Instagram overtakes TikTok as the world’s most downloaded app in 2023 after trailing the latter for four straight years from 2018 to 2022, The Guardian reports. 

According to new data from market intelligence company Sensor Tower, the photo and video-sharing app saw 767 million global downloads last year, up 20% from 2022, compared to 733 million for TikTok, which increased by just 4%.

Sensor Tower attributes Instagram’s resurgence to “the popularity of its Reels feature,” a short-form video offering that mimics TikTok’s core functionality. Other Instagram staples like photo sharing and “Stories” also likely contributed. 

Instagram Surges Ahead: Takes The Lead From TikTok In Global Downloads Race

Farhad Divecha, founder and director of AccuraCast, a U.K. digital marketing agency, points out that the platforms’ comparative performance highlights Instagram’s success in fending off the TikTok threat by quickly emulating its rival’s key features. He also cited Instagram’s broader demographic appeal as an advantage.

“One thing I think goes in Instagram’s favor is, it appeals to a broader audience demographic and doesn’t have the ‘it’s for the kids only’ connotation that some people associate with TikTok,” Divecha says. 

However, TikTok’s user base comprises 1.1 billion monthly active customers versus Instagram’s 1.5 billion. The former’s users spend more time in-app – averaging 95 minutes per day compared to 62 minutes on Instagram. This engagement advantage underscores TikTok’s strong appeal, particularly among younger demographics.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly sounded the alarm about TikTok’s competitive threat in recent years. In 2022, he acknowledged his company’s apps were facing numerous rivals fighting for users’ attention. That same year, reports emerged that Meta had hired a Republican consulting firm to run a campaign to undermine public trust in the TikTok platform.

The intensifying battle plays out amid headwinds for TikTok as it faces political opposition in the United States over national security concerns stemming from its Chinese ownership. On March 7, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that could potentially ban the app if Beijing-based parent ByteDance doesn’t divest it within six months.

While TikTok has consistently denied allowing the Chinese government to access U.S. user data, the pressures reflect an escalating geopolitical clash that could reshape the influencer marketing landscape. As platforms like Instagram and TikTok vie for creator talent and audience engagement, their competitive dynamics will ripple across the broader creator economy.