Aubrium vs Viral Outliers: which is better for finding viral reels?
Viral Outliers searches TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and sells an API. Aubrium searches Instagram reels from accounts your size, filtered by country.
A family travel account in Portugal, @zetra…, has 9,278 followers. One of its reels has 76,916,665 views, which is 8,290 times its follower count. Its hook reads "Ultimate baby airline seat hack". It's in Aubrium's library, read on 22 October 2026.
Viral Outliers and Aubrium are both built to find reels like that one. Viral Outliers' own site puts the idea well: "An outlier is a post that dramatically beats its own channel's normal performance."1 Its blog says the score is a post's views divided by its account's own average.3 Aubrium keeps a reel when it reached at least twice its creator's follower count and at least 10,000 views.11
Where they part is what they cover. Viral Outliers searches TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and sells an API for people building their own tools. Aubrium covers only Instagram, its library holds only accounts with 1,000 to 100,000 followers, and it lets you filter by country.
Fair warning: this is our page. We make Aubrium. We read Viral Outliers' site, docs and blog on 22 October 2026, but we haven't used its app. Viral Outliers is also one of the tools in the best tools to find viral reels. Here's how the two compare on what each finds, what it costs, and who it suits.
Pick Viral Outliers if you post on TikTok or YouTube as well as Instagram, want a public API for your own tools, or want to try it for 7 days before you're charged. It starts at $17 a month. Pick Aubrium if you post on Instagram, have under 100,000 followers, and want ideas from accounts your size in your country. It starts at $49 a month.
A searchable library of Instagram reels, carousels and photos that reached far more people than the account has followers, from accounts with 1,000 to 100,000 followers.
Finds posts that beat their account's own average on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, from a big tracked library and the watchlists you build. Comes with an API.
Which one shows what's working where you live?
Aubrium lets you filter by country. Viral Outliers' home page says you can "Filter by niche, platform, language and recency", and a country filter isn't mentioned anywhere on its site.1
Language and country aren't the same thing. A reel in English can come from any country on this chart. A country filter shows you only creators from where you are.
Aubrium's library also comes with two choices already made for you. It's Instagram only, and every account in it has 1,000 to 100,000 followers.11 Viral Outliers leaves both open: three platforms, and a follower-count filter you set yourself, which its blog lists among the search filters.3 If you post everywhere, that's the better design. If you post on Instagram from a small account, Aubrium starts where you already are.
Aubrium vs Viral Outliers at a glance
| Feature | Aubrium | Viral Outliers |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Partly: Instagram only | Yes: TikTok, YouTube (long-form and Shorts), Instagram Reels |
| How it finds reels | Yes: A library you search, plus rivals you track | Yes: A library ("50M+ posts tracked") plus watchlists you build |
| Niches | Yes: 360 niches in 25 categories | Yes: "1,000s of niches", in a tree up to four levels deep |
| Accounts your size | Yes: Built from accounts with 1,000–100,000 followers | Yes: A follower-count filter, per its blog and API docs |
| Country filter | Yes: Yes | No: Not mentioned on their site |
| Language filter | No: Not one of its filters | Yes: Yes |
| Hooks | Yes: The hook and its type, spoken or on screen | Yes: Search by hook; a hook with every content idea |
| Transcripts | Yes: On 99% of reels with a spoken hook | Partly: Through the API and MCP, 10 credits a video; not mentioned for the app |
| Carousels and photos | Yes: Yes | Partly: In the API; for the app, its site names Instagram Reels only |
| Scripts | Yes: Make my version, scripts, hooks, carousels | Yes: Content ideas with a script; its Remix rewrites a pasted post's script |
| Your own account | Yes: Performance: your reels against your usual views | No: Not offered, per its own blog |
| Inside ChatGPT or Claude | Yes: An MCP connector | Yes: An MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and others |
| API | No: No public API | Yes: A REST API, with or without a plan |
| Team or agency | No: No team seats | Partly: An Agency plan and shared folders for your team |
| Scheduling and posting | No: No; you download and post yourself | No: Not mentioned on their site |
| Entry price | Partly: $49 a month | Yes: $17 a month, or $170 a year per its blog |
| Trial and refunds | Partly: No free plan or trial; a full refund within 15 days of your first subscription | Partly: A 7-day trial on every plan, with a card; plan refunds not on their site |
We read each tool's own site on 22 October 2026, and Aubrium's numbers come from its library that day. We haven't used the Viral Outliers app, so its column comes from its site, docs and blog.1, 3, 4
Where Viral Outliers is better
It wins on reach across platforms, on access for builders, and on price.
TikTok and YouTube too
One search covers "YouTube long-form and Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels," its home page says.1 Aubrium is Instagram only.
A public API for builders
Through its REST API and MCP server, AI agents and your own scripts can search outliers, pull transcripts and add new profiles.4 You don't need a plan to use the API,5 and credit packs start at $15.4 Aubrium has an MCP connector but no public API.
A lower price, and a trial
Plans start at $17 a month, and every plan starts with a 7-day trial.2 It asks for a card, but nothing is charged until day 8.1 Aubrium starts at $49 a month, with no trial.
A language filter
Its home page lists a language filter beside niche, platform and how recent a post is.1 Language isn't one of the filters Aubrium lists.
Where Aubrium is better
It wins on focus: small Instagram accounts, country, every format, and your own numbers.
Accounts your size, by default
Every account in the library has 1,000 to 100,000 followers, so there's no filter to set. On 22 October 2026, the middle post came from an account with 12,805 followers, and 43% of posts came from accounts under 10,000 followers.
