Instagram’s Snapchat Clone Hasn’t Hurt Snapchat’s User Numbers

Snapchat usage remains strong despite Instagram’s clone of its Stories feature, according to four third party data providers.

A month after Instagram released its clone of Snapchat Stories, Snapchat’s user numbers are holding steady, according to four third-party data providers.

The data providers — App Annie, Apptopia, Sensor Tower, and SurveyMonkey — did not find any meaningful decline in Snapchat’s numbers in the weeks after the introduction of Instagram Stories. So for those who were quick to deem Instagram Stories a Snapchat killer, the early results suggest it may be wise to reconsider that label. It doesn’t look like Instagram’s number of users changed after it released Stories, either.

“About a month into the launch of Instagram’s Stories feature, we are still not seeing a significant increase of time spent in the app versus Snapchat,” Danielle Levitas, SVP of research at App Annie, told BuzzFeed News. “While there are several factors that may be contributing to this, the early stage of adoption by its user base is still ongoing.”

Wes McCabe, at Sensor Tower, said the trend lines remain the same as before Instagram’s introduction of Stories. Data from Apptopia showed no ill effects on Snapchat at all. And Snapchat usage among SurveyMonkey’s panel of over 1 million US iOS and Android users also didn’t flinch.

“Our data shows that Instagram Stories hasn’t made any discernible impact on Snapchat. The core usage metrics haven’t budged for either app throughout August,” a SurveyMonkey spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.
It’s still early in the battle between the two prominent social apps, but the data reveals that Instagram won’t be able to swiftly poach Snapchat’s users by simply adding the same features. It’s now clear that Snapchat’s users are loyal. And if Instagram wants to convince its rival’s 150 million daily users to port their activity over, it will need to be patient.

Snapchat declined to comment. An Instagram spokesman indicated Facebook will soon introduce even more features to the app: “We’re thrilled to see how quickly Instagram Stories has caught on with the community,” he said. “We’re working on some exciting new features for the coming weeks.”