Unfollowers.fyi: how it works, where your ZIP goes, and an alternative

What Unfollowers.fyi is

Unfollowers.fyi is a one-page web app at unfollowers.fyi. Its browser title reads "See Who Unfollowed You On Instagram". The upload box underneath describes what it does more precisely: you upload your Instagram follower ZIP, and it shows you who doesn't follow you back.

The site's FAQ says it was built by an individual developer who wanted a tool that didn't need an Instagram login and didn't crash or flood the screen with pop-ups. The FAQ calls it a passion project and asks for questions by direct message on Instagram. The site names no company, and we found no imprint or terms page.

The Internet Archive's earliest capture of the homepage is from February 2025, so the site has been online since at least then. It was still working when we checked.

It covers Instagram only, and it runs in the browser on a phone or a computer. There's no app to install.

How we checked

On October 1, 2026, we:

1. Loaded unfollowers.fyi and read the visible text, including its three-question FAQ.
2. Read the page's source code to see where the upload form sends your file.
3. Tried the usual addresses for a privacy policy, terms and an about page. Each returned "page not found".
4. Looked up the site's history in the Internet Archive.

What we didn't do: we didn't upload an export, so we haven't seen the results page. Where this review talks about results, it relies on what the site itself says. Websites change, so treat this as the state on that date.

How it works

The site's own instructions match Instagram's export flow:

1. In Instagram, open the menu, then Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Export your information → Create export → Export to device.
2. Under Customize information, select only Followers and following. Set the date range to All time and the format to JSON, then start the export.
3. When Instagram has the file ready, download the ZIP.
4. On unfollowers.fyi, tap Upload ZIP File, pick the ZIP and tap Analyze. The page shows "Uploading, please wait" and then "Processing... this might take a minute."
5. A results page opens with the accounts that don't follow you back.

Despite the "who unfollowed you" in the title, one export can't show that, and the site doesn't claim to keep earlier results. A single export is a snapshot of who follows you today. Accounts on the "don't follow you back" list may have unfollowed you, or they may never have followed you, like most brands and celebrities you follow.

The homepage doesn't mention other lists, such as mutual follows, followers you don't follow back or pending follow requests, and it doesn't mention follow dates, search or a spreadsheet download. Since we didn't upload a file, we can't say whether the results page has any of them.

What it costs

It's free. There's no sign-up and no subscription. The FAQ says you can leave a tip on the results page if you want to help keep the site running. We saw no ad code on the homepage.

Privacy: where your ZIP goes

Unfollowers.fyi never sees your Instagram password. Its FAQ is clear about that: the only thing you hand over is a ZIP of who you follow and who follows you.

That ZIP does leave your device, though. The upload form sends it to a script called process.php on the site's own server, and the analysis happens there. The page's wording says the same thing ("Uploading, please wait..."). Plenty of websites work this way, and it doesn't mean anything bad happens to your file. It does mean you're trusting the operator with your full followers and following lists.

What we couldn't find:

• A privacy policy. None is linked from the page, and the usual addresses return "page not found". So the site doesn't say whether uploaded files are deleted after the analysis, kept for a while, or logged.
• A named company or imprint. The only contact is the developer's Instagram account.

The page also loads a Google Analytics tag when it opens. We saw no cookie banner in the page code. Analytics receives normal page-visit data, not your ZIP.

For any tool that uploads your file, export only Followers and following, as the site's instructions say. The Customize information screen lists everything a full export can contain, including your messages, comments and photos, and none of that is needed to find non-followers. Our guide to the follower files in an Instagram export shows what the two files you need actually contain.

When Unfollowers.fyi is a good fit

• You want one list, the accounts that don't follow you back, and nothing else.
• You like that a single person runs it and you can message him directly.
• You're fine with a followers-only ZIP being processed on someone else's server.
• You'd rather tip once than see ads.

It's a weaker fit if you want the file to stay on your device, if you want to track who unfollowed you over time, or if you also use TikTok, X or Facebook.

