The number of Instagram followers you have is a key representation of your social media influence. That’s why if you Google “free Instagram followers app” you’ll see endless platforms to grow your follower count.
To help out, we’ve made a list of the best free Instagram apps to boost your influence, so you can spend less time looking for solutions and more time enjoying results.
Note: These apps were found during our online research while writing this article.
1. Bitly
One of Instagram’s most unique aspects is linking, or to be more specific, the lack thereof. Unlike other platforms, your captions cannot contain clickable links, which is why you see so many accounts point followers to the link in their bio.
So if you drop a full URL into your bio, you’ll have little space left to create an impactful Instagram bio for your brand or add other ways for followers to connect with you.
Bitly is the perfect tool to make the links in your bio lean but effective, since it allows you to easily create customized short URLs for Instagram. But Bitly can do much more than just shorten your links!
One of Bitly’s most effective free tools to build influence is our Link-in-bio page, because with one link, you can do the job of several.
When a user is directed to a Bitly Link-in-bio page they’re taken to an easy-to-navigate site where they can connect with your brand through links to other social platforms, your website, or even QR codes.
But it gets better. Free plan users can get 30 days of Bitly Link-in-bio analytics and performance data, so you can gather insights that help you build more effective marketing strategies.
Best for: Creating short links and tracking performance
Bitly is ideal for brands that want to fine-tune their Instagram marketing to create growth through real Instagram followers. Using Bitly Link-in-bio for Instagram is especially useful if you need the ability to easily change the link in your Instagram profile to support a specific campaign.
Key features
The free Bitly plan includes 10 Bitly links and two QR codes per month (with PNG and JPEG QR Code download formats), but the value doesn’t stop there. Users with the Free plan can also access our free UTM builder, five custom link back-halves, and a Link-in-bio page. With the Free plan, you can access 30 days of Link-in-bio performance history and analytics so you can easily monitor your Instagram marketing efforts. Best of all, with the free Bitly mobile app for iOS and Android, you can take Bitly with you and keep track of your efforts from anywhere!
2. FollowMeter
Anyone can see how many likes or comments they get on a post, but tracking engagement within Instagram over dozens or hundreds of posts is difficult. Fortunately, FollowMeter syncs up with your account to do just that, and it’s an easy download on iOS or Android.
All you need to do is download the app, sync your account, and FollowMeter will give you a detailed report on your most popular posts. In minutes, you can see your number of followers, who views your Instagram stories the most, and who you follow that doesn’t follow you back.
This data will help you recognize and build on trends within your engagement, and the user-friendly interface makes it especially easy to use analytics to attract real Instagram followers.
Best for: Those needing a simple interface
FollowMeter is great for those who want a user-friendly app that easily syncs to their Instagram account and delivers key engagement reports.
Key features
FollowMeter shows which posts performed best, tracks your follower count, and reveals which Instagram users viewed your stories. It can also show you ghost followers—users you follow that don’t follow you back.
3. Regram
Retweeting on Twitter (or whatever you’re calling it now), sharing on Facebook, or stitching on TikTok are easy ways to connect followers of other brands with your own. However, on Instagram, sharing someone else’s image, also known as regramming, isn’t as easy as just clicking a button.
The manual process is to take a screenshot of an image, crop it, and then repost it—while giving credit to the original creator. Regram simplifies the process by taking a link to the post you want to share, cropping the image, and then uploading it to Instagram for you.
All you have to do is choose the image you want and then write out a caption that connects with the creator’s followers.
Best for: Brands that reshare content frequently
Regram is best for brands or accounts that want to share content quickly and reliably. If your growth strategy involves attracting new followers by sharing existing content, Regram saves you from having to crop screenshots every time you want to share someone else’s photo.
Key features
Regram syncs with Instagram, so you can simply select an image from a post, open it in the Regram app, and then post it to your own account. The straightforward approach will feel just as easy as sharing or stitching despite that function not being built into the app.
Plus, Regram’s sharing ability makes it easy to connect with followers of other accounts, so you can attract them to your own page.
4. Buffer
Working with the Instagram algorithm is like trying to capture the wind in your sails. If you do it right, then you’ll have an easy time getting new followers organically. If you don’t, then it can feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle.
Buffer combines key tools like engagement reports and post scheduling into one platform, so you know exactly when and what to post and have the tools to do so reliably.
Buffer is especially good at delivering information on what’s creating the most engagement through reports on hashtags and other metrics that come with their paid subscription plans. This helps ensure that your posts are seen by as many people as possible.
Best for: Those looking for an all-in-one Instagram tool
Buffer is a do-it-all platform that makes it easy to see what’s most likely to bring in new followers and when. Plus, it helps you schedule posts around that strategy.
What sets Buffer apart is that it offers all those things in one easy-to-use platform. So if you need a central location for your Instagram management, then Buffer is an excellent choice.
