Comparison

Instagram vs ArtPlay

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Instagram

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
Read full description

Little moments lead to big friendships. Share yours on Instagram. — From Meta Connect with friends, find other fans, and see what people around you are up to and into. Explore your interests and post what's going on, from your daily moments to life's highlights. Share what you’re up to and into: - Turn your life into a movie and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram with Reels. - Keep up with friends on the fly with Stories and Notes that disappear after 24 hours. - Start group chats and share unfiltered moments with your Close Friends. - Share memories from recent events or trips in Feed. - Customize your posts with exclusive templates, music, stickers and filters. Dive into your interests. - Watch videos from your favorite creators and discover new content that’s personalized to your interests. - Get inspired by photos and videos from new accounts in Explore. - Discover brands and small businesses, and shop products that are relevant to your personal style. Some Instagram features may not be available in your country or region. Terms and Policies: https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870 Consumer Health Privacy Policy: https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policies/health Learn how we're working to help keep our communities safe across Meta technologies at the Instagram Safety Center: https://about.instagram.com/safety

About

ArtPlay

Transform your photos and videos into animated 3D cartoons or nostalgic childhood memories. Easily create GIFs from various media formats and use pre-designed templates with background music to make stunning videos with just a few taps.

Highlights
  • 3D cartoon character creation
  • Nostalgic childhood photo effects
  • One-tap photo to video conversion
  • GIF creation from photos and videos
  • Video templates with background music
  • Automatic photo selection for videos
Features
Read full description

*** Main Feature *** 1.3D cartoon, incarnation of anime characters 2. Travel back to childhood 3.One Tab to make your photos into video 4.Gif Maker: any photos videos can be turned into gif! #3D cartoon Imagine yourself as an animated protagonist! Here, you can become the master of fairy tale animation, the world is your fairy tale! #Back to childhood You are not only worthy of a young heart, but also a young face! Can we take you back to a different time and trace back to your self in different periods. When you see your childhood self, will you feel that excited intimacy? #Video Template Want to be a great video maker but have no idea? We can help. Now use our Video Template, just few tab to choose your favourite photos, we can help you change into video, with background music. #Memory Have no idea which photo to choose? Memory can help to choose now! Try just one tab to combine your photos into fresh video! #GIF Maker Now you can make gif from photos, videos, live photos, brust photos [advanced edition] Upgrade - weekly subscription: $4.99/ week with 3-day free trial;$4.99/week Upgrade - monthly subscription: $14.99/ month with 3-day free trial;$14.99/month Upgrade - annual subscription: $49.99/ year,with 3-day free trial; $49.99/ year Payment will be collected from your iTunes account after you confirm the purchase. The system will automatically renew the subscription for you, unless the automatic renewal setting is turned off 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged the next renewal fee within 24 hours before the end of this subscription period and the renewal fee will be confirmed. Subscriptions will be controlled by you, and automatic renewal can be turned off in the user's account Settings after purchase. When you purchase a subscription to this version, you will lose any unused portion of the free trial period. Terms of service: https://docs.qq.com/doc/DT1lKdmt3aG94aHdT Privacy agreement: https://docs.qq.com/doc/DT3R5VURTclNrb2NB If you have any other questions, please contact us through the following email: highmountainhigh@outlook.com

Screenshots

Instagram4 screens
ArtPlay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ArtPlay at none against Instagram's shown. ArtPlay also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.3). Instagram's advantage is ratings volume (30M vs 55) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Instagram sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and ArtPlay sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Instagram against 4.8 for ArtPlay. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instagram has 30M ratings behind it against 55, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 31% of Instagram's written reviews are positive against 25% of ArtPlay's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Instagram ships an update weekly, ArtPlay monthly. Both last shipped on September 28, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Instagram versus ArtPlay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstagramArtPlay
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (30M ratings)4.8 (55 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.4% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings30M — better55
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#3 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.311.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size583 MB268 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperInstagram, Inc.High Mountain Electronic Commerce Development Limited

Customer experience

Instagram

All ratings29,507,938 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews20,337 reviews
Positive31.4%
Neutral7.0%
Negative61.6%

ArtPlay

All ratings55 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

Bugs and requests

Instagram

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

4 requests
  • 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

ArtPlay

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Instagram

Subscriptions1
  • Meta Verified Standard9 variants$14.991 Month
One-time2
  • Instagram Badge$0.99
  • Instagram Badge$4.99
6 purchases

ArtPlay

Subscriptions6
  • ArtPlay Subscription3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • ArtPlay Subscription$4.997 Days
  • ArtPlay Subscription3 Days trial$19.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • ArtPlay Subscription$19.991 Month
  • ArtPlay Subscription3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • ArtPlay Subscription$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Instagram free?
Instagram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ArtPlay free?
ArtPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Instagram or ArtPlay?
ArtPlay is rated higher. Instagram averages 4.7 out of 5 from 30M ratings, while ArtPlay averages 4.8 from 55 ratings.
Do Instagram or ArtPlay have ads?
Instagram shows ads; ArtPlay does not.
Which is updated more often, Instagram or ArtPlay?
Instagram ships an update weekly, and ArtPlay monthly. Most recently, Instagram was updated on September 28, 2026 and ArtPlay on September 28, 2026.

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