TikTok has a wide selection of music that can easily be accessed by all users via TikTok’s Sound Library. Instagram Reels, on the other hand, doesn’t allow business profiles to access its music feature. Business accounts that want to include music in their Reels have to resort to recording their own audio, using someone else’s original audio, using royalty-free music or preproducing their Reels outside of the app.
The Algorithm
TikTok’s “For You” page is the equivalent of Instagram’s “Discover” page, except it has a more advanced and engaging algorithm. It is much more customized to user’s interests and its full vertical screen experience keeps users scrolling. Instagram’s “Discover” page, on the other hand, is a melting pot of content.
Paid Advertising
Instagram is more established than TikTok in the paid advertising space. TikTok does, however, offer paid advertising options. Instagram uses branded content tags for Reels. The platform has also long been facilitating the creation of branded content for static posts. Even though Instagram seems to be transforming into an alternate version of TikTok, there are still vast differences. TikTok’s unique video content gives it a competitive edge in the ever-evolving social media landscape, but Instagram has the advantage of being owned by one of the biggest technology conglomerates in the world.