Use case List Comparison

Compare Instagram Followers and Following

Export the Followers and Following lists separately, then compare user IDs in Excel or Google Sheets to find accounts shared by both files and entries that appear in only one.

Add to Chrome See the comparison workflow ↓

01 Comparison questions

Choose the Question
You Want to Answer

Which Accounts Appear in Two Follower Lists?

Export followers from two different profiles. Compare the files to find shared accounts and accounts present in only one exported list.

Which Accounts Appear in Both Followers and Following?

Export both lists from the same profile. Shared entries appear in both lists; following-only entries are not present in the exported follower list.

What Differs Between Two Saved Exports?

Save the same type of list from the same account on two dates. Compare the files to see which entries are shared or appear in only one snapshot.

02 The workflow

Prepare Your Lists
for Comparison

Export the First List

Sign in to Instagram in Chrome and open FollowGrid. Choose an account, select Followers or Following, and download the result.

Export the Matching List

Choose the second account or list type for your question. For a comparison over time, save a new export of the same account and list type on another date.

Match Accounts by User ID

Open CSV or Excel-compatible .xlsx files in a spreadsheet. Keep user IDs as text, remove duplicate IDs within each list, and use the IDs to match entries rather than row position.

Separate Shared and List-Only Entries

Group accounts into three sets: present in both lists, present only in the first, and present only in the second. Keep the source account, list type, and export date with each file.

Spreadsheet example

Compare Followers and Following with COUNTIF

FollowGrid exports the lists; you run this comparison in Excel or Google Sheets.

Prepare two sheets. Import both exports into one workbook and name the tabs Followers and Following. Preserve User ID as text during import so long IDs stay intact. Remove duplicate IDs within each sheet. These formulas assume headers in row 1, User ID in column C, and empty columns G and H; adjust the references if your columns differ.
Create a text match key in both sheets. Label G1 Match key, enter this in G2, and fill down through every exported row. The id: prefix keeps the comparison keys as text.
```
=IF(C2="","","id:"&C2)
```
Check each Following entry against Followers. In the Following sheet, label H1 In Followers, enter this in H2, and fill down. The range covers 10,000 data rows; extend it if your sheet contains more.
```
=IF(G2="","",COUNTIF(Followers!$G$2:$G$10001,G2))
```
Filter H to 1 for shared accounts or 0 for following-only entries. A value above 1 means duplicate match keys remain in the Followers sheet.
Find followers-only entries. In the Followers sheet, label H1 In Following, use the reverse formula in H2, fill down, and filter H to 0.
```
=IF(G2="","",COUNTIF(Following!$G$2:$G$10001,G2))
```

A small example to check your results

Fictional IDs: Followers contains 5841209361 and 5290773814; Following contains 5841209361 and 6104882745.

In both lists: 5841209361 — match count 1 in either sheet.
Following only: 6104882745 — count 0 in Following.
Followers only: 5290773814 — count 0 in Followers.

Formula syntax: Excel COUNTIF · Google Sheets COUNTIF. Examples use English function names and comma separators.

03 Reading results

Read the Differences in Context

Details and explanations
Result	What It Tells You
In both lists	The account appears in both exported files
Only in the first list	The account appears in the first file but not the second
Only in the second list	The account appears in the second file but not the first

Compare files with the same scope where possible. A lower export limit, incomplete collection, or changed account availability can affect which entries appear.

04 Free tools

Start by Exporting Your Lists

Export the lists you need, then compare the downloaded files in a spreadsheet.

Export

Instagram Follower Exporter

Export an Instagram follower list as CSV, Excel, or JSON.

Export

Instagram Following Exporter

Export the accounts an Instagram profile follows as CSV, Excel, or JSON.

05 FAQ

List Comparison FAQ

Does the FollowGrid extension compare lists automatically?

The extension exports the lists. This workflow compares the downloaded files in a spreadsheet; it does not require an automatic comparison feature inside the extension.

Should I match by username or user ID?

Use user ID as the primary match field when it is available in both files. Usernames can change. Keep IDs as text so spreadsheet formatting does not alter them, and retain usernames and profile links for review.

Can I find accounts that don't follow me back?

Comparing Following with Followers can identify accounts missing from the exported follower list. Check that both lists cover the accounts you want to assess before treating a difference as a follow-back result.

Can I calculate audience overlap?

You can calculate overlap between the exported files. If either export is partial, label the result as overlap within those files rather than a percentage of the profiles' complete audiences.

Can I identify exactly when someone followed or unfollowed?

No. FollowGrid exports do not include follow dates. Comparing snapshots shows differences between files, not the exact time or cause of a relationship change.

Get the Two Lists You Need

Start with your comparison question, export the matching lists, and review the differences in your spreadsheet.

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