Instagram and Snapchat are the two leading social platforms of this generation. In this post, we’ll take a look at a battle between them. We’ll discuss Instagram VS. Snapchat and try to conclude which one is better for your business, and overall. This is a must-know comparison for anyone working in the digital world.
Instagram vs Snapchat – The Battle of the Digital World
Instagram and Snapchat are the two most popular social platforms among teens and young adults. Instagram is a social platform that was earlier created for the users to share their photos and then added some really interesting features throughout the course. All this evolution of Instagram resulted in two main things-
- It skyrocketed to popularity all over the globe.
- Instagram started helping businesses in a very efficient manner.
That’s why Instagram is one of the most preferred platforms by digital marketers these days.
On the other hand, Snapchat had a totally different outlook when it was launched. It allowed users to share messages, images, videos, and audios in the name of ‘Snaps.’ One interesting thing to remember that it was also claimed that Snapchat was originally developed to promote sexting. This is due to the fact that snaps you send on Snapchat stay only for a couple of views and minutes, and then they disappear forever. However, these allegations were denied by the founder Evan Spiegel. Here’s a quick overview to both apps.
In 2020, both Instagram and Snapchat are the two most intriguing social networks for all sorts of people. Hence, it is essential that we discuss the healthy competition between them.
Number of Downloads and Users
We’ll begin this by comparing the downloads and users of both the apps. I’ll only list the data from some of the most credible sources here, so you don’t have to worry about the legitimacy.
- Instagram has over 1 Billion Downloads on the Play Store while Snapchat has also crossed the 1 Billion mark. On the App Store also, both these apps have a similar number of downloads. In 2019, Snapchat had an increased number of downloads than Instagram. Both of them get a point here.
- Instagram has more than 1 Billion active users monthly, while Snapchat has only 310+ Million monthly active users. It will take some time more before Snapchat reaches up to Instagram here. Instagram has an edge over Snapchat here.
Score: Instagram 2- Snapchat 1.
Picture Source: Sensortower.com.
Ratings War
Both Instagram and Snapchat have millions of daily active users and millions of reviews. After an assessment of the reviews, we’ll take a look at the average ratings of both apps.
- Instagram has an average rating of 4.5 stars after 9,36,57,910 reviews on the Play Store. On the other hand, Snapchat has an average rating of 4.25 stars after 2,10,89,033 reviews. Instagram gets the point here.
- On the App Store, Instagram has 4.5 stars after 4.7, 1.5M Ratings. And, Snapchat has 3.5 stars after 3.7, 11.7K Ratings. Instagram is a clear winner here.
Score: Instagram 4- Snapchat 1.
Picture Source: Statista.
Net Worth and Annual Revenue
Now we’ll compare the financial aspects of both the companies. Instagram, being owned by Facebook, will definitely have an advantage in this category. Nevertheless, we should not ignore anything.
- According to Bloomberg, Instagram has an estimated net worth of over $100 Billion if it were a stand-alone company. While Snapchat has an estimated net worth of $ 23.5 Billion according to Forbes. One thing to note is that Snapchat became the best performing ‘Tech-Stock’ in 2019. Thus, both Instagram and Snapchat get a point here.
- Annual revenue for Instagram in 2019 is calculated to be more than $12 Billion. While Snapchat has expected annual revenue of over $2 Billion in 2019. Instagram is a winner here.
Score: Instagram 6- Snapchat 2.
Picture Credit: Pew Research Center.
Global Penetration Comparison
Both Instagram and Snapchat are used all across the globe by a massive number of people. However, they both have different global penetrations worldwide. We’ll take a look at them here.
- Instagram has around 121 Million active users in the United States while Snapchat has around 110 Million active users. However, the number of users in the US increased at a greater speed for Snapchat in 2019. Therefore, Snapchat gets a point here.
- In up and coming economies like India, Brazil, Indonesia, etc, Instagram has 25% more penetration than Snapchat. This gives Instagram a clear edge over Snapchat.
Score: Instagram 7- Snapchat 3.
Picture Credit: Mideastmedia.org.
Age of Users
While both the apps are extremely popular in young adults and teenagers, we have to take a close look at how users of various age groups use Instagram and Snapchat.
- Instagram is very popular on users of all ages, especially below the age of 49. However, Snapchat is only more popular in teenagers and young adults. Instagram gets a point here.
- Millennials all over the world use Instagram 45% more than Snapchat. This accounts for the fact that they use Instagram from various daily life things like making a shopping decision, learning something, etc. Snapchat loses a point here.
- Among the age group of 12-16 years, both Instagram and Snapchat have equal preferences.
Score: Instagram 10- Snapchat 4.
Picture Credit: The Atlas.
Features of Instagram and Snapchat
Both the apps offer some similar and some unique features. We’ll take a look at all the interesting features of Instagram and Snapchat and try to decide which one is more feature-rich.
- Instagram and Snapchat both allow their users to have a conversation by sending messages, photos or videos. Also, you can upload stories on both the apps. So, its a tie here.
- Filters and Stickers are available on both platforms. But, Snapchat also being very active as a picture-clicking app especially for selfies has better filters and stickers. The filter and sticker collection of Snapchat is also vaster than Instagram. Hence, Snapchat wins a point here.
- Instagram recently introduced services like IGTV and Instagram Music that are widely admired by its users. Snapchat, as of now, doesn’t have any similar features to tackle Instagram here. Thus, Instagram wins yet another point.
Score: Instagram 12- Snapchat 6.
Picture Source: Mediakix.
Business and Marketing Friendly
Both Instagram and Snapchat are used by brands and marketers in order to reach different sorts of audiences. We’ll try to conclude here which one is more friendly and efficient for the businesses and marketers.
- Instagram has a very high discoverability rate than Snapchat. Discoverability is the key point for content creators, brands and businesses to reach a wider base of audiences. Hence, Instagram gets another point.
- Snapchat offers better peer-to-peer, private and close relations between a customer and a brand. On the other hand, Instagram offers a public base for brands to reach as many people as they wish. So, we can count it as a tie here.
- It is comparatively cheaper to promote your product or service on Instagram than on Snapchat. However, Snapchat may demand more money to create exclusive filters or other promotional stuff but it does offer better results than Instagram. Therefore, it is a tie yet again.
Score: Instagram 15- Snapchat 8.
Final Score: Instagram VS. Snapchat
Instagram won 15 points in the overall battle while Snapchat only managed to gain 8 points. So, Instagram is our winner if we keep an eye on all the aspects. However, I won’t recommend only sticking to a single platform to help your business. I’d suggest you continue using as many platforms as you can with different tactics. You can use Instagram to make your product more discoverable and at the same time use Snapchat to strengthen your relationship with your customer base. This would be a win-win situation for you.
So, that’s all for this post. I hope you liked reading it. Also, let me know in the comments section if you want me to do more of there comparison battles.
