Original pulled, backup takes over: an Instagram sorting extension grew from 1,000 to 7,000 users in two months
What it is A Chrome side-panel extension that sorts Instagram posts and Reels by likes, comments and views. Single-post downloads are free; bulk download and Excel export require a subscription.
Why it took off The same-named international version was removed from the store. This backup copy, under the same account, became the only installable IG Sorter, catching both returning users and search traffic for "IG Sorter" and "Sort Feed."
CHow you could follow Stop building Instagram sorting tools. Copy the playbook instead: keep a backup of the same product on another developer account, put the full category keywords in the title, make single items free and charge for bulk export, and build similar small tools for newer platforms that aren't crowded yet.
7,000 users · rating 5.0 (21)
On 2026 Aug 26, a Chrome extension called "IG Sorter" with 2–30k users was pulled from the store for a "Policy Violation." That same day, the developer's pre-built "US version" quietly got an update. Over the next two months, the backup grew from 1,000 users to 7,000. The product didn't change. What changed is that it was now the only thing in the store with that name. What it teaches is a playbook for distribution and keeping a fallback. The category it sits in is already crowded.
What happened in Aug 26
Two extensions to start with. One is the "international" IG Sorter, listed in Apr 2025 18, which the extension data site extensiondownloader logged at Aug 4 with 30k users and a 4.59 rating. The other is "IG Sorter - Sort Feed - works on Instagram™ US," listed only in Jun 29. That's the one this piece is about.
The US version's store description ends with a small note that spells out its origin plainly:
This version is identical to the original in terms of functionality and user systems; due to trademark issues, the global version cannot be displayed in the United States, so this separate version was released…
Translated: the international version was hidden in the US store because of a trademark issue, so a second version was listed with identical features and the same account system.
In Aug 26, an open-source database tracking store removals added a new entry: the international version, "Policy Violation," 26/08/26. Today its store page reads "This item is not available." The US version's last update was also in Aug 26.
After that, the US version's reviews filled with a run of five-star ratings over 10 days, from Aug 28 to Sep 6, almost one a day, many reading like feature lists: "sort posts and Reels by likes, comments, views, and reposts" and "exporting results to Excel is handy." On Sep 5, the developer replied from an account named "吳佩姍" pointing users to a Telegram group. Whether these reviews were bought can't be determined from the outside, but the timing lines up too neatly (inference: cold-start support paired with the migration). In total it has 21 ratings in the store, all 5 stars, and none have been added since.
How users grew
The extension-data site's 90-day curve: Sep 1 1,000, Oct 4 4,000, Nov 6 7,000. The store's own user count went from 1 on Nov 5 to 6,000, and crossed 6 on Nov 7,000. That's 6 times in two months, with no visible advertising spend.
Two sources of growth can be confirmed:
- Catching the international version's returning users. The store disables removed extensions in browsers where they're already installed. The two or three tens of thousands of people who had them went back to search "IG Sorter" and found only the US version. Both versions share an account, so paying users could switch over without buying again. How much of the 7,000 is migration versus new users can't be separated.
- Name grabbing. "IG Sorter" is the category keyword, "Sort Feed" is the brand of category leader sortfeed.com, and "Instagram" is the platform name. All three words are packed into the title. The international version was once simply titled "Sort Feed for Instagram - IG Sorter - SortFeed." The so-called "trademark issue" most likely comes from this (inference; the complainant was not verified).
There were also some passive channels: softonic and Chinese extension download sites republished it. Searching "IG Sorter" on X returns about 0 posts from the past half year. On TikTok, the search results are all other products. No media outlet or Reddit user mentions it.
What it sells, and where the money comes from
The feature in one sentence: on Instagram's home feed, Reels, hashtags, Explore, audio and saved pages, it sorts posts by likes, comments, shares and views. The side panel shows the numbers live and calculates engagement rate with a formula you set (default: likes ×1 + comments ×4 + shares ×4, divided by views). Its users are creators and marketers who want to see which of a competitor's posts took off.
