# How to find an Instagram creator's best Reels

> Instagram doesn't sort a profile's Reels by views. Here's how to find the Reels that took off for any public creator, measured against their own usual views, by hand or in bulk, and what the numbers can't tell you.

By Matt, Parsly · Updated 2026-10-28 · Checked 2026-10-28 · https://parsly.to/guides/how-to-find-an-instagram-creators-best-reels/

## The short answer

Instagram has no way to sort another creator's Reels by views. Open their profile's Reels tab, where each Reel shows its play count in the corner, note the last 30 or so, and find their typical number. The Reels with several times that are their breakouts: the ones worth studying. Parsly can do this for a whole profile.

A breakout Reel is a Reel with several times its creator's usual views. A creator's breakouts are their best Reels: the ones worth watching closely, because something in them worked for that audience. Instagram shows the numbers you need on every public profile, but not in an order that makes the breakouts, or even the most-viewed Reels, easy to spot. This guide shows how to find them by hand, what the numbers mean, and how to do it for a whole profile at once.

## Can you see a creator's most-viewed Reels on Instagram?

Not in one place. A profile's Reels tab lists Reels newest first, with any the creator pinned at the top, and Instagram has no sort by views or likes (checked October 2026). To find the most-viewed ones, you read each Reel's count yourself, or use a tool that collects them.

## Where do you see a Reel's views?

On the profile's **Reels** tab. Each Reel shows a number in its bottom-left corner, next to a small play icon.

1. Open the creator's profile in the Instagram app or on instagram.com.
2. Tap or click **Reels**, below their profile info.
3. Read the number in the bottom-left corner of each Reel. Open a Reel to see its likes and comments.

Instagram's help calls that number "video plays": how many times the Reel started to play, not counting replays ([See info about your reel](https://help.instagram.com/323823612324730/)). On instagram.com the same number is labelled a view count: when we opened National Geographic's Reels tab in October 2026, each Reel showed one, such as 1.1m, with a sign-up prompt over the page for visitors who weren't logged in. Log in to scroll a profile comfortably.

## What do Instagram's view numbers actually count?

Instagram counts views slightly differently in different places, so compare like with like: the numbers on one creator's Reels tab against each other.

| Where | What Instagram says it counts | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Reels tab, bottom-left corner | Video plays: times the Reel started to play, not replays; may include Facebook if the creator recommends it there | Anyone who can see the profile |
| Below a video | Views of three seconds or more, not loops, from the Instagram app only | Anyone who can see the post |
| Insights, Views | Times the Reel started to play or replay | Only the creator |

Sources: [See info about your reel](https://help.instagram.com/323823612324730/), [See how many times a video has been viewed](https://help.instagram.com/1562166204102854), [Why video views aren't appearing](https://help.instagram.com/1011558218890996), [View insights on your Instagram reels](https://help.instagram.com/202865988324236).

## How do I find a creator's breakout Reels by hand?

Work out what's normal for that creator, then look for the Reels far above it. All you need is the Reels tab and a spreadsheet.

1. **Open their Reels tab** and scroll back through their last 30 or so Reels. Skip the pinned ones at the top: they sit outside the date order and are often there because they already did well.
2. **Leave out the newest few days.** A Reel posted yesterday is still gathering views.
3. **Write down each Reel's number and date** in a spreadsheet, one row per Reel.
4. **Find their usual.** Take the middle value of the list (the median), not the average, so one huge hit doesn't drag it up.
5. **Divide each Reel by the usual.** If the middle Reel has 20,000 plays, one with 100,000 is 5x their usual.
6. **Mark the breakouts:** the Reels at roughly 3x their usual or more. Pick the threshold you like; what matters is using the same one for every creator.

Do this for 5–10 creators in your niche. Then watch each breakout and note how it opens, its format and its subject: [how to go viral on Instagram](https://parsly.to/guides/how-to-go-viral-on-instagram/) covers taking them apart, and a [Reel transcript](https://parsly.to/guides/how-to-get-an-instagram-reel-transcript/) helps you read the first lines.

## Why compare a creator with their own usual, not raw views?

Because big accounts get big numbers on everything. A Reel with 500,000 plays is ordinary for a creator whose Reels usually get 400,000, and a Reel with 50,000 is a hit for one whose usual is 5,000. Measuring each Reel against its creator's own median tells you which ideas worked, not which accounts are biggest.

