# Instagram vs AR Camera ◉

The clearest difference is ads: AR Camera ◉ at none against Instagram's shown. AR Camera ◉ also leads on review sentiment (42% vs 31%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.3). Instagram's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (30M vs 972). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Instagram sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and AR Camera ◉ sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Instagram holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instagram has 30M ratings behind it against 972, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of Instagram's written reviews are positive against 42% of AR Camera ◉'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Instagram ships an update weekly, AR Camera ◉ every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Instagram | AR Camera ◉ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (30M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instagram/id389801252/reviews)** | [4.3 (972 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ar-camera/id1252237038/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **30M** | 972 |
| Positive reviews | 31.4% of reviews | **41.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | — |
| Size | 583 MB | 223 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.3 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Instagram, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/389801255) | [Ubicolor Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/828691698) |

## What reviewers say

### Instagram

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instagram/id389801252)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Grossing · Photo & Video, #4 Top Free · Photo & Video, #7 Top Grossing, #28 Top Free (US App Store)

Connect with friends and discover new content through photos, videos, and short-form entertainment. Share your daily moments and life's highlights, or dive into personalized feeds based on your interests.

**Highlights:** Short-form video creation and discovery (Reels), Ephemeral content sharing (Stories & Notes), Private group chats (Close Friends), Personalized content feeds (Explore), Customizable posts with templates and filters, Discover brands and shop products

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Meta Verified Standard | $14.99 | per month |
| Instagram Badge | $0.99 | one-time |
| Instagram Badge | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Excellent way to connect with friends and family
- 🌍 Ability to discover new content and accounts
- 🎨 Great platform for artists and creators to showcase their work
- 🤝 Helps small businesses promote their products

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🤖 Overly aggressive AI moderation leading to unfair account suspensions
- 🔒 Poor customer support and lack of transparency around account issues
- 📊 Declining organic reach and push towards paid advertising
- 🔀 Confusing layout changes that make the app less user-friendly

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to post or view videos due to app crashing
- Saved posts and drafts randomly disappearing
- Notifications not working or showing outdated information
- Inability to log in or switch between multiple accounts

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit/delete individual photos from a multi-photo post
- Option to view posts in chronological order instead of algorithmic feed
- Better tools for small businesses to manage and grow their presence
- Improved accessibility features for users with disabilities


### AR Camera ◉

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ar-camera/id1252237038)

Bring your videos to life with augmented reality effects. Add 3D objects, text, and emojis that interact realistically with your environment, including shadows and occlusion. Create magical visual content for social media or professional projects.

**Highlights:** Add 3D text, emojis, and objects, Realistic shadows and environmental occlusion, Physically based textures for virtual objects, Scan environment for surface detection, Intuitive object manipulation (move, rotate, scale), Create and share augmented reality videos

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All Smileys | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all 3D objects | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All moods! | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All TextStyles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All Textures | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Media Objects | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All Themes | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Everything forever! | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Impressive 3D tracking
- 💡 Lots of customization options
- 👍 Fun and engaging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes on launch
- 🐛 Unreliable performance
- 🐛 Glitchy and buggy
- 🐛 Poor instructions and lack of guidance

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to stop video recording
- Controls not working as expected
- Purchased features not unlocking properly
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to import custom 3D objects
- Scene/object/face referencing and saving/loading
- Option to write custom text
- Improved occlusion handling


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Instagram free?

Instagram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is AR Camera ◉ free?

AR Camera ◉ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Instagram or AR Camera ◉?

Instagram is rated higher. Instagram averages 4.7 out of 5 from 30M ratings, while AR Camera ◉ averages 4.3 from 972 ratings.

### Do Instagram or AR Camera ◉ have ads?

Instagram shows ads; AR Camera ◉ does not.

### Which is updated more often, Instagram or AR Camera ◉?

Instagram ships an update weekly, and AR Camera ◉ every 3 weeks. Most recently, Instagram was updated on September 26, 2026 and AR Camera ◉ on September 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*