The popularity of TikTok as a short video platform and its surprising success in a short time did not go unnoticed. Facebook-owned Instagram is already making its way through with the launch of Instagram Reels. Google is also diving into the short video content space with the new YouTube Shorts. It’s easy to get confused between Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts for publishing or consuming content. We help you understand the differences between the two services.
Fortunately, Google and Facebook do not offer separate apps for creating and browsing videos. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are tightly integrated into the respective main app, making the whole experience seamless.
availability
Both Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are best served on mobile. As of writing, Instagram Reels is available worldwide, while YouTube Shorts is limited to India and the US.
user interface
As I mentioned earlier, both Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts live in the main app. As for the reels, swipe right from the Instagram homepage and you will see the Reels option right next to the default Story menu. We appreciate how the main functions are on the lower left (you can change the location to the right using the Settings menu) These are also easy to reach on larger phones.
The main options like Add Music, Speed and Timer are at the top in YouTube Shorts. You will have to extend your thumbs every time you want to create a Shorts video.
Add Music
Instagram surpasses YouTube in this department. On the reels, when you try to add sound, Instagram opens the Music menu with a number of categories such as Trends, For You, Original Sound, and Pop. You can tap on the little music icon next to any song and see the Reels other users are using with the selected song.
You can also use audio from other Reels. If you find a song or audio clip you like, you can tap the music and select ‘Use Audio’. Now the Reels menu is set to use the song you selected and you cannot change the sound.
YouTube Story’s music menu is bleak compared to Reels. However, you can use audio from other Shorts.
Fun Items
Let’s talk about crowd-favourite fantasy ways to customize the video recording experience on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. This is where an average app differs from a thoughtful app.
The reels let you mess with the recording speed. You can use a timer and alignment option to get the perfect timing of the video. Effects are the heart of the Instagram experience. You can add Stupid face, Party Lights, Green Screen according to your mood and choose from dozens of other effects for a perfect Instagram Reel.
Compared to Instagram, YouTube only offers the ability to adjust the speed of the video and a built-in timer. We know this is an early stage, but YouTube could have added a few more features to make it stand out and have more experience.
Text & Stickers
Stickers play a big part in the overall Instagram Reels experience. The company has years of experience in Instagram Stories and carries the same strength here. Instagram offers dozens of fun stickers. You can also add your current location as a sticker. YouTube Shorts doesn’t have such an option, which is a bummer if you ask us.
YouTube offers different styles of text and customizes them with different colors, alignments, sizes, and more.
Sharing Permissions
This is where YouTube is back in the game with superior sharing permissions.
YouTube provides various permissions for sharing Shorts. You can choose between Public, Unlisted, or Private permission before finalizing the video for viewers. Most choose the Public permission, but Unlisted and Special permissions are also useful at certain times.
Instagram provides several options for sharing Reels. You can share it as a Story (In this case, the Reels are deleted after 24 hours), share it in the feed, or keep it in your account and access it from the Explore menu.
YouTube also offers an adult filter, which is missing from Instagram Reels. You can change the Short Movies permission at any time from the YouTube Library menu.
future view
With Reels, Instagram has added another way to create media to share with followers. Since its launch in August 2020, Instagram has been witnessing an increase in the number of downloads and active users.
Instagram Reels got 22% more engagement than NBA franchises get on average from standard Instagram posts or Instagram Stories.
YouTube Shorts is still in beta and only available in certain regions such as India and the US. It is already becoming popular with 3.5 billion views per day during its early test run in India. One can only imagine the potential when Shorts becomes available worldwide in the future.
Create Fun Short Videos
Instagram has nailed the execution of short videos. YouTube Shorts got off to a rough start with a few missing features. However, the real battle takes place behind the scenes as these short video format features aim to capture Tiktok’s ever-increasing popularity. Thanks to YouTube’s advanced algorithms, we wouldn’t be surprised if Shorts becomes a crowd favorite in the future.
Next: Want to master Instagram Reels? Read the post below to learn about the fifteen best Instagram Reel tips and tricks.
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