Instagram has recently introduced Reels for Stories, its take on the famous short video app TikTok. With Reels, you can now make longer videos and add multiple clips in a single-story compared to relying on Instagram’s traditional limit of one clipper story.
But how do these two apps stack up against each other? And how are they different from each other? Here’s everything about them that you should know before they become your go-to apps when it comes to sharing stories with friends and family.
What makes Instagram Reels better than TikTok?
The differences between Instagram Reels and TikTok are significant enough where you’d be better off using the former when possible. For instance, if you want to have a little more control over your stories, like choosing how long your video is or what screen recording means for adding clips from your smartphone, then Instagram Reels seems like a much better option than TikTok.
Apart from this, one of the biggest reasons why Instagram Reels trumps TikTok is that sending friend requests on Instagram to share stories is more accessible than on TikTok, thanks its integration with Facebook Messenger (you can ask anyone who has your FB Messenger ID).
Since it’s not built-in, all you need to do is add someone’s email address in the app and then ask them to share stories with you. It makes sending friend requests a lot faster than on TikTok, which doesn’t have these features.
Another benefit of Instagram Reels is that it lets you add your music, while TikTok only offers licensed tracks from its music partners. For instance, if you use Apple Music, there aren’t any restrictions on what type of songs you can use for your story or reel - they’re all available for free. However, this isn’t true if you want to use songs not listed by Apple Music.
Since both apps stick to the same 15-second video limit when it comes to clips inside each story, the option to add longer videos in a single Instagram story might not seem like an important one. But if you want more flexibility and control to make your stories better, then Instagram Reels is the one you should go for.