Content Writer
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Facebook and Instagram?
Instagram and Facebook are some of the most popular social media channels digital marketers use, and they’re also favorites among internet users. But what sets them apart from one another?
Today, we’ll look into the differences and similarities between these two platforms to help you figure out which one is the best fit for your business.Â
Streamline your marketing with an efficient social media strategy template.
Short summary
- Instagram and Facebook are both Meta-owned platforms that allow users to share content, but Instagram focuses on visuals, while Facebook supports text-based posts as well.
- Despite perceptions of declining popularity, Facebook remains the largest social network in 2025, with over three billion monthly users.
- Both platforms share features like image and video posts, Reels, Stories, comments, likes, and social shopping.
- The main differences are that Facebook allows text-only posts, supports clickable links in posts, offers gaming features, and works fully on both desktop and mobile, while Instagram is primarily mobile-first, limits clickable links to bios and Stories, and focuses more on visual content.
- Businesses should tailor their social media strategies based on audience preferences, content formats, and engagement trends unique to each platform.
Table of contents
How Instagram and Facebook work
Both Instagram and Facebook are social media platforms that allow users and businesses to share updates and other entertaining content. While Instagram is a visual platform where images and videos are shared, Facebook also supports text-only posts.
While some argue that Facebook has lost its popularity over the years compared to Instagram, statistics show otherwise. In 2025, the network still appears to be the biggest in the world, with over three billion active monthly users.
It’s easy to think about Instagram and Facebook as competitors. However, knowing how they work will help you extract the most important details about these platforms. Your social media marketing strategy should contain personalized aspects for each network in order to increase your performance.Â
SocialBee can help you with this. Create and customize posts for Facebook, Instagram, and all your other social media platforms from one place by adding hashtags, changing image sizes, character count, and more.
Create, edit, customize, and share posts directly on Facebook, Instagram, and all your social media platforms with SocialBee.
Start your 14-day free trial to test it yourself!
In addition, with SocialBee, you can craft different variations of your evergreen posts and share them multiple times while keeping them looking fresh and new.
You can also find out how your posts will look on each channel with the content preview option.
But before scheduling your posts, make sure you first download the Best Times to Post on Social Media sheet (shown below) to discover when you should be posting on the most popular online platforms.
Learn when and how often to post various content types, from fun to educational and more.
Similarities between Facebook and Instagram
Let’s start by figuring out what makes the two Meta platforms similar.
1. Content format
Both platforms allow image and video posts. You can also share feed posts, Reels, carousels, and Stories. Both platforms allow for likes and comments, though Facebook takes it a bit further with multiple reaction types. Alongside that, the possibility of adding a location and tagging people is also available.
2. Online connections
Connecting with people or brands on the two platforms is also fairly similar. A private Facebook account is similar to a private Instagram page, as you’ll need to send a follow/friend request to view and interact with them. For public Facebook pages and Instagram profiles, all it takes is a follow.Â
You can also send direct messages on both social media networks, and they’ll either appear directly in the inbox or as a message request, depending on whether you are connected with the sender or not.
3. Social media shopping features
Instagram and Facebook both have integrated shopping features. Facebook has Marketplace, a place where anyone can buy and sell pretty much anything from clothing to furniture and vehicles. The platform is similar to eBay.
Both Instagram and Facebook also have Shops. This allows businesses to set up and customize online storefronts on the apps. While shoppable posts are still visible, opening and buying from Shops has been limited by Meta in recent years and is currently only available in select locations and on mobile devices.
Facebook versus Instagram: Similarities
- The platforms support both images and videos.
- Post types include feed posts, Stories, Reels, and carousels.
- You can leave comments and like someone’s post.
- You can add a location to posts.
- It’s possible to tag other accounts in posts.
- You connect with other users by following or sending friend/follow requests.
- You can use certain shopping features.
Differences between Facebook and Instagram
Now that we know that brings the two platforms together, let’s see what sets them apart.
1. Post structure
Instagram is primarily a photo-sharing app that also branched out to video content through Reels. Facebook, on the other hand, also supports text-only posts. It also places more value on captions, as they come before visuals on Facebook feed posts.Â
2. Social media games
A fun feature that Facebook offers that isn’t available on Instagram, is gaming.Â
Facebook allows you to play lots of games online directly on their website instead of having to download them to your computer or phone.Â
3. Image albums
Another aspect worth mentioning is the posting structure on both platforms. On Facebook, you can create albums for your pictures. On Instagram, however, Stories are the only ones that you can categorize as Highlights. You can also create highlights of Facebook Stories.
4. Desktop and mobile optimization
Apart from shopping, Facebook has the same features on all devices. You can share a Facebook post from a desktop, as well as a mobile phone.
Things tend to change a bit when it comes to Instagram. While you can log in and view posts, you can’t post from a desktop device. The platform is designed to be mobile-first, so you’ll need the Instagram app to upload any content.
5. Link sharing
On Facebook, you can share links and make them the main part of your social media posts. If you want to bring forward some important industry news or promote one of your blog articles, your links will be clickable and even have a preview.
However, when it comes to Instagram posts, clickable links can’t be used in post descriptions. They are only allowed in your account’s bio or in your Instagram Stories.
So, for you to share an article on your Instagram account, you’ll have to create a visual for the content you want to promote (since there are no link previews on Instagram) and redirect your followers to click the link in bio.
Look at how we at SocialBee promote our articles on Instagram:
If you have more links you want to share with your audience, you can use Instagram tools like Linktree to include them all in your bio through a customizable link page.