Sorting and single-post downloads are free. Bulk download, auto-scroll loading and Excel export with thumbnails require a subscription. The store doesn't list in-app purchases. The official site is a Google Sites page with no pricing page, so the price and payment method couldn't be found.
It requests only three permissions: activeTab, sidePanel and storage. Installing it doesn't trigger the scary "read all data on instagram.com" warning (inference: this helps conversion).
Who's behind it: one person, several accounts, dozens of extensions
The US version's developer email is [email protected], a Gmail plus-address alias. Following the same official site, the store lists 17 extensions under three developer names, m41m41, pei3pei3 and videoscastmobile: Telegram video downloader (20k users, the flagship), VK video downloader (10k), Facebook Ad Library enhancer (7,000), Pinterest bulk downloader (7,000), Sora downloader (6,000), Suno downloader, BandLab downloader, Claude chat exporter, TikTok sorter, and more. The official site's contact lists Telegram @m41m41, and the page accidentally includes a leftover Chinese line, "从Chrome中移除" ("remove from Chrome"). The account replying to reviews uses a traditional Chinese name (inference: the developer speaks Chinese).
The playbook is consistent: on each platform, build a small "bulk download / export / sort" tool, make single items free to attract users, charge a subscription for bulk and export, route support to a Telegram group, and keep a copy of the same product on different accounts. When the international version was removed and the US version took over, that backup is exactly what got used.
Who it's competing with
| Name | Launched | Scale (early November) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sort Feed(sortfeed.com) | 2024-01 | 100k users / 299 rating; in early November it crossed 90k from 100k | Category leader, covering IG / TikTok / FB / YouTube with transcription. $15/month, $10/month billed yearly, lifetime from $39, with a 30% lifetime affiliate program. Creators have posted on Instagram saying "this isn't an ad." |
| Feed Sorter For TikTok & Instagram | 2023-08 | 100k / 147 | Long-established, CSV export |
| KOLSprite | 2024-09 | 100k / 232 | Leans toward TikTok and creator analytics |
| Sort Feed - TikTok & Instagram Sorter(sortfeed.io) | 2026-03 | 8,000 / 46 | Also going after the "Sort Feed" name |
| SortBuddy | 2025-07 | 3,000 | Free, promoted by the author through TikTok videos |
| IShort, ViewRank, ReelSorter, FeedRank, Reelyzer and others | 2024-12 to 2026-08 | A few hundred to 4,000 | The same feature, some with AI and transcription added |
| Two same-named "IG Sorter" extensions | 2026 | All under 1,000 | Also riding these two keywords |
Instagram is patching it too: starting late 2025, creators demoed on TikTok sorting their own Reels by views and rearranging their profile grid. But it only works on your own account, you can't see anyone else's, and you can't export (not fully verified).
The demand is real: the top product has 100k users, bills $15/month, and can afford an affiliate program. But at least a dozen others are doing the same thing, and IG Sorter isn't winning on features.
If it were you
C has something to learn here, but don't build another Instagram sorting extension. The category leader already has 100k users, with prices and an affiliate program all public, and a dozen-plus rivals fighting over the same keywords in the store. IG Sorter's growth came from a takedown event, and late followers can't get that.
Who it suits: people who already have one or two extensions making money on the Chrome store and want to stabilize their revenue. Three things worth copying: keep a duplicate of the same product under a second developer account, sharing the account system; title with "category keyword + platform name" to capture search; make single actions free and charge for bulk actions and export.
Who it doesn't suit: anyone starting from scratch on an Instagram / TikTok sorting tool (a red ocean, and too close to Meta's trademarks and platform rules); anyone planning to ride another brand's name for traffic (the international version got hidden, then removed, that way, and the US version still has "Sort Feed" in its title, so the risk hasn't gone away).
How to do it: if you insist on this direction, go to a platform the top products don't cover and that rivals haven't crowded yet. Search the store for "<platform> sorter / export" first, and only start if there are fewer than three or four competitors and the biggest has a few thousand users. Build it like this: sidebar, minimal permissions, single actions free, bulk export behind a subscription.