Country, and labels on every post
Filter by country, hook type, format, whether someone's on camera, and whether it looks AI-made.11 A country filter isn't mentioned on Viral Outliers' site.
Pricing compared
Viral Outliers costs less at every step. The two charge for different things, though.
| Plan | Aubrium | Viral Outliers |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | $49 a month (Lite): 2 Instagram accounts, 100 Sparks a month | $17 a month (Basic): 5 watchlists, 50 followed profiles; 30 content ideas and 250 API credits a month |
| Middle | $99 a month (Growth): 5 accounts, 250 Sparks a month | $37 a month (Pro): 15 watchlists, 150 followed profiles; 90 content ideas and 750 API credits a month |
| Top | $249 a month (Pro): 10 accounts, 1,000 Sparks a month | $149 a month (Agency): unlimited watchlists and followed profiles; 1,200 content ideas and 3,000 API credits a month |
| Yearly | No: Monthly only | Yes: $170, $370 or $1,490 a year, per its blog |
| Without a plan | No: No | Yes: API credits only, from $15 for 1,500 |
Aubrium is monthly only, and every plan has every tool.9 Sparks pay for what you make: 2 for Make my version, a script or a carousel, 10 for a topic search. Searching and browsing the library never cost Sparks.13 If you change your mind, there's a full refund within 15 days of your first subscription, used or not.10
Every Viral Outliers plan searches without a limit and includes the API credits above.2, 4 Its pricing page has a Yearly switch marked "Get 2 months free".2 The yearly prices, $170, $370 and $1,490, are printed on its blog.3 Refunds on plans aren't mentioned on their site. Its terms say used credits can't be refunded, and credits from a job that fails on its side come back.8
Which one should you pick?
It comes down to where you post and whose reels you want to learn from.
Pick Viral Outliers if you…
- Yes: post on TikTok or YouTube too
- Yes: want a public API for your own tools
- Yes: want to try it for 7 days first
- Yes: want the lowest price, or would rather pay yearly
- Yes: need to filter by language
Pick Aubrium if you…
- Yes: post on Instagram
- Yes: have under 100,000 followers and want ideas from accounts your size
- Yes: want to see what took off in your country
- Yes: want carousels and photos as well as reels
- Yes: want your own reels measured against your usual views
Questions people ask
Is Aubrium better than Viral Outliers?
It depends where you post. If you're on Instagram with under 100,000 followers, Aubrium shows ideas from accounts your size, filtered by niche and country. If you post on TikTok and YouTube too, or want an API, Viral Outliers covers that.
Is Viral Outliers cheaper than Aubrium?
Yes. Viral Outliers starts at $17 a month, and its blog gives $170 a year for that plan. Aubrium starts at $49 a month and is monthly only.
Does Viral Outliers have a free trial?
Yes, 7 days on every plan. It asks for a card, but nothing is charged until day 8, and you pay nothing if you cancel before then. Aubrium has no trial, but gives a full refund within 15 days of your first subscription.
Does Viral Outliers work for small accounts?
Yes. It scores each post against its own account's average, and its blog lists follower count among the search filters. Aubrium's whole library comes from accounts with 1,000 to 100,000 followers, so you don't need to set one.
Is Viral Outliers' Remix the same as Aubrium's Remix?
No. Viral Outliers' Remix rewrites the script of a post you paste for your own niche, which is closer to Aubrium's Make my version. Aubrium's Remix takes the text off a trending reel or photo and puts your words on it, ready to download.
Can I use them inside ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes. Both have an MCP connector. Viral Outliers also has a REST API, and Aubrium has no public API.
Can I filter by country?
On Aubrium, yes: you can see only creators from where you are. A country filter isn't mentioned on Viral Outliers' site, which lists a language filter.
How we did this
We read viraloutliers.com on 22 October 2026: the home page, pricing, the how-to page, the docs and API pages, the terms, and the comparison posts on its blog. We didn't use the Viral Outliers app, so what it filters by comes from its own site and blog, and it may have changed since. Its niche tree comes from its API docs.7 The yearly prices come from its blog, because its pricing page shows them only after you flip the Yearly switch.
Aubrium's numbers come from its own library on 22 October 2026, counting the posts members can see. Aubrium makes this page.
Sources
- Viral Outliersviraloutliers.com · What it covers, the library, its filters, the trial's card. Read 22 October 2026.
- Pricingviraloutliers.com · Plans, limits, the 7-day trial, the Yearly switch. Read 22 October 2026.
- Viral Outliers vs SandcastlesViral Outliers' blog · The outlier score, yearly prices, search filters, own-channel analysis, its Remix. Read 22 October 2026.
- Docsviraloutliers.com · The API and MCP server, credits on each plan, transcript credits, credit packs. Read 22 October 2026.
- Getting startedviraloutliers.com · Using the API without a plan. Read 22 October 2026.
- Search viral outlier postsviraloutliers.com · The API's filters; Instagram carousels and photos. Read 22 October 2026.
- List niche categoriesviraloutliers.com · The niche tree, up to four levels. Read 22 October 2026.
- Terms and conditionsviraloutliers.com · Credits and refunds. Read 22 October 2026.
- Pricingaubrium.com · Plans and Sparks. Read 22 October 2026.
- Refund policyaubrium.com · The 15-day refund on a first subscription. Read 22 October 2026.
- llms.txtaubrium.com · Instagram only, the follower band, the filters. Read 22 October 2026.
- Track Performanceaubrium.com · Each reel next to your usual views. Read 22 October 2026.
- What costs Sparksaubrium.com · Searching and browsing never cost Sparks. Read 22 October 2026.
Changelog
- First version.
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