Key features
Buffer’s scheduling format has great visual design and a user interface that makes even the most complicated post schedules manageable. It also has solid analytics on top-performing posts and hashtags, so you get more of the information you need to gain new followers.
5. Turbo Followers
One of the most difficult aspects of increasing your number of Instagram followers is finding real, active users instead of fake followers or bots. Turbo Followers is one of the best Android and iOS apps for doing just that.
Turbo Followers works by having users set up two Instagram accounts. One is used for engaging with other accounts, which, in turn, earns coins. You can then use those coins on your other account to encourage other real users to follow and engage with your account.
Turbo Followers also provides good hashtag research and analytic reports, so you can continue to grow your follower account organically.
Best for: Attracting real followers quickly (not fake accounts)
Turbo Followers is best for those who want to attract real, active followers to their Instagram accounts. If you buy fake Instagram followers, then you’ll quickly learn that the results can damage your engagement rates. Turbo Followers solves that problem by encouraging real people to interact with your account.
Key features
Turbo Followers’ system allows those who interact with other accounts to earn coins, which they can then use to attract real users—not bots. It also gives key information on hashtags and is easy to access via iOS, Android, or Windows.
6. GetInsta
Instantly gaining new followers on Instagram—for free—sounds too good to be true, but thanks to GetInsta, it’s not.
Unlike the other best Instagram follower apps on this list, GetInsta’s main focus is not on analytics or hashtag research. Instead, its main function is to provide users with active and real followers for free.
That’s why their main selling point is that, within minutes of signing up, you can gain hundreds of followers and Instagram likes based on the plan you choose. You can also earn coins by doing simple tasks on their platform, which you can use to get even more followers. You can also subscribe to their paid plan and gain followers every day or a set period of time.
Best for: Building a large, active community of followers
GetInsta works best for those who want to grow their reach by building a large and active follower count. Fake followers with low activity can hurt your Instagram account and even result in deactivation, so it’s incredibly important that you rely on quality services like GetInsta to quickly grow your followers.
Key features
A quick and easy enrollment can earn you hundreds of followers through GetInsta. Those followers will be active and real, and you can earn more by performing simple tasks through the platform. You can even localize your followers to build an authentic customer base in your area.
7. Snapseed
With so much focus on engagement, hashtags, and taking advantage of algorithms, it can be easy to forget that Instagram is built around sharing engaging images and videos.
Accordingly, posting professional images is a simple but effective way to drive organic growth with real Instagram followers. Snapseed is an app that makes it easy to fine-tune your images with a whole suite of tools, so you can take your content to the next level and get followers that engage.
Best for: Photo editing
Snapseed is best for people or brands that want to make everything from simple to complex edits on their Instagram photos. The app makes it easy to not only edit photos but also to move them between the two platforms.
Key features
Snapseed is a free app that you can get from the iOS and Android app stores. It opens both JPEG and RAW files and has settings that you can save and then quickly apply to each of your photos for a consistent look on your Instagram.
8. AutoHash
Hashtags are extremely important if you want to connect with non-followers who might be interested in your content. Unfortunately, finding the right hashtags for each post and typing them out is tedious work.
AutoHash makes hashtags simple by scanning your photo and then providing you with relevant and trending hashtags that you can simply copy and paste into your post.
Best for: Brands that use hashtags in their posts
Autohash works best for those who post often and rely on hashtags, so potential new followers can discover them. Plus, it’s free and available on both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, which makes it easy to work smarter, not harder when it comes to gaining new followers.
Key features
Auto-generated hashtags are the main feature of AutoHash, but it also features saved tags that you can quickly paste into your posts and even hashtags based on your location.
9. VSCO
Lastly, VSCO is a high-quality editing tool that helps you take a good image and turn it into an excellent one. And great content encourages people to follow you and engage with your Instagram posts.
Best for: Creating professional-looking photos
VSCO is a solid choice for those new to photo editing since the free version comes with 15 presets that will help photos stand out instantly. Their paid plans have even more ways to make your photos pop in even the most crowded feeds.
Key features
The 15 presets are a great start for making your photos look professional, but you can also experiment and save your favorite combinations of settings, also known as recipes. In addition, you can access the settings and collections of other creators around the world.
Download the Bitly app today for accurate Instagram tracking
Growing your Instagram follower count can feel intimidating and overwhelming—but with these tools, it doesn’t have to be. From image editing to hashtag automation to earning real followers, this list of free Instagram apps will help you boost your follower count and your engagement.
And to make your Instagram links work for you, use Bitly! Our Link-in-bio feature and custom short links make it easy to send your followers exactly where you want them to go. Plus, our link-tracking tools help you measure engagement and see what works and what doesn’t, so you can tailor your strategies and maximize your results.
Get started with Bitly for free today and get noticed on Instagram!