## What are the ways to find a creator's best Reels?

Three: by hand from the Reels tab, with a third-party analytics site, or with a browser extension such as Parsly that collects a whole profile at once. They differ in cost, effort and what they read.

| Way | Cost | Effort | Many Reels at once | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By hand, Reels tab and a spreadsheet | Free | High: you copy every number | No | Plays from the corner, likes and comments if you open each one |
| Third-party analytics sites and scrapers | Usually paid, or free with limits | Low | Yes | Varies by tool; check what it reads and whether it asks for your Instagram login |
| Parsly | Free extension | Low: one click per profile | Yes, a whole profile | Plays, likes, comments, dates and captions, with breakouts marked against the creator's usual |

Never give a third-party site your Instagram password. A tool that needs only a public username doesn't need it.

## What can't you find out about someone else's Reels?

- **Their insights.** Watch time, average watch time, viewers and the follows a Reel brought in are shown only to the account that posted it ([View insights on your Instagram reels](https://help.instagram.com/202865988324236)). You see what's public: plays, likes and comments.
- **Private accounts' Reels.** Only a private account's approved followers can see its Reels ([Who can see and share your reels](https://help.instagram.com/1392551434468488)). No honest tool can read them, Parsly included.
- **Hidden counts.** Creators can hide like and view counts on their posts ([Hide or unhide like counts](https://help.instagram.com/113355287252104/)).
- **Views of videos in a post with several photos and videos,** or of videos added before 19 November 2015: Instagram shows none ([Why video views aren't appearing](https://help.instagram.com/1011558218890996)).
- **Where the views came from.** Whether a Reel was pushed by Explore, shares or the creator's followers isn't public.

## How do I find a creator's best Reels with Parsly?

[Parsly](https://parsly.to/) is a free Chrome extension for studying what works for a creator. On Instagram it reads a profile's Reels the way you'd scroll them, then marks the breakouts.

1. Open the creator's profile on instagram.com, go to their **Reels** tab, and open Parsly from Chrome's toolbar. The first time, allow it on Instagram.
2. Choose how many Reels (50, 100, 300 or all, newest first) and click **Collect**. Parsly scrolls the tab and reads each Reel's plays, likes, comments and date, and whether it's pinned.
3. Leave **Captions and lengths** on to add each Reel's caption, length and sound.
4. Parsly marks the breakouts, each measured against that creator's own usual (8x their usual views, say).
5. Download the list as a spreadsheet (CSV) or JSON, and repeat for each creator you follow.

Parsly reads only public profiles you can see yourself, at a person's pace, and what you collect is kept in your browser. To keep the Reels themselves, see [how to download Instagram Reels](https://parsly.to/guides/how-to-download-instagram-reels/).

## Questions people also ask

### Can I sort an Instagram profile's Reels by most viewed?

No. Instagram shows a profile's Reels newest first, apart from any the creator pinned, and has no sort by views. You have to read each Reel's count yourself or use a tool that collects them.

### What does the number on a Reel in the Reels tab mean?

Instagram's help says it's the number of video plays: how many times the Reel started to play, not counting replays. On the web, Instagram labels it a view count. If the creator recommends the Reel to Facebook, plays may include Facebook too.

### Why does a Reel show no view count?

Instagram doesn't show view counts for videos inside a post with several photos and videos, or for videos added before 19 November 2015. Creators can also hide like and view counts on their own posts.

### Can I see another creator's Reel insights, like watch time?

No. Insights such as watch time, viewers and follows are shown only to the account that posted the Reel. Everyone else sees the public counts: plays, likes and comments.

### What counts as a breakout Reel?

A Reel with several times that creator's usual views, judged against their own typical number rather than raw totals. Big accounts get big numbers on everything, so a creator's own usual is the fair comparison.

## Sources

- [Instagram Help: See info about your reel on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/323823612324730/)
- [Instagram Help: See how many times a video has been viewed on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/1562166204102854)
- [Instagram Help: Why video views aren't appearing on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/1011558218890996)
- [Instagram Help: View insights on your Instagram reels](https://help.instagram.com/202865988324236)
- [Instagram Help: About Instagram insights](https://help.instagram.com/788388387972460)
- [Instagram Help: Hide or unhide like counts on Instagram posts and reels](https://help.instagram.com/113355287252104/)
- [Instagram Help: Who can see and share your reels on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/1392551434468488)