Check a Username Across Creator Platforms
Scope to creator-economy platforms — Medium, Substack, Patreon, Bandcamp, Dribbble — for creator-identity checks.
Creators live on different platforms than developers — scope accordingly. Thirdwatch's Username OSINT Scraper checks a username across 40+ platforms in one run and returns a per-site verdict with the profile URL — GitHub to Reddit to Keybase.
Skip the setup: Run this as a ready-to-go task on Apify — pre-loaded with the configuration from this guide.
Why check creator platforms
For creator-economy due diligence or handle research, the relevant surface is Medium, Substack, Patreon, Bandcamp, Dribbble, Behance — a different list than the dev sweep.
The sites field scopes the run; rows still carry the verdict and profile URL.
The checker resolves each platform's profile URL pattern and reports the verdict with the HTTP status behind it — one run replaces an afternoon of tab-checking.
How does this compare to the alternatives?
| Approach | Cost model | Coverage | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherlock-style CLI tools | Free, your infra | Wide but rate-limit-prone | You run and maintain it |
| Manual site-by-site check | Analyst hours | Whatever you remember to check | Hours per username |
| Thirdwatch Username OSINT Scraper | Pay per check row | 40+ platforms, one run | Paste a username, run |
Why this Actor
- 40+ platforms per run — code, social, creator, and niche sites in one sweep.
- Clean verdicts per site:
exists,not_found, orerror— never ambiguous. profileUrlgives the canonical link when the account exists.httpStatusexposes the evidence behind each verdict.- Bulk input — a watchlist of usernames runs in one go.
How to do it in 3 steps
Step 1: Configure the input
Set the inputs as shown below — usernames takes the targets, sites restricts the sweep to a subset — omit it to check all 40+ supported platforms.
Step 2: Run the Actor
Run it from the console, the API, or the linked saved task. One dataset row is written per site check.
Step 3: Use the output
Each row carries username, site, a status verdict (exists/not_found/error), the profileUrl when found, and the httpStatus behind the verdict.
{
"usernames": [
"pushpak"
],
"sites": [
"medium",
"substack",
"patreon",
"bandcamp",
"dribbble",
"behance"
]
}Each dataset row looks like:
{
"username": "pushpak",
"site": "github",
"status": "exists",
"profileUrl": "https://github.com/pushpak",
"httpStatus": 200
}What to watch for
Verdicts are status-code based — a handful of sites rate-limit aggressively and may return error rows under load; retry those rather than counting them as absent. exists proves the handle is registered, not who owns it.
Related use cases
- Audit Your Brand Handle Across 40+ Platforms
- Check a Username Across Developer Platforms
- Sweep Social Platforms for a Username
- Monitor Lookalike Usernames for Impersonation
- All Thirdwatch use-case guides
Run the Username OSINT Scraper on Apify Store — pay per result, free to try, no credit card to test.
Frequently asked questions
Which sites are covered?
40+ platforms including GitHub, GitLab, npm, PyPI, Docker Hub, Reddit, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, Pinterest, Medium, Substack, Patreon, Keybase, Kaggle, Steam, and more.
What does `error` status mean?
The check couldn't be completed — usually a rate limit or a site change. Retry those rows rather than reading them as `not_found`.
Does `exists` mean it's the same person?
No — it means the username resolves on that site. Identity correlation across sites is your downstream analysis step.
Can I check only specific sites?
Yes — `sites` takes a list of site keys to restrict the sweep.
Is this useful for brand protection?
Yes — that's the second main use: check your brand handle across all platforms for squatters and impersonators.
How does detection work?
Per-site status-code and redirect checks — the same signal a human gets loading the profile URL, applied at scale.