Social media API comparison: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram and LinkedIn
Short answer: the Instagram and Facebook APIs (Meta) cover publishing, messaging, comments, insights and ads, but require App Review and business verification. TikTok opens publishing and profile data behind an audit. The Telegram Bot API needs no review, while MTProto gives full access as a real user account. LinkedIn's open surface is narrow — much of it is reserved for approved partners.
Updated:
What does each social media API give you?
Meta (Instagram, Facebook) is the broadest family: publishing, messaging, comments, insights, Lead Ads and ads — but other people's accounts need App Review and Business Verification. TikTok offers video/photo publishing and profile stats, with an audit for public posts. Telegram works instantly for bots and via api_id for accounts. LinkedIn opens member posting; pages, ads and webhooks need approval.
Access requirements: account type, auth and review
Per official documentation as of 2026-09-17.
| Platform | Who connects | Auth | Review / audit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional account (Business or Creator) | Facebook Login (via a Page) or Instagram Login (no Page) | For accounts you don't own: Advanced Access — App Review + Business Verification | |
| Facebook Pages | A Page and a user with a task on it | Facebook Login → Page access token | Advanced Access: App Review + Business Verification |
| TikTok | A TikTok user (creator) | Login Kit, OAuth 2.0; PKCE for mobile and desktop | App Review (several days to two weeks); Content Posting audit for public posts |
| Telegram Bot API | Your bot | Token from BotFather | None |
| Telegram MTProto | A real user account | api_id/api_hash from my.telegram.org + phone, code, 2FA | None; but unofficial clients are under observation and spam means a permanent ban |
| A member; for Pages, an organization admin | OAuth 2.0 (3-legged), 60-day access token | Sign In and Share on LinkedIn are self-serve; Community Management and Advertising need approval |
Capabilities: publishing, messaging, comments, insights and ads
| Platform | Publishing | Messaging | Comments | Insights | Ads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Images (JPEG), Reels, Stories, carousels (up to 10); 100 posts per 24 h | Direct: 24-hour window after the customer writes | Read, reply, hide; webhooks need Advanced Access | Account and media metrics; views replaces impressions for new media | Meta Marketing API | |
| Facebook Pages | POST /{page_id}/feed; scheduling 10 minutes to 30 days ahead | Messenger Platform (pages_messaging), 24-hour window | Read, reply, hide | Page and post insights (read_insights) | Meta Marketing API |
| TikTok | Video and photo: Direct Post or draft upload | Not in standard developer scopes | Not in standard scopes; business accounts via TikTok API for Business | user.info.stats; video view, like, comment, share counts | TikTok API for Business (separate) |
| Telegram Bot API | To chats, groups and channels where the bot is a member or admin | Yes, but only to users who messaged the bot first | Group messages (depends on privacy mode) | Limited (e.g. member count) | No |
| Telegram MTProto | Any chat the account belongs to; scheduled messages | Yes, with full history | Yes (channel discussion groups) | Channel statistics (on Telegram's terms) | No |
| As a member (w_member_social); organization Pages via Community Management | No open API (approved partners only) | Organization Pages via Community Management | Page and post analytics via approved API | Advertising API with approval |
Webhooks and rate-limit models
| Platform | Webhooks | Request verification | Rate-limit model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram / Facebook | Yes: comments, messages, mentions, feed, leadgen and more; app must be Live; retried for up to 36 hours | X-Hub-Signature-256 (HMAC-SHA256 with the app secret) | Platform limits (app/user, 1 hour) and BUC (Pages, Instagram — 24 hours) |
| TikTok | Yes: authorization.removed, video.publish.completed, video.upload.failed and more; retried for up to 72 hours | TikTok-Signature: t=..., s=... (timestamp + body) | Sliding one-minute window per endpoint |
| Telegram Bot API | setWebhook or getUpdates (only one at a time) | Body is not signed: X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Token header | ~1 msg/s per chat, 20/min per group, ~30/s broadcast; 429 + retry_after |
| Telegram MTProto | Updates over a persistent connection | Session key | Not published; FLOOD_WAIT_X |
| Approved use cases only (organization notifications, Lead Sync) | X-LI-Signature; endpoint validated with challengeCode | Daily app and member limits, reset at 00:00 UTC |
Limits in depth: the "Social media API rate limits" article.
Instagram and Facebook: one Meta, two login paths
There are two ways into the Instagram API. With Facebook Login, the account is linked to a Facebook Page and calls use a Page token. With Instagram Login no Page is needed: the token belongs to the professional account itself (short-lived 1 hour, long-lived 60 days). Neither path connects a personal, non-professional account.
Meta permissions come in two levels: Standard Access works only for people with a role on the app, Advanced Access works for everyone and requires App Review plus Business Verification. A product where customers connect their own accounts cannot launch without review.
Instagram fetches media itself — images or videos must sit at a public HTTPS URL at publish time. Direct messaging has a 24-hour window after the customer's message, and group chats are not supported.