How to get users: store search is the main channel, so write out the category keywords fully in the title and description. Keep paying users in a Telegram or Discord group, which doubles as the way to announce a move if something goes wrong. In the first two weeks after launch, seed the reviews section (IG Sorter's batch of five-star reviews showed up within ten days of its migration).
Deadline: none fixed. Opportunities in this category follow new platforms, and the first few months after a new platform appears are the emptiest.
Where the read could be wrong: ① the US version kept growing past 20k through February 2027, and its review count started rising on its own, which suggests the product is attracting users by itself and the category still has room; ② the reverse: the US version could also be removed or hidden in the US, which would mean riding the name doesn't work and not even the backup survives; ③ Instagram opens up viewing and exporting other accounts' sort orders, which would remove the foundation for the whole category.
Data and sources
- Store page and reviews: Chrome Web Store, IG Sorter US version (2026-11-06 scrape); international version store page reads "not available" (11-06).
- User counts: store daily user figures (11-01 to 11-06); extensiondownloader's 90-day curve and international version history; extscope's international version records.
- Takedown records: the open-source takedown monitoring repo malicious_extension_sentry on GitHub (Policy Violation, 26/08/26).
- Developer: store developer info, sites.google.com/view/tvdextensions.
- Competitors: their store pages (early November); Sort Feed pricing, terms, affiliate page.
- Where it says "inferred" or "unverified", it's an inference.
Research notes: competitor table, acquisition evidence, full research report
- Competitors
Name Where Launched Scale How it differs from this one Sort Feed(sortfeed.com,Taher Elsheikh) Chrome 2024-01 100k users / 299 rating, jumped from 90k to 100k in early November; $15/month, $10/month billed yearly, lifetime from $39, affiliate program with a 30% cut The category leader and the origin of the name. Covers IG / TikTok / FB / YouTube, with transcripts and creator recommendations. IG Sorter only does IG, adding Excel export and an engagement-rate formula, and its title piggybacks on the brand name. Feed Sorter For TikTok™ & Instagram™(ovszon) Chrome 2023-08 100k users / 147 rating Veteran product, IG + TikTok, CSV export KOLSprite Chrome 2024-09 100k users / 232 rating Focused on TikTok downloads and KOL analysis Sort Feed - TikTok & Instagram Sorter(sortfeed.io) Chrome 2026-03 8k users / 46 rating Also going after the "Sort Feed" name, IG + TikTok SortBuddy Chrome 2025-07 3k users Free, the author promotes it with their own TikTok videos IShort / ViewRank / ReelSorter / FeedRank / Reelyzer / SortLens / Zetrr, etc. Chrome 2024-12 to 2026-08 A few hundred to 4k Same core feature, some add transcription, AI or dashboards Instagram's built-in sort / grid rearrangement Big-company features Late 2025 to 2026 All users Only works on your own account. Can't sort competitors' accounts or export (not fully verified). - Where users come from
- Verified Platform event: catching the users of the removed international version: the international version was removed on 8-26 for Policy Violation (malicious_extension_sentry); the US version was updated the same day; its description says "features and account system identical to the international version"; after 9/1, 1k→7k
- Verified Store search / keyword grabbing: the title stuffs in IG Sorter, Sort Feed and Instagram; the international version was early on titled "Sort Feed for Instagram - IG Sorter - SortFeed" outright; the store lists it in the same related group as Sort Feed and FeedRank
- Verified Developer matrix (m41m41 / pei3pei3 / videoscastmobile): the US version's email is [email protected]; the same official site hosts 17 download / export extensions, the main one being Telegram Video Downloader (20k users)
- Inference Telegram group: the store's support link is a Telegram group; using it to announce the move is an inference
- Verified Reprint site SEO: softonic, chajianxw, offidocs, crxsoso and extensiondownloader all index it
- Inference Content / creators / paid acquisition: nothing turned up on X, TikTok or Reddit; no evidence of paid promotion found
IG Sorter - Sort Feed - works on Instagram™ US(faglepdniaalgbkakcbhioblejlfoihn)
Bottom line
It isn't a new product. It's the backup left behind by the "international version" of IG Sorter (ifebedegonbbimebaojpnhhhihdgjben, listed 2025-04-18, about 2–30k users before removal). The international version was first hidden in the US store over a trademark issue, and in 2026-06-29 the developer listed this separate "US version". Around 2026-08-26 the international version was removed from the store entirely for "Policy Violation", leaving this US version as the only surviving copy. From September it climbed from about 1k to 7k, mainly by catching the demand the international version left behind and the "IG Sorter" search term. The growth came from a platform event (the takedown) plus the developer having a backup. The product itself has nothing new.
