TikTok vs Instagram Statistics 2026: Who Leads Now?

The rivalry between TikTok and Instagram remains one of the most-watched dynamics in social media. Both platforms shape how people consume content, influence culture, and drive business marketing strategies. TikTok’s short‑form video format has reshaped entertainment and discovery, while Instagram’s multifaceted ecosystem, with Stories, Reels, Shop, and more, continues to evolve. From brand campaigns to individual creator success, these platforms influence everything from product discovery to news consumption. Explore the stats below to see how usage, demographics, and engagement compare today and where trends are headed.

Editor’s Choice

Instagram reached ~3 billion monthly active users in 2025, a major global milestone.
TikTok has ~1.94 billion MAUs in 2026, ranking among the top social apps worldwide.
TikTok users spend up to ~80–95 minutes per day on the platform.
TikTok engagement rates (~3.7–5.3%) outpace Instagram’s (~0.5–2.8%).
Instagram retains a balanced age distribution among young adults and millennials.
U.S. social media adoption shows heavy usage of both Instagram and TikTok.
TikTok tops news consumption among young adults ahead of Instagram.

Recent Developments

Instagram’s growth to 3 billion MAUs reflects ongoing user traction and feature adoption.
TikTok U.S. daily active users approached ~66 million in late 2025.
Meta is investing heavily in AI, affecting Instagram content recommendations.
TikTok’s U.S. ownership shift aims to stabilize regulatory pressures while enhancing engagement and commerce.
Short‑form video competition (Reels vs TikTok) remains intense with evolving algorithms.
Instagram shifted strategy to recapture youth engagement with new teen‑focused features.
TikTok is now reported as the top social news source for adults aged 18‑29.
Brands are adjusting investments as both platforms innovate ad formats and shopping tools.

TikTok vs Instagram Key Statistics Overview

Instagram has ~3 billion monthly active users globally as of 2025.
TikTok boasts ~1.94 billion MAUs worldwide in 2026.
Instagram remains ahead in raw user scale, but TikTok’s growth velocity is notable year‑over‑year.
Daily engagement on TikTok averages ~80–95 min per user.
Instagram users typically spend less time daily compared to TikTok (exact averages vary by region).
TikTok’s video views exceed ~167 million videos per minute globally.
Instagram Reels accounts for ~41% of time spent on the app.
Both platforms sit among the top social networks worldwide, alongside YouTube and Facebook.

TikTok vs Instagram Engagement Rate by Follower Size

TikTok consistently outperforms Instagram in engagement rates across all creator size tiers, highlighting its stronger content discovery and virality.
Accounts with below 100K followers see the highest engagement overall, with TikTok at 7.50% compared to Instagram’s 3.65%.
In the 100K–500K follower range, TikTok maintains a strong lead at 5.10% ER, while Instagram records 3.04%.
Mid-tier creators with 500K–1M followers achieve 4.48% engagement on TikTok, nearly double Instagram’s 2.40%.
Large creators in the 1M–5M range still see solid performance, with TikTok at 3.76% versus Instagram at 2.59%.
Interestingly, TikTok engagement rebounds for creators with 5M–10M followers, rising to 4.22%, while Instagram drops to 2.10%.
At the mega-influencer level (10M+), engagement declines on both platforms, but TikTok (2.88%) continues to outperform Instagram (1.77%).
Overall, the data shows that smaller and mid-sized creators benefit most, especially on TikTok, where engagement remains above 4% up to the 5M follower mark.
For brands and marketers, this suggests higher ROI on TikTok influencer campaigns, particularly when partnering with nano, micro, and mid-tier creators.

Tiktok Vs Instagram Engagement Rate By Follower Count — Reference: The Influencer Marketing Factory

Global Reach and Regional Popularity

Instagram boasts 2.35 billion global MAU in 2025, surpassing TikTok‘s 1.67 billion.
India leads with 392.5 million Instagram users, followed by the U.S. at 172.6 million.
TikTok penetration reaches 138.2% in Saudi Arabia and 123.1% in the UAE among adults.
50% of U.S. adults use Instagram, per Pew Research 2025 data.
80% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 actively use Instagram.
62% of Hispanic and 58% of Asian U.S. adults use Instagram, exceeding White adults.
45% of urban U.S. residents use Instagram, compared to 25% rural.
76% of EU youth (15-24) use Instagram, with 55% on TikTok.
Western Europe has 102.6 million monthly TikTok users.

