Tracking · for creators

How to Track Views Across TikTok and Instagram Accounts

August 27, 2026 · 6 min read

In short

If you run more than one account — a main TikTok, a smaller niche one, an Instagram — stop checking each platform's own app. Instead, pull every account's posts and views into one place that updates on its own. Native analytics only show you that one app's numbers.

They won't add a second account's TikTok views to your Instagram views. They won't remember what a post looked like three weeks ago once the app's own history window scrolls past it. Below is why the platform apps fall short for multi-account creators, what a real unified view needs, and how to set one up.

What this guide covers: Why checking each app separately doesn't add up; The historical-window problem; What 'one view of performance' actually needs; Setting it up; Why combining accounts also gives you a more honest baseline.
The sections in this guide, in order.

Why checking each app separately doesn't add up

TikTok's creator tools show TikTok numbers. Instagram's insights show Instagram numbers. Neither shows the other. Neither is built to combine a second TikTok account's numbers with your main one — each is scoped to the account you're logged into.

If you run a main account and a niche second account, you open two app sessions just to see both. Then you do the addition yourself. That's a minor annoyance for a quick check.

It gets expensive when a brand deal spans more than one account. Answering 'how did this deal perform' means opening two or three apps and adding numbers by hand, every time you want an update.

The historical-window problem

Beyond being split by app, native analytics are usually shallow in time. Most platforms show a recent window clearly and make anything older hard to reach. A view count you didn't write down when it mattered is gone. You're left with today's total and no way to see how it got there.

That shape matters more than it sounds. A post can hit 20,000 views in three days, then go flat. Another post can crawl to the same 20,000 views over two months. The lifetime total is identical either way, but the first post is done delivering, and the second might still be earning if the deal is CPM-based.

What 'one view of performance' actually needs

Three things separate glancing at separate apps from having a real unified view. First, every account in one list. Second, a per-post daily history instead of a single lifetime number. Third, totals sliced by account, platform, or time period without re-adding anything by hand.

Setting it up

In Sway9, you add your own TikTok and Instagram handles as tracked accounts. The app then pulls every post from those accounts and its view count automatically, up to three times a day. It keeps a per-post daily history, so you're not the one responsible for remembering to check before a number is lost.

The free plan covers 3 tracked accounts with 100 credits a month, no card required. Paid plans start at $22/month for 25 accounts, built for a manager tracking a roster rather than one creator's own handles.

Setup is just adding the handles — main TikTok, niche TikTok, Instagram, whatever you run — and letting the sync start pulling posts. From there, every post across every account shows up in one list with its own running view history.

Why combining accounts also gives you a more honest baseline

There's a second reason a single-account view can mislead you: any one account's recent posts might not represent what's typical. Sway9's own tracking data, across 159 posts, found a median of 307 views per post, with 97% of posts under 1,000 views. But the top 10% of posts accounted for 26.3% of all views.

That shape — most posts modest, a handful carrying a disproportionate share — means whichever account posted the standout video most recently looks like the strong performer. It might just be one outlier post skewing the picture.

Looking across all your accounts, with enough history per account, makes this easier to spot. You can see whether an account is consistently doing better, versus one lucky post making it look active.

Where this connects back to brand deals

Once views flow in automatically across every account, the next step is tying that data to what a deal is worth. In Sway9, each brand deal is set up as a campaign with its rate — a flat amount per post or a CPM (per 1,000 views). The app computes what that deal is worth as views come in, across whichever accounts and platforms the deal covers.

That's the real payoff of unifying view data. Not just a tidier dashboard, but a running answer to 'what is this deal worth right now' — without adding anything up by hand.

If someone else manages the accounts alongside you

A manager tracking accounts for several creators hits the same platform-silo problem, multiplied by however many people they represent. Each creator's TikTok and Instagram are separate logins, and none of them talk to a manager's own view of the roster.

The same fix applies at that scale: connect every creator's handles, let the sync pull posts and views automatically, and work from one combined list. Team members are unlimited on every Sway9 plan, so a manager and their creators see the same live data instead of relaying screenshots. CSV export covers pulling numbers into a report when a specific conversation calls for it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I combine TikTok and Instagram views into one number?

Not inside either platform's own analytics — each is scoped to its own app. A tool that connects both accounts and pulls their post data automatically can show a combined total. The platforms themselves won't add the two together for you.

How often do views actually need to be checked?

It depends on how fresh a brand deal's numbers need to be. A daily record beats a one-time check every time, since a post's view trajectory tells you something a single lifetime total can't. Automatic syncing up to three times a day removes the need to remember to check at all.

Does this work if I have a small niche second account alongside a bigger main one?

Yes. The free plan covers up to 3 tracked accounts, which fits a main account, a niche second account, and one more without a paid plan. Each account gets its own post history, and totals can be viewed combined or separately.

What if a brand deal only covers one of my platforms, not both?

That's fine. A campaign in Sway9 can be tied to the specific posts that belong to it, whichever accounts or platforms those posts are on. A single-platform deal and a two-platform deal are both just a matter of which posts get attached.

Is a bigger account's post always the one worth prioritizing?

Not necessarily. A smaller account can have a higher typical view count per post than a bigger one with weaker recent performance. The point of tracking all accounts consistently is checking which one is actually doing better right now, not assuming based on follower count.

Free plan · no card · no expiry

Track your own accounts free

Add your TikTok and Instagram handles, set each brand deal up as a campaign with its rate, and Sway9 pulls in every post and view and works out what the deal is worth. Free for 3 accounts, no card, no expiry.

Try for free Cancel any time · unlimited team members on every plan

Sources: Sway9 — What 159 tracked UGC posts actually looked like