1. What it is
- A Chrome extension that works through the side panel (sidePanel), requesting only three permissions: activeTab / sidePanel / storage (chromestore library, 2026-11-07 details).
- Features: sort and filter the Instagram home feed, Reels, Tagged, hashtags, Explore, audio and Saved pages by likes, comments, shares and plays; overlay engagement data on the page and calculate engagement rate with a custom formula; single downloads are free; bulk download, auto-scroll loading and Excel export with thumbnails are paid features ("Premium features are available with a subscription"). The store listing doesn't mark in-app purchases. The official site is on Google Sites with no pricing page, so pricing is unverified (store page, sites.google.com/view/tvdextensions).
- The description states its origin: "(*1) This version is identical to the original in terms of functionality and user systems; due to trademark issues, the global version cannot be displayed in the United States, so this separate version was released… Global version is here: …/ifebedegonbbimebaojpnhhhihdgjben" (store page, Jina scrape 2026-11-06). So the account system is shared with the international version, and paying users there can move over directly.
2. Data
- Our library (chromestore item_snap): from 11-01 to 11-05 it had 6,000 users, 11-06 to 7,000; 21 reviews, unchanged the whole time, rated 5.0. Version 2.4.2, last updated 2026-08-26.
- The extops 90-day curve in the recall card: 1k(9/1) → 4k(10/4) → 7k(11/6). The extensiondownloader.com trend page reads "Recently gained 4.0K (about 133%)".
- International version: extensiondownloader records it launching 2025-04-18, with 2026-08-04 having 30.0K users and a 4.59 rating / 32 reviews, now marked "Removed". extscope.org records 20K users, 4.6 rating, version 2.4.1, last crawled 2026-08-15. Early on it was titled "Sort Feed for Instagram - IG Sorter - SortFeed" (an old store-page snapshot found by Exa, 10,000 users / 17 rating), later renamed "IG Sorter - Sort Feed - works on Instagram™".
- Takedown record: the malicious_extension_sentry database (GitHub toborrm9, automatically collects store takedowns) contains this row:
ifebedegonbbimebaojpnhhhihdgjben | IG Sorter - Sort Feed - works on Instagram™ | Policy Violation | Store Monitoring | 26/08/26. Opening the international version's store page now shows "Item not available". - The timeline lines up: the international version was removed on 2026-08-26; the US version was also last updated on 2026-08-26; by 9/1 the US version had only 1k users, and over the next two months it grew 6 times.
3. Developer: one person running several accounts as a matrix
- The US version's developer email is
[email protected](store page), a Gmail plus-alias that resolves to m41m41. - Using extensions from the same official site sites.google.com/view/tvdextensions or telegramvideodownloader, the chromestore library turns up 17, split across three developer names, m41m41 / pei3pei3 / videoscastmobile, and only some have details:
- m41m41: Telegram Video Downloader - TVD (20k users, in-app purchases, the main product), VK video downloader (10k), Facebook Ad Library enhancer (7k), Messenger / IG voice downloader (4k), 41k combined.
- videoscastmobile: Pinterest bulk downloader (7k), Reddit comment export (1k).
- Card only: Sora downloader (6k), BandLab downloader (4k), Suno downloader (3k), IG / Messenger DM bulk delete, Instagram unsend, Claude chat export, TikTok Sorter (114), etc.
- Contact on the official site is "videoscastmobile[at]gmail.com or Telegram: @m41m41", and the page includes a Chinese line, 「从Chrome中移除」, so the developer very likely speaks Chinese (inference, unverified).