Daily and Monthly Active Users Comparison

Instagram now logs around 3 billion monthly active users globally.
TikTok’s global MAUs were near 1.94 billion in early 2026.
In April 2024, Instagram reported ~2 billion MAUs versus TikTok’s ~1.58 billion.
TikTok’s MAU figures have grown steadily year‑over‑year.
Daily active TikTok users in the U.S. have reached ~66 million.
Instagram’s daily active user figures are part of Meta’s broader 3.58 billion daily active users across apps.
TikTok’s global daily user numbers are estimated at around 55‑60% of MAUs.
Both platforms show strong retention, but TikTok’s video‑centric model drives frequent daily use.

TikTok vs. Instagram User Distribution by Age Demographics

Ages 13–17: Instagram maintains a slight advantage with 8% of its users in this age range, while TikTok has virtually 0% representation among users aged 13–17.
Ages 18–24: TikTok clearly dominates this demographic with 38% of its users, exceeding Instagram’s 31%, making 18–24 the largest user base for TikTok.
Ages 25–34: Both platforms show near parity, although TikTok holds a narrow lead at 32%, compared to Instagram’s 30% share of users aged 25–34.
Ages 35–44: User adoption is evenly split, with TikTok and Instagram each capturing 17% of their respective audiences in the 35–44 age group.
Ages 45–54: Engagement declines sharply on both platforms, as TikTok and Instagram each attract only 8% of users within the 45–54 demographic.
Ages 55 and older: Instagram retains a slight edge among older users with 6%, while TikTok accounts for 5% of its user base aged 55+.

Time Spent on TikTok vs Instagram

TikTok users average 56 minutes daily in 2025, far exceeding Instagram’s 33 minutes.
Gen Z spends 2.53 hours/day on TikTok vs 1.87 hours on Instagram.
Average TikTok session lasts 10.85 minutes, 268% longer than Instagram’s 2.95 minutes.
TikTok monthly usage hits 34 hours, double Instagram’s 15.5–16.5 hours.
Users open TikTok 19 times daily, capturing 32% of U.S. social media time vs Instagram’s 20%.
Nearly 50% of Instagram time goes to Reels, totaling 17.6 million hours daily globally.
18–24-year-olds spend 57 minutes/day on TikTok but 53 minutes on Instagram.
TikTok daily time rose from 27 minutes in 2019 to 58 minutes in 2024.
Reels now account for over 50% of all time spent on Instagram.
Global average TikTok usage reaches 95 minutes/day for some demographics in 2025.

Content Formats: Short‑Form Video vs Mixed Media

Instagram Reels achieve ~30.81% average reach rate, outpacing other mixed media formats.
TikTok users spend 95 minutes daily on short-form videos, enabling deep immersion.
Reels generate 200 billion daily views, dominating Instagram’s content ecosystem.
TikTok boasts 3.4% engagement by views, higher than Instagram’s varied formats.
Carousels yield 12% more interactions than Reels in mixed media tests.
35–38% of Instagram time focuses on Reels over photos or Stories.
Short-form videos drive 2.5× higher engagement than static images.
Reels offer 1.36× reach vs carousels and 2.25× vs single photos.
Over 2 billion users monthly interact with Instagram Reels.