TikTok: SELF_ONLY posts until you pass the audit
A TikTok app goes through App Review before production; a sandbox (up to 10 target accounts) exists for testing. In the Content Posting API an unaudited client can post on behalf of at most 5 users in 24 hours, and only with SELF_ONLY visibility. Public posting requires a separate audit.
A creator_info query is mandatory before posting: it returns the privacy levels the creator allows and the maximum video length. Uploading by URL (PULL_FROM_URL) requires a verified domain or URL prefix. Comments and direct messages are not part of the standard developer scopes.
Telegram: Bot API and MTProto are different worlds
The Bot API is plain HTTPS: get a token from BotFather and start. Its limits are clear too: a bot cannot message a user first, only sees chats it belongs to, and send rates are capped by the FAQ limits.
MTProto is the protocol Telegram's own clients use. You get an api_id and api_hash at my.telegram.org (one api_id per phone number), then log in with phone, code and, if set, a 2FA password. Acting as the account unlocks full history, member lists and channel management. Telegram's docs say accounts logging in through unofficial API clients are automatically put under observation, and flooding or spamming leads to a permanent ban.
LinkedIn: much of it is for approved partners
LinkedIn has two self-serve (open) products: Sign In with LinkedIn using OpenID Connect and Share on LinkedIn (w_member_social — posting as a member). Organization Pages, comments and Page analytics go through the Community Management API, available only to registered legal organizations for commercial use cases.
There is no open messaging API for members: the Messages API is restricted to approved partners. The Lead Sync API for Lead Gen Forms also needs a separate application. Every /rest/ call requires a LinkedIn-Version: YYYYMM header, and each version is supported for at least a year.
What the Socialift SDK covers
Only methods that actually exist in the SDK. Socialift is an independent Python SDK, not an official partner of these platforms.
| Platform | Client | In the SDK | Not in the SDK |
|---|---|---|---|
Facebook | OAuth, Pages, publish/delete posts, reply to and hide comments, post insights, webhook subscription, Lead Ads (lead_forms, leads, lead, ad_context) | Messenger | |
Instagram, Instagram.via_facebook(...) | Instagram Login and via Page; publish (image, video, Reels), publish_carousel (2–10), comments, Direct (conversations, messages, send_message), insights, media_insights, demographics | no | |
| TikTok | TikTok | OAuth (PKCE), refresh_token, revoke, profile and videos, creator_info, publish_video, publish_photos, upload_video, wait_publish; business account comments (comments, reply_comment, hide_comment) | TikTok ads API |
LinkedIn | OAuth, refresh, introspect, me, create_post, posts, delete_post | Messaging, Lead Gen Forms | |
| Telegram bot | Telegram | Any Bot API method (call plus automatic proxying), set_webhook, verify_webhook, poll, messages and media, chat administration | no |
| Telegram account | TelegramAccount | Login (send_code, sign_in), export_session, dialogs, history, search, send_message(..., schedule=...), channel and group admin, stats, raw | no |
| Meta ads | Ads | Campaigns, ad sets, ads (created PAUSED), boost_post, insights_rows, custom and lookalike audiences, delivery_estimate | no |
yesnoScroll the table sideways
Notes and limits
Webhook helpers: verify_request, parse_events (Meta), verify_tiktok_request, parse_tiktok_event, verify_telegram_request. WhatsApp, YouTube, X/Twitter and Threads are not in the SDK.
How to choose an API: 6 questions
- Whose accounts do you act for — your own or your customers'? For customers, budget time for Meta Advanced Access and the TikTok audit.
- Do you need messaging? Instagram Direct and Telegram — yes; TikTok and LinkedIn member messaging are not in the open APIs.
- Do you need leads? Facebook/Instagram Lead Ads — the
leadgenwebhook; LinkedIn Lead Sync — a separate application. - Is a Telegram bot enough? If users message you first — yes; if you need history and member lists — MTProto.
- Real time or periodic reports? Where webhooks exist, don't poll — limits run out fast.
- Where are tokens stored and who refreshes them? TikTok tokens live 24 hours — you need a refresh process from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect a personal Instagram account through the API?
No. The Instagram API works only with professional accounts (Business or Creator). With Facebook Login the account must be linked to a Facebook Page; with Instagram Login no Page is required.
Can I read and reply to comments with the TikTok API?
The standard developer scopes (Login Kit, Display, Content Posting) include no comments or messaging. For business accounts, those capabilities come through TikTok API for Business with separate access.
Telegram bot or MTProto — which should I choose?
For services where users message you, notifications and channel posting, a bot is enough and safer. If you need message history, member lists or to act as a personal account, use MTProto — while strictly following Telegram's rules.
Can I send direct messages through the LinkedIn API?
Not with the open API: the Messages API is restricted to approved partners. Open permissions cover posting as a member (w_member_social) and sign-in via OpenID Connect.
Can I use the Instagram API without Meta App Review?
With Standard Access, only for accounts of people who have a role on your app. To connect customer accounts you need Advanced Access: App Review plus Business Verification.