Battle of the Social Media Giants: Snapchat vs Instagram Users in 2024

Social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat have captivated audiences around the world with their photo and video-based sharing features. Both apps have become go-to destinations for creators and everyday users alike to express themselves and connect with friends.

But in recent years, Instagram has pulled ahead as the dominant force in social sharing – especially among young demographics. Let‘s take an in-depth, data-driven look at the Snapchat versus Instagram competitive landscape based on 2023 user statistics.

Massive User Base Advantage to Instagram

The most staggering difference between the two platforms comes down to scale. As of January 2023, Instagram boasts over 2.5 billion monthly active users globally based on parent company Meta‘s latest earnings release.

Compare that to Snapchat‘s 600+ million monthly active users according to Snap Inc.‘s Q4 2022 results. Instagram‘s user base is over 4 times larger worldwide.

A major driver behind Instagram‘s runaway growth is expanding functionality like Stories, Reels short videos, and live broadcasting capabilities catering to diverse interests. Snapchat still focuses mainly on ephemeral photo and video sharing amongst friends.

Instagram strategically adopted Stories and augmented it for more audiences – changing the competitive dynamic which we‘ll analyze in this guide.

First, let‘s drill deeper into the user bases…

Demographic Divide: Youth Still Snapchat While Instagram Skews Older

Both apps count 18-24 years old as their primary demographics. Around 30% of Instagram‘s user base and over one-third of Snapchat‘s fall into this coveted young adult age bracket.

However, Snapchat has maintained its stronghold as the favorite social media hangout amongst high school and college students. An impressive 90% of 13-24 year olds in America use Snapchat according to DOMO data.

Meanwhile over 98% of Instagram users are over the age of 13 globally. Its audience skews slightly older than Snapchat – though still youthful relative to platforms like Facebook.

Here‘s a breakdown of Snapchat‘s worldwide users by age group:

And Instagram‘s age distribution as of 2023:

So Snapchat dominates as the Gen Z social app of choice, while Millennial and Gen X internet users drive Instagram‘s extensive reach.

This divergence also applies across gender lines…

The Gender Gap on Snapchat vs Instagram

Data indicates a wider gender gap amongst Snapchat‘s users compared to Instagram.

58% of Snapchat‘s global user base is male, per DataReportal. Meanwhile Instagram boasts an even 50/50 male-female split.

Here are a few hypotheses for Snapchat‘s overindexing on male users:

• Snapchat has its roots in college campuses more popular amongst men
• Men tend to drive early adoption on new, experimental social platforms
• Instagram‘s focus on imagery and influencers resonates more with female users

Regardless, both platforms still represent two of the hottest digital destinations for young people today to express themselves and interact with friends.

Next let‘s analyze daily and monthly behavior patterns…

Instagram Leads in Usage Habits

People don‘t just sign up for Instagram – they actively use it throughout their day. Studies show Instagram users open the app 28 times daily on average, while Snapchat trails at 18 daily sessions per user.

Breaking this data down further:

Snapchat drives more sessions late at night – likely when friend groups message and share silly Snaps amongst each other.

But Instagram dominates during early morning, afternoon, and business hours thanks to their signature Stories and video content.

When it comes to posting Stories, over 900 million Instagrammers share ephemeral updates daily. Comparatively, about 300 million interact with Snapchat Stories each day.

However, hardcore Snapchatters still create a mind-blowing 5 billion Snaps per day uploaded – so both platforms drive viral user-generated content. Instagram simply reaches more people and drives more sales for businesses with its Stories product.

Here‘s a look at total daily Stories created on each platform:

And for monthly active usage, Snapchat comes in at 654 million globally accessing the app per month. But Instagram more than triples that reach today.

Ephemeral Content Innovation: Snapchat Created the Format, Instagram Scaled It

Snapchat pioneered ephemeral photo and video content that disappears after 24 hours in its Stories feature. This tapped into user demand – especially amongst young demos – for candid, in-the-moment content rather than permanent polished posts.

Snapchat doubled down on this temporary content format as their competitive advantage in the crowded social media market.

However, industry giant Instagram took notice of Snapchat‘s sudden growth around 2014-2015 driven by these fleeting Stories. So they decided to build their own take – Instagram Stories – with the added benefit of coordinating with users‘ main feeds.

This move by Instagram to essentially copy Snapchat‘s innovation proved genius to catapult their own growth. Stories expanded Instagram‘s scope beyond just a photo sharing app. And the integration with the highly curated Instagram grid gave Stories much further reach.

Here‘s a look at how adoption rates of Stories took off much faster on Instagram versus Snapchat:

While Snapchat still receives credit as the original creator of ephemeral content feeds, Instagram leveraged its resources to scale the concept past Snapchat‘s niche market.

Diving deeper into Stories engagement today…

Battle for Eyeballs: Instagram‘s Alternating Stories Feed

One major change implemented was Instagram shifting Stories from reverse chronological order to predictive ordering in 2019. They applied similar algorithms as the Instagram Explore feed to surface Stories they believe individual users are most likely to enjoy at any given time.