Daily Social Media Usage Among U.S. Teens (Ages 13–17)

YouTube is the most-used platform, with 76% of U.S. teens saying they visit it daily.
43% of teens use YouTube several times a day, showing extremely high repeat engagement.
17% of teens use YouTube almost constantly, reinforcing its dominance among video platforms.
TikTok ranks second overall, reaching 61% daily usage among teens.
21% of teens say they use TikTok almost constantly, the highest “always-on” usage of any platform.
34% of teens access TikTok several times a day, highlighting strong habitual consumption.
Instagram maintains a solid daily reach, with 55% of teens using the platform every day.
31% of teens visit Instagram several times daily, indicating sustained engagement beyond passive scrolling.
Snapchat is used daily by 46% of teens, remaining relevant for direct communication and messaging.
12% of teens use Snapchat almost constantly, matching Instagram’s “always-on” share.
Facebook usage among teens is minimal, with only 20% reporting daily use.
Just 3% of teens say they use Facebook almost constantly, confirming its declining relevance in younger demographics.
Video-first platforms dominate teen attention, with YouTube and TikTok clearly outperforming text- and feed-based networks.
Overall, nearly 1 in 5 teens use TikTok almost nonstop, underlining its powerful engagement and addiction potential.

Likes, Comments, Shares, and Saves Comparison

TikTok videos average 54 comments per video vs Instagram Reels‘ 35.
Instagram Reels see 27 saves per post on average.
TikTok engagement rate hits 7.4%, exceeding Reels‘ 4.3%.
Reels’ comment ratio is 4.0% of engagements; TikTok‘s 2.2%.
TikTok comment-per-post ratio is 1.8x higher than Instagram.
Reels capture 64% median video views vs TikTok‘s 36%.
TikTok median engagement 58% over Reels‘ 52%.
Instagram Reels average 243 likes and 8 comments per Reel.
TikTok videos under 30 seconds double the Reels completion rate.

Hashtag and Trends Performance on Each Platform

TikTok’s #fyp hashtag amassed 79.54 trillion views as of February 2025.
#foryou on TikTok reached 43.7 trillion lifetime views worldwide.
#viral hashtag on TikTok collected 31.97 trillion views by early 2025.
#streetwear on TikTok generated 34.8 billion views across 2.7 million posts.
Instagram posts with at least one hashtag see 12.6% more engagement.
Using 9-11 hashtags on Instagram boosts reach by nearly 79.5%.
60% of Instagram users discover new accounts via hashtags.
Instagram Reels achieve 1.23% average engagement rate, topping photos at 0.7%.
TikTok delivers 58% higher video engagement rates than Instagram.
#love hashtag on Instagram appears in over 2.1 billion posts.

Social Media Platforms Delivering the Highest Marketing ROI

Facebook and Instagram lead all platforms, with 29% of marketers reporting them as the highest-ROI social media channels, highlighting their strong ad targeting and broad user reach.
YouTube ranks third, with 26% of marketers citing it as their top ROI platform, driven by long-form video engagement and high-intent audiences.
TikTok follows closely, as 24% of marketers say it delivers the best return on investment, reflecting its powerful algorithm and viral discovery potential.
Twitter/X shows a noticeable drop in performance, with only 16% of marketers identifying it as their highest-ROI platform, suggesting more limited conversion efficiency.
LinkedIn matches Twitter/X at 16%, indicating that while it excels in B2B marketing, it delivers a lower overall ROI compared to consumer-focused platforms.
Overall, Meta-owned platforms (Facebook and Instagram) dominate ROI rankings, reinforcing their position as core channels for performance-driven social media marketing.

Social Media Platforms Offering The Highest Roi Top 6 — Reference: Onlypult

Algorithm and Content Discovery Differences

TikTok creators with 10k-100k followers achieve 189% growth rates via broad exposure.
TikTok enables 2570% growth for top creators with 1M+ followers through For You Page virality.
Instagram Reels deliver 1.36x more reach than carousels, prioritizing engagement signals first.
TikTok nano-influencers (1-10k followers) see 18% engagement from non-follower discovery.
Reels account for 44.6% of Instagram reach, leaning heavily toward non-followers.
TikTok For You Page exposes content to high non-follower rates, signaling strong algorithm promotion.
Instagram shows Reels to non-followers via Explore, but starts with existing followers.
TikTok growth for 100k follower top 10% hits 53,223%, far exceeding Instagram.
TikTok accounts under 100k average 7.5% engagement from behavior-based recommendations.
Instagram Reels get 2.25x more reach than photos, rewarding strong early signals.

