Published by the Zolyp team ·
Business or creator: which professional account?
Instagram calls both of these professional accounts. The category you choose doesn't decide which type you get; you pick Business or Creator separately. Instagram's own description of who each is for:
- If you sell products or services as a business, choose Business. You can switch type later at any time
| Business account | Creator account | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Retailers, local businesses, brands, organisations and service providers | Public figures, content producers, artists and influencers |
| Insights and professional dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Ads from your account | Yes | Yes |
| Contact details on profile | Yes | Yes |
| Monetisation tools | Check eligibility in the dashboard | Check eligibility in the dashboard |
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Set up a professional Instagram account, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: About professional accounts on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026
How do you switch in the Instagram app?
The steps from Instagram's help centre:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Tap More to go to Settings and activity.
- Below For professionals, tap Account type and tools.
- Tap Switch to professional account.
- Choose the category that best describes what you do.
- Tap Switch to professional account, choose Business or Creator, and tap Next.
- Add contact details for your business (or tap Don't use my contact info), and optionally tap Login to Facebook to connect a Facebook Page.
Source: Instagram Help Centre: Set up a professional Instagram account, checked 14 October 2026
How do you switch on a computer?
The web version gets you the same account; the Facebook Page step is easiest from the app.
- On instagram.com, click More, then Settings.
- Below For professionals, select Account type and tools.
- Click Switch to professional account.
- Choose Business or Creator and click Next.
- Select your category, click Done, then confirm with Continue.
- Add contact details and click Save, or select Don't use my contact info.
Source: Instagram Help Centre: Set up a professional Instagram account, checked 14 October 2026
What do you get with a professional account?
One more practical reason: scheduling and publishing tools connect through Instagram's API, which is built for professional accounts. Meta Business Suite scheduling needs one too.
- Professional dashboard: your performance, tools and Instagram's guidance in one place
- Insights on your followers (when they're online, where they are) and on each post, story and reel
- Ads: run ads from your account and use Meta's tools to place them on Instagram and Facebook
- A Contact button with directions, phone number and email, and a category label under your profile picture (both can be hidden)
- A message inbox split into Primary, General and Requests, with ranked requests
- Tools to review and remove suspected spam followers
- Posts and reels that may appear in search engine results, which you can turn off
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: About professional accounts on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform content publishing, checked 14 October 2026
What changes when you switch?
- Your account becomes public. If it was private, switching makes it public and accepts all pending follow requests
- Instagram says professional accounts can't be set to private
- If you link a Facebook Page, you can only share your Instagram posts to Facebook through that Page
- Switching back to a personal account removes access to ads, may remove select tools, and disconnects any linked Facebook Page
- You can switch between business and creator, or back to personal, at any time
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Set up a professional Instagram account, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: About professional accounts on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026
What should you set up right after switching?
A few minutes here makes the account work harder:
- Contact details: add the phone number, email or address you want customers to use. They appear behind a Contact button near the top of your profile
- Category label and contact display: on your profile, tap Edit profile, then Profile display below Public business information, to show or hide the category and contact details
- Facebook Page: connect one if you run Facebook ads or want to share posts to your Page. It's optional
- Professional dashboard: open it from your profile to find your insights and tools in one place
- Account Status: check it once from your profile menu (below More info and support) to confirm nothing is limiting your account
- Bio and link: say what you sell and where, in plain words, and add the one link you most want people to tap
Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Set up a professional Instagram account, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: About professional accounts on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Check your Account Status on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026
How do you change account type later?
In the app: Profile, then More, then Account type and tools, then Account type, then Switch account type, choose the type, and tap Switch. On the web: More, then Settings, then Creator tools and controls (or Business tools and controls), then Switch account type, and click Switch.
Source: Instagram Help Centre: Set up a professional Instagram account, checked 14 October 2026
After you switch
Zolyp is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. With a professional account connected, a tool can publish and read results for you. Zolyp connects to an Instagram professional account to publish your posts and report on how they did.
Zolyp plans the week across your content themes, writes the captions and designs the visuals against your Brand Brain (your tone, colours and rules, saved once), then schedules and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. Nothing goes out until you approve it. Plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with a 3-day free trial and no card required.
Common questions
Is an Instagram business account free?
Yes. Switching to a business or creator account costs nothing. You only pay if you choose to run ads.
Can a business account be private?
No. Instagram says professional accounts can't be set to private, and switching makes a private account public.
Do I need a Facebook Page for an Instagram business account?
No. Connecting a Page is optional during setup. Instagram says it makes sharing to Facebook and using ads and shopping tools easier.
Can I switch back to a personal account?
Yes, at any time. You lose access to ads, may lose some tools, and any connected Facebook Page is disconnected.
Should a small business choose creator or business?
Instagram recommends business accounts for retailers, local businesses, brands and service providers, and creator accounts for public figures and content producers.