Instagram Engagement Rate Calculator
This Instagram engagement rate calculator works out your rate three ways, by followers, by reach and by views, and gives saves and shares a score of their own.
- The basic math: likes plus comments plus shares plus saves, divided by followers, reach or views, times 100.
- Why three answers: my best test reel scored 8.8% by views and 15.3% by reach. Same reel. Always say what you divided by.
- Why a separate score: saves and shares are the rarer taps, and the ones I trust most.
What people did
Divide by (fill any you have)
Add as a preferred source on Google
Nothing you type leaves your phone. The math runs in your browser, and I don't store your numbers.
How the math works, in plain words
Every engagement rate is the same idea. Count what people did, then divide by how many people had the chance to do it.
The calculator also shows a "likes and comments only" rate by followers. That's the version most benchmark reports use, so it's the fair one to compare with them.
Instagram's own developer docs count likes, saves, comments and shares as a post's interactions, minus any undone ones. Reposts get their own count, so I leave them out. Add them to shares if you'd rather count them.
Source: Meta for Developers, Instagram media insights reference ("total_interactions", "reach", "views", "saved", "shares"), read November 3, 2026.
What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
It depends on what you divide by. That's why two "average engagement rate" articles can say 0.45% and 4.2% on the same day. Here's what I could check myself:
| Source | What it divides by | Instagram number |
|---|---|---|
| Socialinsider, Q3 2026 (67.5 million posts, 579,000 brand accounts) | Likes and comments ÷ followers | 0.45% average. Reels 0.48%, carousels 0.50%, images 0.35% |
| Socialinsider, full year 2025 | Likes and comments ÷ followers | 0.48% (down from 0.50% in 2024) |
| Hootsuite, 2026 | Not stated for its table (it calls reach the most common formula) | "Good" is 1% to 5%. Carousels averaged 4.2% across industries |
| My three-hook test | All four actions ÷ views | 3.3%, 4.9% and 8.8% |
| Same test | All four actions ÷ accounts reached | 4.7%, 7.3% and 15.3% |
So "is 2% good?" has no answer until you know the formula. My advice: pick one formula, use it every time, and compare your posts with your own past posts. That tells you far more than a stranger's average.
Also keep in mind that Socialinsider measures brand accounts, not creators like me, and it only counts likes and comments.
Sources: Socialinsider, "Instagram benchmarks" (updated November 2, 2026); Hootsuite, "How to calculate engagement rate in 2026" (October 6, 2026); my Instagram Insights for the three-hook test (playbook screenshots, 2026). Read November 3, 2026.
Your rate tells you where you stand. My free video shows the test I use to change it.
Watch the videoWhy I score saves and shares on their own
I once posted the same footage three times with three different hooks and songs, each as a Trial Reel. Here's what the calculator says about each one.
| My test, same footage | Hook 1 | Hook 2 | Hook 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate by views | 3.3% | 4.9% | 8.8% |
| Rate by reach | 4.7% | 7.3% | 15.3% |
| Save and share score | 7.3 | 10.1 | 19.9 |
| Saves and shares as a share of all actions | 22% | 21% | 23% |
That last row surprised me. I expected the winner to win on shares alone. It didn't. It won because more of the people who saw it did something, and saves and shares rose with everything else.
Across the 90 days that ended July 27, 2026, I got 769K likes but only 98K saves and 88K shares. Saves and shares are rare, so a jump in them is easy to spot. That's my early sign that a reel might travel. One test isn't a rule, and my typical reel gets about 5,400 views. These are my numbers, not a forecast for yours.
Source: my Instagram Insights (three-hook test and April 28 to July 27, 2026), from my playbook's screenshots; the rates are my math. Median views: my 243 public reels, collected November 2, 2026.
You can't see other people's saves
Most calculators online ask for a username. They can only read what's public: likes, comments and views. Saves never show publicly, and the public data I pulled on my own reels had no share counts either. You see both in your own Insights.
So a rate you get for someone else's account is a likes-and-comments rate. It's fine for a quick look at a creator you might work with. For your own posts, use your Insights numbers here and you'll see the full picture.
Source: my own public reel data, collected November 2, 2026: likes, comments and play counts were public; saves, shares and watch time were not.
How I'd raise your rate
- Fix the hook. My best hook held people 8 seconds and my worst 5. Watch time comes first.
- Give them something to keep or send. I wrote a whole page on getting more likes on Instagram by aiming at saves and shares first.
- Test on strangers. I post new ideas as Trial Reels and check the rate after a day. My page on whether Trial Reels are worth it shows what I've seen.
- Post when people are awake. Instagram looks at how fast people act on a post. My best time to post on Instagram research helps you pick a slot.
- Know what Instagram ranks. Saves and shares sit right next to likes in how the Instagram algorithm works.
Sources: the Instagram for Creators blog post "Tips for improving your reach," dated May 31, 2023, on how fast people act on a post; the Instagram Explore system card in Meta's Transparency Center (updated June 22, 2026).
Questions people ask
How do you calculate engagement rate on Instagram?
Add up likes, comments, shares and saves. Divide by followers, accounts reached or views, then multiply by 100. Always say which one you divided by, because the answers are very different.
What is a good engagement rate for Instagram?
By followers, counting likes and comments, Socialinsider's 2026 average for brand accounts is about 0.45%, so anything above that beats most brands. By reach or views the numbers run much higher. Compare your own posts with each other first.
What is the average engagement rate for Instagram?
Socialinsider measured 0.45% by followers in the third quarter of 2026, across 67.5 million posts from brand accounts. Reels averaged 0.48% and carousels 0.50%.
Should saves and shares count in engagement rate?
Yes, if you can see them. Instagram's own developer docs count likes, saves, comments and shares as interactions. You'll find saves and shares in your own Insights, but tools that read public counts can't see them.
Why is my engagement rate dropping?
Usually one of three things: fewer people saw the post, your follower count grew faster than your actions, or the hook stopped holding people. Check accounts reached and average watch time first, then your saves and shares.
Sources: Socialinsider, "Instagram benchmarks" (updated November 2, 2026); Meta for Developers, Instagram media insights reference.
Know your rate. Now test what changes it. In my free 10-minute video I show my tracker, the numbers I read, and the 30-day plan.
Why I care more about shares and saves: how to get more likes on Instagram.