Insta is what Generation Z calls it, was created in 2010. With over 1 billion active monthly users, it has become one of the most popular social media apps in the digital world.
Almost 81% of users report that the platform is very handy when it comes to exploring services and products; it has so much to offer both the brands and consumers.
Facebook now owns Insta; this implies both the programs have certain analogies, such as promoting community formation.
Do you want a platform with a focused and cleaner location to post developments and stuff? The answer; Instagram!
Instagram has built one of the finest social tools for Gen Z and millennials by combining both new and some of the best old-generation features of Facebook.
However, it doesn’t mean that it has an absolute monopoly over other social media apps. Instagram has many rivals and alternatives.
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Top 10 Competitors and Alternatives of Instagram
Do you wish to explore and try something new instead of scrolling through videos, reels, and photos on Instagram? We have you covered. Here’s a list of top competitors of Instagram based on both content, social media and advertising.
- Founded: 2009.
- Headquarters: San Francisco.
Pinterest is generally regarded as one of the alternatives to Instagram. If you like exploring creative content and new ideas, it’s your go-to place. It is more about sharing and discovering others’ people content than creating one’s own.
Perhaps it is the most visual social networking media platform, and you need to have high-quality and meaningful pictures to get followers on this media platform.
Also, it has so much to offer, from DIYs to lifestyle hacks, recipes, and whatnot.
What’s more, almost 77.1% of Pinterest audience are females who are into visual inspiration. On top of that, pins (bookmarks that people use to save content) can stay up for four months.
Video pin scheduling, video tabs, and lifestyle metrics are now added to Pinterest – all in one place.
On the other hand, Instagram has a more even gender split. Besides that, with Insta’s explore tab, you can find curated material based on your interests, and 83% of the users find new services and brands.
Snapchat
- Founded: 2010.
- Headquarters: Santa Monica, California.
Snapchat, with 46 million users alone in the United States of America, is one of the most in-demand and powerful social media apps.
It’s one of the top competitors to Instagram. Yes, Facebook has been working hard to stay ahead in the game. It has copied some of the unique features such as face filters, stories, disappearing texts, and many more to keep users from leaving.
Also, the social networking app has revamped its efforts and added a new robust feature such as Discover, which works similar to Insta Feed, to stay connected with the users.
The platform is more popular among teenagers aged 18 to 24, and almost 77% of teenagers prefer using snapchat social app.
What’s more, it has certain compelling features that keep everyone engaged and compel them to keep coming back, such as a snap streak.
All in all, if you are someone who is private, then Snapchat is the right option for you since the platform offers personal vibes, whereas Insta is more about public sharing.
TikTok
- Founded: 2016.
- Headquarters: Culver City, Calif.
Did you know that this app is one of the most downloaded non-game apps, with over 115.2 million downloads in 2020?
TikTok – a name in every household, is one of the biggest rivals for Instagram. Yes, the video-focused social networking app has been downloaded about 200 million times in the U.S alone and is available in almost 150 countries with a whopping 1 billion active users.
The platform employs AI (artificial intelligence) for analyzing the preferences and interests of the users and then reorganizing their feed. It connects people through discovery and shared interest as the app is based on content and not followers.
What’s more, it allows you to create duets, reaction films, and much more.
Strictly put, Instagram is still a better platform in different ways because at present, TikTok doesn’t have the enhanced video-form function, and you can create a video of 16 seconds that goes up to 60 seconds loop only.
Likee
- Founded: 2017.
- Headquarters: Singapore.
Likee describes itself as the global platform of short video creation. It’s one of the top competitors to Insta’s reel feature.
However, Likee has a competitive edge over other social apps because it offers several innovative features such as stickers, filters, editing tools, and special effects.
Also, you don’t have to register prior to trying out the social app, and Likee has recently surpassed 150 million active users a month.
Not only does the social app provide a never-ending stream of lip syncs, entertaining videos, and dances but, features a series of life hacks, travel vlogs, beauty and fitness suggestions created by the platform’s celebrities and influencers.
What’s more, the app has push notifications, branded stickers, banners with embedded links, and a lot more that can be used for strategic marketing. Also, you can earn money on Likee by either doing live streams or engaging in challenges.
- Founded: 2002.
- Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California, U.S.
