Snapchat Stories came out in 2013 and Instagram basically copied the company and integrated Stories into their service, which was launched in 2016. Even though Snapchat had the edge early on, here is why I believe that Instagram got it right from the beginning and why I prefer to use them over Snapchat.Â
On my Instagram, I have a following of over 1K people, so for me, when I post something, whether it was something I saw or a book that I purchased at Barnes and Noble, a lot of people are going to see that. If I were to post it on my Snapchat Story, I’ll get maybe 10 people to see it and that will be the end of it.
Another thing that I have noticed in Instagram Stories are the little add-ons you can do to it, such as tag the store or business you are in at that moment, and then have your local City Story broadcast a picture from your Story to their Story, ergo you get more viewership and a chance for new followers. Snapchat doesn’t offer that.
Instagram Stories allow you to also tag people within your story. Say I was taking a picture of myself hanging out with a friend. On Snapchat, I could say the person’s name, but they wouldn’t get a tag or notification that they were in the story. With Instagram Stories, I can do just that.
I will say that Snapchat has better filters when it comes to sponsored filters such as the one that Apple had for WWDC last week and sometimes when new movies come out. Other than that, Instagram has the better service.
Lastly, Instagram lets users send messages to other users in Stories. Granted, you can do the same thing on Snapchat Stories, but it doesn’t feel as integrated as the way Instagram has it.
I’m not saying that Snapchat Stories are horrible and that you should not use them, but I think that Instagram has the better platform for it. It integrates your followers that you have been obtaining since the service started in 2010 and allows you to post content throughout the day. If Snapchat’s main purpose is that and they can’t even get it right, then Instagram is the platform to be on. Not Snapchat.