity on the platform. 

This includes buying likes, shares, comments, and followers. People caught by the Instagram team buying followers could get suspended or shadowbanned.

Can you tell if someone bought Instagram followers?

Yes, if you put on your detective hat, there are many ways to find out whether someone has bought followers. One of the most common signs of someone buying followers includes a high follower count with low engagement rates. 

Other tell-tale signs include generic comments on posts, recently made accounts with thousands of followers, and stolen or low-quality photos.

Did someone buy me as a follower on Instagram?

One tell-tale sign that someone bought you as a follower is a sudden increase in the people you follow. If the number has had a huge, suspicious spike, check your following list for unfamiliar names. 

If you suspect people have been selling you as a follower to others, change your password immediately for safeguarding.

What’s the best way to buy Instagram followers for a small business?

The best way to “buy” followers for a fledgling brand is by investing in growth services with organic promotional strategies. These services allow for authentic, sustainable growth to kick off a new brand strong. 

It also decreases the chances of your brand getting fake accounts as fans if you simply buy followers. 

So, Can You Buy Followers on IG? Yes, but With Extra Precaution!

Everyone loves getting more followers on Instagram. Buying followers isn’t the perfect game plan to achieve that. However, it’s an option if you want more fans overnight.

So, can you buy Instagram followers? Technically, yes, you can. But you must weigh the risks, be careful when choosing service providers, and convert bought fans to engaged followers.

Not quite sold on wasting money on buying inauthentic followers? Invest your budget into an organic growth service like Path Social instead. We have an excellent track record of driving authentic growth on Instagram. We’ve even won over almost 30,000 followers for influencers like Terrell Conyers

Want to see the same mind-blowing results for your profile? Let’s talk. Grow your Instagram community and get high-quality followers today with Path Social!