- The playbook: build a small "bulk download / export / sort" tool for each platform, free features to pull users in, bulk and export behind a subscription; keep support and community in a Telegram group; if one account gets hit, another takes over. That's how this one happened: the international version was removed and the US version stepped in.
4. Competitors
| Name | Where | Launched | Scale | How it differs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sort Feed(sortfeed.com,Taher Elsheikh,lhiilgfanjkbombmnlfelondlfohfpfg) | Chrome + web | 2024-01-08 | 100k users / 299 rating; 11-01 went from 90k to 11-05 crossing 100k (Chrome Store database) | The category leader and the origin of the name. Covers IG / TikTok / FB / YouTube, with transcripts; $15/mo, $10/mo billed yearly, plus a lifetime plan from $39; a 30% lifetime-revenue affiliate program; organic creator endorsements (David Delahunty on Instagram: "sortfeed.com is the tool… this isn't an ad"). IG Sorter only does IG, but adds Excel export, bulk download, and an engagement-rate formula |
| Feed Sorter For TikTok™ & Instagram™(ovszon.com) | Chrome | 2023-08-22 | 100k / 147 | Veteran product, IG + TikTok, CSV export |
| KOLSprite(TikTok Downloader, Sort & Analytics) | Chrome | 2024-09-20 | 100k / 232 | TikTok-first, leans toward KOL analysis |
| Sort Feed - TikTok & Instagram Sorter(sortfeed.io,gabccihf…) | Chrome | 2026-03-16 | 8k / 46 | Grabs the "Sort Feed" name and domain. IG + TikTok, CSV |
| SortBuddy | Chrome | 2025-07-19 | 2k→3k / 29 | Free. The creator promotes it through their own TikTok videos (imjonathanacuna) |
| IShort, ViewRank, ReelSorter, FeedRank, Reelyzer, SortLens, TokSorter, Zetrr, and more | Chrome | 2024-12 to 2026-08 | A few hundred to 4k users, depending on the tool | All the same core feature: sort Reels by plays / likes. Some added transcripts and AI |
| Clones using the exact name "IG Sorter": Instagram Feed Sort - IG Sorter (iihenpdd…, 2026-01-23,491 users), Sort Feed - IG Sorter for TikTok & Instagram (sortfeed.app, 2026-06-27,719 users) | Chrome | 2026 | Under 1k | Also riding the "IG Sorter" and "Sort Feed" keywords. The sortfeed.app domain also hosts an FB video downloader (9k) and a Telegram downloader, so it's a matrix play too |
| Built into Instagram | Big-company features | Late 2025 to 2026 | — | TikTok creators say Instagram can now sort their own Reels by views (thesosyalco, about 2025-11) and reorder profile grids (socialplusne, 2026-06). But that only covers your own account: you can't sort competitor accounts or export (not verified in detail) |
At least a dozen players do this. The top, Sort Feed, is at 100k users with a working revenue model. IG Sorter isn't winning on features in this crowd.
5. Where users came from (growth tactics)
- Demand from the global version being removed (main driver, strong evidence): the global version had 2–30k users, then 8-26 was removed. The same day the US version was updated, and over the next two months the US version went from 1k to 7k. Stores disable removed extensions in already-installed browsers, so old users and Telegram group members who search "IG Sorter" only find the US version. The US and global versions share an account, so paying users can switch with no cost. How many were old users moving over versus new search traffic can't be separated.
- Store search + keyword grabbing: the title stuffs "IG Sorter", "Sort Feed", and "Instagram" in together. Sort Feed is the leading brand name (the global version originally was titled "Sort Feed for Instagram - IG Sorter - SortFeed"). This is most likely the source of the "trademark issue" (inferred: hidden in the US, possibly after a complaint from sortfeed.com, unverified). The store also lists it in the same "related" group as Sort Feed, FeedRank, gabccihf, and others (chromestore related table), which sends traffic too.
- Mirror sites / SEO long tail: softonic, chajianxw (a Chinese extension site), offidocs, crxsoso, extension.vn, and extensiondownloader all index it. Passive listings.