Unfollowers.fyi vs. UnfollowTool

Both tools read the same Instagram export and never ask for your password. The core answer, who doesn't follow you back, comes from the same two files. The differences are where the file is read and what you can do with the result.

Where Unfollowers.fyi comes out ahead: it has no ads, the page is about as simple as a tool can get, and you can reach the person who built it on Instagram.

Two limits on our side: the X export contains only account IDs, so X results link to each profile instead of showing a username, and the Facebook export contains only names, so Facebook results can't link to profiles.

Try the export method in your browser

If you already have the ZIP you made for Unfollowers.fyi, skip to step 5.

1. Open Accounts Center → Your information and permissions and log in to Instagram if asked. Meta is gradually renaming Accounts Center to Meta Account, so you may see that name instead.
2. Choose Export your information → Create export → your Instagram profile → Export to device.
3. Under Customize information, clear everything except Followers and following. Set Date range to All time and Format to JSON, then tap Start export.
4. Wait for Instagram's email or notification, then download the ZIP. Meta says an export can take up to 30 days. A followers-only export is small and often arrives much sooner, but there's no guaranteed time. The finished file stays available for 4 days.
5. Open the Instagram tool and choose the ZIP, or drag it onto the upload area on a computer. You don't need to unzip it. It's read in your browser tab and never uploaded.
6. The Don't follow you back list opens first, on a separate results page. Each row shows when you followed the account, so Oldest first brings up old follows that never followed back.
7. Tap Open to view a profile on Instagram and unfollow there by hand if you want to. With Remember this result on this device on, each profile you open gets a check mark, so you can pick up where you left off after a reload.

To see who unfollowed you, request a new export a few weeks later and analyze it in the same browser. The tool then adds an Unfollowed you list and a New followers list covering the time since your last analysis. Our guide on how to see who unfollowed you on Instagram explains the limits, such as deactivated accounts that look like unfollows.

To see the results screen before you request an export, tap Try with sample data on the tool page. It uses made-up accounts.

How to see whether a tool uploads your file

On a computer, you can check this for Unfollowers.fyi, UnfollowTool or any other site in a couple of minutes:

1. Open the tool in Chrome, Edge or Firefox and press F12. Switch to the Network tab.
2. Choose your ZIP in the tool and start the analysis.
3. Look for a POST request whose size is close to your ZIP's size. On Unfollowers.fyi, that's the request to process.php. A tool that reads the file locally sends no such request.

A faster test: load the page, turn off Wi-Fi or switch on airplane mode, then choose the ZIP. A tool that works locally still shows results. A tool that needs its server can't.

Common questions

Is Unfollowers.fyi safe?

It doesn't ask for your Instagram password, it doesn't log in to your account and it can't unfollow anyone, so it can't cause activity on your account. The open question is your file: it's uploaded to the site's server, and there's no privacy policy that says what happens to it afterward. If that matters to you, upload only a followers-and-following export, or use a tool that reads the file in your browser.

Can Unfollowers.fyi show who unfollowed me?

Not from one export, despite the page title. It shows accounts you follow that don't follow you back. Seeing who unfollowed you needs two exports from different dates. No tool can show unfollows from before your first export.

Is followers.fyi the same site?

No. When we checked, followers.fyi was an unrelated service that analyzes LinkedIn audiences. It has nothing to do with Instagram unfollowers or with unfollowers.fyi.

Does anyone get notified when I use it?

No. Requesting your own Instagram export doesn't notify anyone, and neither tool has access to your Instagram account. Nobody on your lists finds out.

Does Unfollowers.fyi work for TikTok, X or Facebook?

No, it's Instagram only. UnfollowTool has separate tools for TikTok, X and Facebook exports, and our export tutorial shows how to get each file.

Related reading

• Instagram unfollower apps compared: which ones need your password?
• Does Unfollowgram still work? What happened, and free alternatives
• Odette (Oddete) unfollow checker: how it works and whether it’s safe

Open the Instagram tool