Everything you need to know about FindTheSnakes. Can't find your answer? Email us at [email protected]
FindTheSnakes is a tool that lets you upload your Instagram data export files and instantly see who you follow that isn't following you back. We call them snakes 🐍
Unlike other tools, we never ask for your Instagram password or connect to your account. Everything is based on files you export directly from Instagram yourself.
It's simple — Instagram lets you download your own data as JSON files. You download those files, upload them here, and we instantly compare your followers list against your following list to show you who isn't following back.
Your files are processed entirely in your browser and are never sent to our servers.
No. FindTheSnakes is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Instagram or Meta Platforms, Inc. in any way. We simply help you make sense of data you already own.
We have a full step-by-step guide for this! Head over to our Instructions page and we'll walk you through the whole process in about 5 minutes.
The short version: go to Instagram Settings → Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Export your information → Create export → select JSON format.
The time varies depending on the size of your account. Smaller accounts may receive their download link within minutes, while larger accounts with thousands of followers can take anywhere from a few hours to 24 hours. Once you receive the email with your download link, uploading and analyzing your files is quick.
Absolutely not. FindTheSnakes never asks for your Instagram password and never connects to your Instagram account. We only work with data files that you download yourself directly from Instagram.
Any tool that asks for your Instagram password is putting your account at serious risk. We built FindTheSnakes specifically to avoid that.
No. Your Instagram JSON files are processed entirely in your browser on your own device. They are never sent to our servers at any point.
For paid monthly subscribers, your analysis results (usernames and follow status) are saved to power features like audit history and the unfollower log. But the raw files themselves never leave your device.
No. Because we never connect to your Instagram account, access Instagram's API, or do anything on Instagram on your behalf, there is zero risk to your account. We simply read files you already own.
Tools that scrape Instagram or use your login credentials carry real risks of account suspension. FindTheSnakes was designed from the ground up to avoid all of that.
For free users — nothing beyond what's needed to serve the page. Your files are processed locally and nothing is stored.
For paid accounts, we store:
We never sell your data. See our full Privacy Policy for details.
Yes, absolutely. Email us at [email protected] and we'll permanently delete your account and all associated data within 48 hours.
The $3 one-time plan gives you full results for a single analysis — you pay once and see the complete list of everyone not following you back, plus export to CSV and print report.
The $10/month Pro plan gives you everything in one-time plus unlimited analyses, whitelist (hide accounts you don't care about), private notes on any account, full audit history, and a permanent unfollower log tracking everyone who has ever unfollowed you over time.
If you just want a one-time check, go with $3. If you want to track your Instagram over time, Pro is the better value.
Yes, you can cancel anytime. Your Pro access continues until the end of your current billing period. We don't offer partial refunds for unused time, but you'll never be charged again after cancelling.
To cancel, email us at [email protected].
For the $3 one-time plan, we don't offer refunds once the full results have been revealed. For the $10/month plan, we don't offer partial refunds for unused subscription time.
However, if you experience a technical issue that prevents you from accessing what you paid for, contact us at [email protected] and we'll make it right.
Yes. All payments are processed by Stripe, one of the world's most trusted payment processors. We never see or store your credit card details — they go directly to Stripe's secure servers.
Your data (whitelist, notes, audit history, unfollower log) is kept in our database for 30 days after cancellation in case you resubscribe. After 30 days, it is permanently deleted.
We recommend exporting your data as a CSV before cancelling if you want to keep a copy.
The whitelist lets you hide specific accounts from your "not following back" results. For example, you might follow a celebrity, a brand, or a news account that will never follow you back — and you don't want to see them cluttering your results every time.
Whitelisted accounts are hidden from your results but never deleted. You can view and manage them anytime from the Whitelist tab. This feature is available on the Pro monthly plan and syncs across all your devices.
Every time a Pro subscriber runs an analysis, we save a snapshot of the results. Your audit history lets you look back at past analyses and compare them — so you can see exactly who was not following you back on a specific date and how that has changed over time.
Each audit card shows new unfollowers (people who appeared since your last audit) highlighted in red so you can spot changes instantly.
The unfollower log is a permanent record of every single person who has ever appeared as "not following back" since you started using FindTheSnakes. Unlike the current results view which only shows your latest analysis, the log tracks everyone historically.
Each entry shows when they were first detected, when they were last seen, and whether they are still not following you or have since disappeared (either they refollowed you, you unfollowed them, or their account changed).
The Snake List is your personal hall of shame — a curated list of accounts you want to keep tabs on for your own satisfaction. Maybe they unfollowed you after you supported them for years. Maybe they ghosted you after a collab. Maybe they just rub you the wrong way.
Whatever the reason, the Snake List lets you pin those accounts in one dedicated place so you never forget. It's not about doing anything with the list — it's just yours. A little private record of the people who didn't deserve your follow.
Add anyone by clicking the 🐍 button on their row in your results. View your full list anytime from the Snake List tab. This feature is available on the Pro monthly plan and syncs across all your devices.
Notes let you add a private reminder to any account in your results. For example you might note "met at conference 2024" or "brand collab - don't unfollow" or "followed me then unfollowed same day".
Notes are completely private, stored securely in your account, and sync across all your devices. They also appear in your CSV exports and printed reports. This feature is available on the Pro monthly plan.
Yes! Paid users can export their full results as a CSV file. The export includes usernames, Instagram URLs, follow status, and whitelist status. Pro monthly subscribers also get their notes and audit history summary included in the export.
You can open the CSV in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet app.
Yes! Instagram splits large follower lists across multiple files (like followers_1.json, followers_2.json, etc.). FindTheSnakes supports uploading multiple files at once for both followers and following — just select them all when uploading and we'll combine them automatically.
A few things to check:
This can happen if the payment confirmation takes a moment to sync. Try these steps:
If it's still not working after a few minutes, contact us at [email protected] with your payment confirmation and we'll sort it out immediately.
This usually means one of the following:
A few possible reasons:
That's why we label results as "Not following back or profile disabled" rather than stating it as absolute fact. You can always whitelist accounts you know are fine.
Instagram occasionally changes the format of their data exports. When this happens, our JSON parser may need to be updated to handle the new format. We monitor for these changes and update the tool as quickly as possible.
If you're experiencing this issue, email us at [email protected] and attach one of your JSON files (you can remove any sensitive usernames first) so we can investigate.
We're happy to help. Send us a message and we'll get back to you quickly.
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