Instagram has overtaken TikTok as the world's most downloaded app after its copycat video feature Reels helped it regain ground lost to its Chinese-backed rival.
The photo and video sharing app has skyrocketed in popularity since its launch in 2010, alongside real-life royals like the Kardashians, and is the basis of the influencer phenomenon, but in recent years it has become a short video platform of its own. is facing stiff competition from TikTok.
But Instagram's launch in 2020 of a short-form video feature widely seen as an imitation of TikTok ultimately helped it fight back. The app was downloaded 767 million times worldwide in 2023, an increase of 20% from the previous year, while TikTok's downloads increased by 4% to 733 million. TikTok was the most popular download in the world from 2018 to 2022.
Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, which compiled the data, said Instagram's resurgence was “likely driven by the popularity of its Reels feature,” and that other features such as photo sharing and video features that disappear from Stories were also popular. He said it was clear that this was the case. A copy of the Snapchat app.
Farhad Divecha, owner and managing director of UK-based digital marketing agency Acuracast, said Instagram benefited from its quick response to the TikTok threat. Broad demographic appeal also helps, he added.
“One thing I think Instagram has in its favor is that it appeals to a broader audience and doesn't have the 'kids only' connotation that some people associate with TikTok.” he said.
According to Sensor Tower, Instagram has about 1.5 billion monthly active users, while TikTok has just over 1.1 billion. However, TikTok has more active users, who spend an average of 95 minutes a day on the app, compared to 62 minutes for Instagram.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and CEO of Instagram's parent company Meta, has called TikTok a serious competitive threat in recent years. As of 2022, he said his app has many competitors competing for user attention, and platforms like TikTok are “growing very quickly.” Also that year, it was reported that Meta was paying a Republican consulting firm to increase public distrust of its rivals.
TikTok also faces serious political opposition in the United States amid continuing concerns about the influence of Chinese ownership. This week, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill that would give TikTok's parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, about six months to sell the app or face a ban.
U.S. lawmakers and Western politicians are concerned that TikTok's user data could be accessed by the Chinese state, a claim that TikTok has consistently denied.