LinkedIn has over 756 million users, it is yet one of the most used platforms for raising brand awareness among business leaders or offering B2B solutions.
LinkedIn has an absolute edge over Instagram if you are using the platform for marketing purposes. That’s because LinkedIn advertisements have a median cost-per-click of $5.26 and cost-per-thousand impression is $6.59.
LinkedIn advertisements aren’t always expensive. The data just depicts the value of the clicks because expensive leads indicate a higher return on investment and high-quality leads.
Although Instagram offers a wide range of advertisements, LinkedIn is still a better option when you want to attract a higher lead and big names.
- Founded: 2006.
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Twitter – who isn’t familiar with this social media site? It’s an online social networking platform that enables users to share their thoughts with a large audience.
It’s more like a real-time information-sharing social media site to share both; news and other related content.
The algorithm of Twitter works on enhancing engagements; it’s more of like a tale of two halves. This means, either nobody is listening, or everyone is listening to what you have to say.
Although it’s the only platform that encourages engagements more than any other social site, It’s not easy to build a strong, active following on Twitter; but, once you are past that stage – there is no going back.
The platform is used for content distribution and being on top of all things in real-time.
Triller
- Founded: 2015.
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, California and Brooklyn
Triller is another platform for creating entertaining videos and a great alternative to Instagram’s reels.
The app allows you to select a song from either your library or the platform; you just have to highlight the part of the video you want in the video, take a video, and then edit it using all the built-in effects that come with the app.
The app’s technology then works on merging the content in the same way as the professional editor does. Also, the video app is available in almost 50 countries other than the United States of America and was downloaded about 250 million times globally.
With Triller, you can create professional-looking videos, participate in music challenges, collaborate with friends, and much more.
Triller has a competitive edge over Instagram reels since it’s a complete suite of essential AI-powered editing features.
What’s more, with Triller, you can only make money through brand collaborations with companies as they don’t entertain advertisements. Influencers prefer Insta over it because they don’t want to miss out on ad money.
Tumblr
- Founded: 2007.
- Headquarters: New York, U.S.
Often people assume it to be a microblogging site but, it’s also a social networking site. It is one of the best competitors to Instagram, with 319 million monthly visits.
Also, the social site ranks 108 in terms of organic traffic. Not only this social site is feature-rich, but a free blog hosting platform that offers customizable and professional designs, bookmarklets, and much more.
The platform is used as a social networking channel where you can publish texts, videos, links, texts, or anything that would entice the interest of its users.
The site works similar to a blogging service that comes with a dashboard so users can pen down their thoughts and manage their posts and profiles.
Millennials prefer using Tumblr as it gives them more personal space to communicate with their targeted audience.
Although it takes merely a few clicks to post photos and videos on Instagram, Tumblr enables you to express yourself with multimedia content.
Quora
- Founded: 2009.
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, U.S.
Doing marketing on Instagram might be a thing, but Quora is possibly the potential marketing platform in the future.
People often become indifferent because of the high-volume ads they see on social networking platforms. When this is coupled with overexposure on other social sites, people assume ads to be a scam.
If you are seeing a cost-effective media platform that can help your business develop a better yet innovative marketing strategy – Quora can be the answer to your questions.
Also, the platform is distinctive in a way that it allows businesses to communicate with their potential consumers while they are the ones asking the queries.
What’s more, the social site has industry leaders from all sectors. It’s a great platform that allows you to recycle existing content, get innovative ideas that can help businesses generate engaging content. On top of that, directly answering the customers’ questions boosts their credibility.
- Founded: 1998.
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, U.S.
Google Ads is one of the prominent tools that brands use for marketing purposes. When do you search for products and services? Obviously, when you are already interested and have the intention of buying products.
So, if the businesses have used the right keyword, there are chances the service/product might pop up on the first page/top searches, and clicks result in sales.
While with Google advertisement search, you can attract buyers at the bottom of the funnel. Social media networking sites such as Instagram are still preferred. That’s because they are the ideal platforms when it comes to communicating with the business’ target market.
Final Verdict
That was it! We have listed some of the best competitors and alternatives to Instagram. It’s hard to find a social networking site that offers an umbrella of features as Instagram does, such as stories, reels, posts, etc. Nonetheless, we have tried our best to help you find the best and popular social apps. Try and see how they work out for you!