6. Account bio
Speaking of bio links, let’s expand on the topic of bios and what you can add in a Facebook bio compared to what you can include in an Instagram one.
Here is what your Facebook description can consist of with a business account:
- Business description
- Company’s business hours
- Address & contact information
- Links to your website and Instagram page
- Facebook Messenger button that automatically opens a conversation tabÂ
For an Instagram business account, the options are a bit more restrictive.
Besides having the ability to add your company’s industry, you are limited to 150 characters. It’s up to you to decide how you’ll use those characters and what information is most important to mention.
Also, on Instagram, you can only have one clickable link in your bio. As we mentioned before, to add more than one link, you’ll have to use a link-sharing tool.
Facebook Versus Instagram: Differences
- Facebook allows text-only posts.
- You can create photo albums on Facebook. On Instagram, you can only categorize your Stories.
- Facebook is both desktop and mobile-friendly, while Instagram is more mobile-friendly.
- Facebook users can add clickable links to their posts, while on Instagram, the only clickable links you can find are in the bio or Stories.
- On Facebook, you can build more comprehensive bios, while on Instagram, you are limited by the 150-character count.
Demographics on Facebook versus Instagram
Facebook’s most prominent users are males aged 25-34, with males being more numerous in almost all age categories. Instagram caters more to those aged 18-24, with the largest number of users being males in this age category.Â
Therefore, while the content posted on Facebook is usually catered towards millennials, you have a higher probability of success if your Instagram posts also incorporate elements that are preferred by Gen Z. The latter also has a large number of millennials, however, so don’t rule them out of your content planning.
Facebook excels in terms of total monthly active users, with an impressive 3.05 billion, while Instagram users aren’t far behind at 2 billion.
Knowing how many active users a platform has and what age groups they’re a part of can take your social media marketing strategy to the next level. If you don’t target the right segment, you might waste important time and resources.Â
With such a great online audience on both platforms, it would be a shame if your content got lost in the crowd. To make sure that doesn’t happen, you can download the free Best Times to Post on Social Media sheet below and schedule your content to post according to professional recommendations.
Learn when and how often to post various content types, from fun to educational and more.
User engagement on Facebook versus Instagram
There’s no perfect formula behind the user engagement equation. It’s all going to break down to the platform your users are most used to. And, of course, the type of content you’re going to concentrate the most on.
If your business is more oriented towards the visual component, go for Instagram as a main social media channel. Instagram users prefer aesthetically pleasing accounts and posts, so your images and visuals are sure to generate engagement if they’re high-quality.
If your audience is keener on reading a post, you’ll see more results on Facebook. There, you’ll build and present your brand as much with your words and curated content as with your unique visuals.Â
If your goal is increased sales, you place yourself in the Facebook camp again. That is because you can benefit from Facebook paid advertising to put together a great lead generation campaign.
While you can also invest in Instagram ads, the platform is more suitable if you want to dwell on influencer marketing. That doesn’t mean you have to rule it out when it comes to promotions. Boosting posts with images of your products or videos about your services can entice people to make a purchase.
Posting on Facebook versus Instagram
Sharing the same post on Facebook and Instagram won’t have the same results, and it’s for a good reason. While they’re both Meta platforms with plenty of similarities and even close demographics, they don’t favor the same posting patterns, times, and even formats.
On Facebook, it’s best to post between three and seven times a week, and make sure you avoid exceeding two posts a day. On Instagram, posting one to two times a day is recommended, but not more than three times. Moreover, while posting on Facebook on weekends isn’t advised, it can still have great results on Instagram.
Even small tweaks to your post can make a difference on each platform. While Facebook posts don’t really benefit from hashtags, adding a few popular combined with niche ones on Instagram can boost your visibility.Â
Keep in mind image and video sizes as well; Reels and Stories are the same on both platforms, but feed posts are generally 1200×630 pixels on Facebook, while Instagram has recently switched to portrait images of 1080×1350 pixels.
PRO TIP
With SocialBee, you can create separate content schedules for both Facebook and Instagram. This will help you increase your reach and engagement by scheduling content at the best time.
You can also create content categories to diversify your content and publish posts that work best for each channel. Use post variations to personalize for each platform and get the best results no matter where you post.
Oversee and adjust your content strategy from a visual content calendar.
Which is better: Instagram or Facebook?
There is no universal answer, it depends on the nature of your business.
Each platform has specific elements that make it successful for digital marketing. The choice will depend entirely on the needs of the business and the type of content that benefits it most.
The most important thing is that you analyze your brand’s needs and goals and align your social media strategy with them. Determine which platform is more likely to house your target audience and where your company will fit in when it comes to your online communication.
Usually, it’s not about choosing just one. To have a well-rounded digital presence, try to include multiple popular social media platforms in your plans and adapt your social media marketing campaign for the requirements of each one.
Frequently asked questions
Improve your social media presence with Facebook and Instagram
Social media is a great place for digital marketing strategies and efforts. But when you have to choose between Instagram and Facebook, there are quite a few factors to take into consideration.
Even if both platforms are similar in what they offer and how they behave, there are still important differences to consider. This uniqueness asks for different strategies adapted to the platform. Another thing to consider is that both of them are ever-changing. Thus, strategies also have to adapt to any newly added features.
Regardless of what you choose, or if you want to tackle both, SocialBee can help you create and share content on both platforms. Customize your content for each channel and make the best out of both worlds. Start your 14-day free trial today!