- Telegram community: the store's support link points to a Telegram group, used to retain old users and announce the move (inferred).
- Not found: X (x-radar search for "IG Sorter": 180 days, 0 posts), TikTok (TikHub search for "IG Sorter" returned only Sort Feed, SortBuddy, or Instagram's native feature, not this), Reddit, and media coverage don't mention it. There's a "Post Sorter" YouTube video from a small channel (50 views); whether it's theirs is unverified. No evidence of paid acquisition.
6. Why it took off
- Platform event: the global version was removed, and this US copy, prepared in advance, naturally absorbed the demand the global version left behind (growth of 26/08/26,9/1x after the removal record 6).
- The demand is real: sorting competitors' Reels by views to find hits is a must-have for short-video creators and marketers. Sort Feed reaching 100k users and $15/mo, with an affiliate program, shows people pay.
- Name riding: the "Sort Feed" in the title is the leader's brand term, and "IG Sorter" is a generic category term. Both bring in store search traffic organically.
- Few permissions: only activeTab / sidePanel / storage, so no "read all data on instagram.com" warning at install, which likely helps conversion (inferred).
- Matrix: the developer runs a dozen download and export tools in parallel across several accounts, so if one gets removed another takes over. Replacing the global version with the US one is exactly this playbook working.
7. Differentiation
Functionally close to Sort Feed and Feed Sorter. The extras are Excel export with thumbnails, an engagement-rate formula with custom inputs, support on hashtag, audio, and Saved pages, and fewer permissions. None of these are why it grew. It grew on "same-name backup copy + global version removed + search keyword grabbing", which comes down to distribution and a platform event.
8. How visible it is
Not widely known yet: no public revenue, nobody on X, TikTok, or in the media has written about it. Only a few extension data sites track it. But the category is crowded: the leader Sort Feed's revenue model and affiliate program are public, and several stores already fight over the "Sort Feed / IG Sorter" names.
9. What to borrow
- The same extension keeps a copy under different developer accounts ("US version", "Global version") with a shared account system. When the main version gets a trademark complaint or is removed, search traffic and paying users move over immediately.
- Targets a category where the leader has already proven it can earn (Sort Feed). Names itself with a generic term plus the leader's brand term to capture search. Single-item use is free, batch and export are paid, and support runs through a Telegram group.
- Risk: riding someone else's trademark gets complaints, hidden listings, and even removal for Policy Violation (that's what happened to the global version). The US version's title still includes "Sort Feed", so it could repeat the same fate.
10. Uncertain
- The specific reason the global version was removed (trademark complaint, name riding, or something else) and whether the complaint came from Sort Feed: unverified.
- How payments are collected (Stripe / PayPal / in-house) and pricing: not listed on the site, unverified.
- How many of the 7k users came from the global version versus new search: can't be separated.
- Whether they proactively announced the move in the Telegram group or in the extension: original text not seen.
- Who the developer is: only a Gmail and Telegram @m41m41 are known; likely Chinese-speaking (inferred).
Sources
- Store page: chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ig-sorter-sort-feed-works/f… (2026-11-06)
- The global store page now shows "Item not available": chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ifebedegonbbimebaojpnhhhihd…
- Removal record: github.com/toborrm9/malicious_extension_sentry (Malicious-Extensions.md, "Policy Violation … 26/08/26")
- Global version history: extensiondownloader.com/en/extension/ifebedegonbbimebaojpnhh…, extscope.org/extension/ifebedegonbbimebaojpnhhhihdgjben
- US version trend: extensiondownloader.com/en/extension/faglepdniaalgbkakcbhiob…
- Developer sites: sites.google.com/view/tvdextensions/index/, sites.google.com/view/telegramvideodownloader/index/IG-Sorte…
- Sort Feed pricing and affiliate program: www.sortfeed.com/pricing, www.sortfeed.com/terms, www.sortfeed.com/affiliates
- Creator endorsing Sort Feed: www.instagram.com/reel/DPWVJ6ZDKhy/
- Chrome Store library (agent-im, item / item_snap / related, 2026-11-01 to 11-07)