The result? Average time spent watching Stories jumped from 1-2 minutes to over 7 minutes per user session.

Whereas Snapchat maintained the classic Stories behavior where one must manually tap through friends‘ updates sequentially. This allows for fewer options to provide contextually relevant content.

Snapchat has focused more on highly targeted ad experiences rather than algorithmic feed sorting – likely due to having a smaller overall user base. Thus for average users seeking both entertainment and friendship bonding, Instagram delivers greater staying power.

Youth Still Making Noise on Snapchat

But just because Instagram has accumulated more overall Stories views and monthly users, core Snapchat fans stay extremely active on the platform.

Research shows U.S. teens spend over 30 minutes on Snapchat daily and open the app over 30 times daily on average. Plus over 90% of 13-24 year olds use Snapchat regularly in America according to DOMO data – a true reflection of Snapchat‘s legacy.

What this means in 2024 is an opportunity for more niche community engagement on Snapchat, while Instagram aims for global mainstream consumption. Brands can tap into hyper-interested Gen Z users on Snapchat with viral challenges, new augmented reality lenses, and behind-the-scenes content.

Meanwhile Instagram offers wide reach across age groups but requires high-quality content and savvy advertising strategy to truly break through.

One marketer described Snapchat as similar to "hanging with your closest friends shooting the breeze" whereas Instagram feels akin to "presenting to a huge theater full of acquaintances."

Now let‘s explore how that analogy translates to social commerce…

The Battle for Advertising Dollars

While both company‘s bread and butter are users rather than advertisers, marketing dollars make up the bulk of long-term revenue. Snapchat pulled about $4.4 billion in global ad revenue in 2022 – impressive given their smaller audience size.

Comparatively, some reports peg Instagram‘s haul from advertising alone near $130 billion in 2022 thanks to Pay-Per-Click, Stories ads, influencer sponsorships and more.

Clearly Instagram holds the upper hand based on reach to diverse markets. But some infuencers and smaller brands believe loyal Snapchatters offer better conversion potential.

In reality, savvy marketers use both platforms but allocate budgets appropriately based on campaign goals. Instagram reaches the masses for large-scale brand awareness. Snapchat can ignite viral word-of-mouth amongst hyper-engaged communities.

Here are some best practices for allocating ad spend across the two:

Instagram Marketing

• Highly polished, visually appealing content
• Hashtag targeting by interest for discovery
• Broad campaigns to increase overall business visibility
• Measure reach and engagement metrics like Impressions

Snapchat Marketing

• Behind-the-scenes, raw content matching the app vibe
• AR lenses and filters that entertain niche audiences
• Tight targeting by gender, location, device to hone in on your perfect demographic
• Measure direct response for sales funnel like swipe-ups or site visits

As for the future outlook…

Which Platform Will Win the War for Users?

Based on current growth metrics and demographic trends, Snapchat is likely to remain the smaller but deeply-engaged hub for youth content sharing. However, they may struggle to expand significantly outside Western markets.

Comparatively, Instagram is positioned to accelerate global user gains – especially amongst developing countries gaining mobile internet access for the first time.

I project Instagram crossing 3 billion monthly active users by 2025 with increased adoption across age brackets as millennials enter middle age but remain active on social media. Snapchat will close in on 1 billion as Generation Alpha (now 5 or younger) ages into the target teen demographic over the next decade.

Both apps have become embedded into cultural zeitgeists and behaviors around sharing life moments. And the market is likely big enough to support multiple major players. But Instagram currently appears on the faster trajectory to become the default mainstream gathering place online this decade.

While Snapchat keeps innovating the future of camera-led communication focused on youth audiences and tight friend groups sharing ephemeral moments. The numbers tell the story – advantage Instagram today, but still room for Snapchat‘s niche to evolve the space.

Final Takeaways

Reviewing the key datapoints around users and usage, Instagram has unlocked exponential growth thanks to adopting and optimizing Snapchat‘s novel Stories format for their broad community. They‘ve since established commanding leads in monthly actives, daily engagements, and revenue.

However, Snapchat originated the Stories template and ephemeral messaging model. They still reign amongst American teenagers looking to exchange quirky Snaps with best friends rather than polish content for the public Instagram feed.

In reality, both platforms offer differentiated value:

Instagram

• Global mainstream reach across age groups
• Highly curated feeds mixing Stories and persistent content
• Major marketing channel driving business success

Snapchat

• Trendsetter amongst young demographics
• Deep user engagement with 30+ sessions daily
• Experimental features like augmented reality

So while Instagram appears positioned as the dominant all-around platform thanks to massive adoption beyond just youth audiences, Snapchat holds strong as the social app specifically for Gen Z.

Each brand looking to invest in a presence on these platforms must assess their own goals for reach, authentic engagement, or sales. The two markeplaces can co-exist while taking divergent approaches to what modern social connection looks like online.