TikTok vs Instagram Stories and Reels Performance

Instagram Reels now make up ~50% of time spent on Instagram.
Reels reach ~30.81% of users daily, outperforming several other content types.
About 55% of Reel views come from non‑followers, boosting discovery.
TikTok’s core video feed inherently outperforms Stories due to a full‑screen immersive design.
Instagram Stories continue to be used for temporary updates, but have limited reach compared with Reels and TikTok.
TikTok lacks a direct Stories equivalent, focusing purely on video scroll.
Stories engagement can complement Reels campaigns, particularly for brand conversions.
Reels and TikTok combine to form the primary short‑form video battleground for attention in 2026.

TikTok vs. Instagram Reels: Median Video View Comparison

For short-form videos, Instagram Reels significantly outperformed TikTok, generating approximately 6,200 median views, whereas TikTok achieved only around 2,800 views.
In the case of medium-length videos, Instagram Reels continued to dominate with nearly 7,900 median views, which is more than double TikTok’s 2,900 views.
When analyzing long-form videos, Instagram Reels recorded the highest engagement at roughly 8,600 median views, clearly surpassing TikTok’s 3,500 views.

Tiktok Vs Instagram Reels Median Video Views — Reference: Emplifi

TikTok vs Instagram for Influencer Marketing

93% of marketers reported using influencer marketing as part of their campaigns in 2025.
About 86% of consumers make at least one purchase per year based on influencer recommendations.
57% of Gen Z have made a purchase directly through social platforms, reflecting strong commerce influence.
61% of Gen Z prefer user‑generated content over traditional ads, making influencer content especially effective.
TikTok’s format favors authentic creator storytelling, often delivering higher engagement per view than polished brand content.
Instagram continues to attract influencer campaigns due to its established commerce ecosystem and longer‑term brand affinity.
Fashion and beauty remain among the most common influencer categories across platforms.
Both platforms are core channels for influencer strategies, but TikTok often delivers quicker viral traction for new talents.

Brand and Business Adoption on Both Platforms

70% of marketers use Instagram as a core platform for brand visibility and conversions.
57% of marketers say TikTok offers the highest ROI among social platforms.
In 2025, Instagram attracted 58% of high‑income American users, making it an important platform for premium brand targeting.
Businesses increasingly integrate TikTok content into omnichannel strategies for engagement and discovery.
Small businesses reported 41% growth in TikTok ad adoption in 2025.
Instagram dominates US ad revenue and attracts significant brand spend due to advanced targeting and commerce features.
Both platforms support ecommerce integrations (Shops, live shopping) that connect social activity directly to transactions.
Global brand adoption continues to increase as both platforms evolve analytics and ROI measurement tools.

Advertising Reach and Ad Formats Comparison

TikTok ads reached 1.99 billion adults, 24.1% of the global population, in October 2025.
Instagram Reels ads reached 675.3 million users, 45.7% of Instagram’s ad audience.
TikTok video ads averaged 6.8% engagement vs Instagram Reels’ 5.2% in 2025.
Over 50% of Instagram ads ran on Reels, up from 35% in 2024.
TikTok ads hit 7.50% engagement for <100k follower accounts, topping Instagram’s 3.65%.
Meta’s GEM AI boosted Instagram conversions by 5% in 2025.
Instagram ad revenue projected at $67.27 billion globally, $37.13 billion in the US for 2025.
TikTok ad revenue expected to reach $32.4 billion, up 24.5% YoY in 2025.
Instagram saw 21% ad spend growth YoY in Q3 2025, with Reels at 26% impressions.
TikTok’s potential ad reach grew 2% yearly, adding 31.2 million users by early 2025.

