Instagram Reels is the latest short video social platform launched by Instagram, which was once evaluated as a “copycat version of TikTok” by the industry. Instagram Reels can upload short videos of 15 seconds to 30 seconds, and the search and video editing pages and even the entire setting are similar to TikTok. It is no wonder that people like to compare the two together. Of course, there are still differences between the two, and which platform to choose depends on your audience, brand, and marketing goals. If you are targeting Generation Z (generally referring to the generation born in 1995-2010), TikTok will be your first choice; if you want to serve as a buffer for your Instagram account, Instagram Reels will be the ideal choice .

Besides, how is Instagram Reels different from TikTok? From user base, editing tools to access to the music library of your corporate account, here are 7 differences between Instagram Reels and TikTok.

#1: Duration

TikTok users can upload videos of up to 60 seconds in length, while Instagram Reels can only upload up to 30 seconds. The difference of just 30 seconds is not a small thing in the eyes of users, although the length depends on the content of the video, the 30-second time limit of Instagram Reels seems to be not enough. Users with a lot of information still recommend TikTok. You can refer to how the beauty brand cocokind used Instagram Reels to shoot a 30-second promotional video.

#2: Music Library Permissions for Enterprise Accounts

The main difference from TikTok is that most Instagram Reels business accounts do not have access to the Instagram music library.

TikTok has no similar restrictions ~ any user can pick a background sound from their music library. Music is not only the finishing touch for short videos, but also one of the means to create popular trends. Instagram users will also have other people’s voiceovers as background sound for videos, but it is still not as good as TikTok users. Another difference is that TikTok users can save their own or others’ short videos to a local album with watermarks and soundtracks; Instagram users can only save their own short videos without soundtracks and watermarks.

#3: Video Editing Assistant and Its Features

The TikTok video editing interface has many templates, filters and effects to choose from; the selection on the Instagram Reels interface is limited.

TikTok also has a cute point: magic and voice-over features; while Instagram users can record narration, but can’t add fun to the audio. In addition, TikTok’s Duet, Recreation and Stitch, users can create highly interactive functions based on these functions. Sexual and infectious videos. Everyone has been amused by the above three types of videos more or less, and it is not difficult to understand why creators love TikTok so much; at present, Instagram Reels does not have Duet and Stitch functions, and users can only find materials from local cameras.

#4: Algorithms

TikTok’s algorithm was elusive until it took the initiative to reveal its secrets. TikTok’s FYP can adapt to users’ interests, while Instagram Reels’ “Explore Page” is more like mud. TikTok’s response stated that the system will recommend videos to users in order of relevance based on a combination of factors. For example, the system will recommend videos related to “interesting” content, or remove videos that users have checked “No longer recommended”, including:

User likes, shares, follows, comments or updates content;

Video related tags, sound effects or pictures;

Device and account settings such as language, country and device type.

Not only that, each variable has a different weight, and according to the “For You” algorithm, each user’s recommended page is different.

As for the algorithm of Instagram Reels, it is dwarfed by that of TikTok. It is unknown whether the Explore page of Instagram Reels recommends videos based on the user’s location, interests, content or followers.

Instagram Reels also has a Featured. Instagram said users will be notified if Explore “profiles” a user’s Reel account. The profiled account will become the public account of Instagram, dedicated to recommending more fun and interesting original videos for users, and the possibility of the selected videos becoming popular will also be greatly increased.

Referring to TikTok, the more videos users upload, the more likely they are on the homepage. What’s the difference between a video going viral on TikTok and Instagram Reels? TikTok will be a good platform and opportunity; Instagram Reels will automatically link Instagram accounts, users who use Instagram accounts to promote brands, account content must include Instagram Shop, Instagram Stories, etc., the popularity of Instagram Reel will inevitably attract a new wave audience. Using TikTok to attract followers to Instagram accounts is already a routine operation, and Instagram Reels is just the icing on the cake.

#5: Paid Advertising and Online Shopping

TikTok’s advertising business for small sellers is not as popular as other platforms, but it also has paid advertising services. T currently has In-Feed Ads, Brand Takeovers, TopView, Branded Hashtag Challenges, and Branded Effects; as for Instagram Reels, the paid advertising business is still a little bit less, but brands can still cooperate with Internet celebrities or well-known influencers to promote.

Instagram recently added a branded content tag to Instagram Reels, which serves as a channel for creators to show when they create branded content, increasing transparency, expanding the influence of branded content, and making it easier to create and share.

While Instagram is busy gaining ground in the e-commerce advertising world, TikTok is not idle either. TikTok recently announced its first cooperation with Shopify to transfer the “potential stocks” consumed on the platform to more than 1 million sellers on the Shopify platform. Sellers can link their TikTok business accounts and Shopify accounts to facilitate transactions by jumping to the shopping cart through the implanted ads in TikTok short videos. Thought that was all? The surprise is yet to come! From ad placement, optimization, tracking to consumer group radiation (target groups based on gender, age, user habits and video categories), all operations can be completed through Shopify’s “dashboard”. This function makes product promotion in one step, and with the help of TikTok’s algorithm, it can accurately locate consumer groups.

#6: User base and content

Although the content on the two platforms is similar, it is worth mentioning that TikTok is more popular with young people.

“Welcome to TikTok/Instagram Reels, take your pick”. Both brands and creators pay more attention to the content released by Instagram Reels, and implement the purpose of “from the brand, serving the brand” to please consumers. Compared with Instagram Reels, the content on TikTok is a little more “down to earth”, and it is a spurn of formalism.

Users whose target group is positioned after 00 are recommended to use Instagram Reels; users who dream of becoming a phenomenon-level influencer and whose target group is positioned in the Z generation are suitable for TikTok. Another way is to ask followers directly which platform they like.

#7: Analysis Assistant

The TikTok Pro account can access all the permissions of the analysis assistant. With the existing user base and content analysis tools, it can understand which groups of people are the real potential consumers and their preferences; the analysis assistant of TikTok Pro can also display the source and the source of video clicks. Trending rankings also reflect the music preferences of followers.

At present, the above functions are not available on Instagram Reels. The data that can be referenced are only the number of views, likes and reposts.

The above are the 7 major differences between Instagram Reels and TikTok. It doesn’t hurt to use both platforms, the important thing is to be fast and accurate, upload more videos and share more to know which is better~