Top Platforms Users Google Most for Going Viral

Instagram ranked first, leading the list with 16,018 monthly Google searches focused on growing followers or going viral, highlighting the platform’s strong creator demand.
TikTok came in second with 15,983 searches, reflecting nearly identical interest compared to Instagram in viral growth strategies.
YouTube recorded a moderate 8,725 searches, indicating steady curiosity around virality, but at less than half of Instagram’s search volume.
X (Twitter) registered 5,098 searches, pointing to relatively low interest in growth and viral strategies on the platform.
Facebook ranked last with just 5,007 searches, suggesting a decline in user curiosity about going viral on the network.

Ad Performance, CTR, and Conversion Rate Statistics

TikTok ads show an average CTR around 0.84%–1.5%, while Instagram ads typically sit near 0.9%–1.2%, depending on industry and format, giving TikTok a slight click‑through edge in some benchmarks.
The average TikTok ad conversion rate is about 0.46%, reflecting strong upper‑funnel engagement but weaker, consistent bottom‑funnel performance compared with more mature platforms.
Instagram ads often convert in the 1%–3% range for many ecommerce and DTC verticals, with industries like travel and healthcare seeing averages above 3% in some cases.
Instagram Shopping ads improved from roughly 0.3%–2.6% in early years to about 1.5%–3.5% conversion rates by 2025, helped by better on‑platform checkout experiences.
A good CTR for TikTok ads is typically 1%–3%, and creatives that pass 1.5% CTR are often treated as strong performers by agencies and media buyers.
As of 2025, the average CTR for Instagram ads is about 0.58%–1.20%, with formats like Reels sometimes exceeding 1.2% CTR when optimized well.
Instagram’s AI‑driven placements and targeting have been reported to lift predicted conversion performance by roughly 10%–20% versus earlier 2024 setups in several benchmark analyses.
TikTok CPM averages around $3.21, allowing brands to buy relatively cheap reach, which supports efficient top‑of‑funnel testing before scaling higher‑intent campaigns.
Both TikTok and Instagram campaigns that integrate influencer content can raise CTR into the 1.5%–3% band and lift conversion rates toward 2%–3%, improving overall ROI versus standalone paid ads.

Influencer Earnings and Sponsorship Rates Comparison

Nano‑influencers on TikTok may earn $10–$100 per post, depending on niche and engagement.
Micro‑influencers can earn between $100–$500 per post on TikTok.
Larger influencers often negotiate higher sponsorship rates across both platforms, reflecting audience size and content impact.
Spending on influencer campaigns is increasing, with ~63.8% of brands planning to increase budgets due to ROI potential.
Influencer programs now require performance contracts that track engagement, impressions, and conversions for payout.
Many creators now earn additional revenue through affiliate links and ecommerce partnerships.
Top‑tier influencers on Instagram often command significantly higher fees due to established audiences and brand collaborations.
Short‑form video success on TikTok can accelerate creator earnings due to higher organic reach potential.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How many monthly active users do TikTok and Instagram each have globally in 2026?

TikTok has approximately 1.94 billion monthly active users, while Instagram has reached around 3 billion monthly active users worldwide.

What percentage of U.S. adults use TikTok compared to Instagram?

About 37% of U.S. adults report using TikTok, whereas roughly 50% of U.S. adults use Instagram.

How do engagement rates compare between TikTok and Instagram in 2026?

TikTok’s average engagement rate sits around 3.70%–5.3%, significantly higher than Instagram’s ~0.48% engagement rate.

What share of Gen Z in the U.S. uses TikTok versus Instagram?

TikTok is the most used social media platform among Gen Z in the U.S., with over ~150 million monthly active users, closely followed by Instagram with ~148 million users in this age group.

Conclusion

As we move, both TikTok and Instagram remain essential platforms for content, engagement, and business growth. TikTok’s immense organic reach and viral discovery mechanics continue to reshape how audiences discover content and creators gain traction. Meanwhile, Instagram’s diversified content ecosystem and strong advertising infrastructure ensure continued brand adoption and robust business monetization.

Whether marketers prioritize influencer partnerships, paid advertising, or organic content, understanding these platforms’ strengths and performance metrics is key to shaping successful digital strategies in a rapidly evolving social media landscape.