Key takeaways
Both platforms sell full-screen vertical video ads, so one 9:16 edit can run on both. The differences are in budget minimums, ad formats and what kind of creative performs.
TikTok asks for more money up front: a campaign's daily budget has to be above $50 and each ad group's above $20. Instagram lets an ad set run on a few dollars a day.
Instagram is the bigger platform. It has 3 billion monthly users, and a Reels ad can also run in Facebook, Stories and Threads from the same campaign.
A new US joint venture took control of TikTok's US user data, algorithm and content moderation in January 2026. Advertising stayed with TikTok's existing business, and Ads Manager kept running.
Start with TikTok if your product looks good in a lo-fi, creator-style video or sells through TikTok Shop. Start with Reels if you already run Instagram or Facebook ads or want reach across several apps on one budget.
How the two platforms compare
Platform | Best for | Minimum daily budget |
|---|---|---|
TikTok | Creator-style video and TikTok Shop sellers | Above $50 per campaign, above $20 per ad group |
Instagram Reels | Advertisers already on Instagram or Facebook, and reach across apps | Roughly $1 to $5 per ad set, depending on what you pay for |
Audience and reach
Instagram has more people. It passed 3 billion monthly active users in September 2025, and it has been testing a layout that puts Reels and messages first. TikTok hasn't published a global user figure since it passed 1 billion monthly users in 2021.
The ad-audience numbers are closer than the headline figures suggest. DataReportal's early-2025 estimates put TikTok's advertising reach at 1.59 billion people worldwide and 136 million in the US, against 1.74 billion and 172 million for Instagram. If your buyers are in the US, both platforms reach most of them.
One thing changed on TikTok this year. In January 2026 a new US company, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, took control of US user data, the recommendation algorithm and content moderation, and it's retraining the algorithm on US data. Advertising and TikTok Shop stayed with TikTok's existing commercial business, so Ads Manager and its ad formats carried on after the change, apart from a few days of app outages in late January.
Ad formats
TikTok's main formats:
In-Feed ads: the standard ad, shown between videos in the For You feed.
Spark Ads: you boost an existing organic post, from your account or a creator who authorizes it. Likes and comments stay on the original post.
TopView: the first video someone sees when they open the app, full screen with sound on. It's sold as a premium placement.
Smart+: TikTok's automated campaign type, which can pick targeting, budget and placements for you, with each part switchable on or off.
GMV Max: since July 2025 this has been the only campaign type for TikTok Shop ads.
Instagram's main formats:
Reels ads: full-screen vertical video between Reels, with the same sound-on viewing as TikTok.
Advantage+ campaigns: Instagram's automated campaigns, which spread one budget across Reels, Feed, Stories, Facebook and Threads.
Partnership ads: ads that show both the creator's and the brand's handles, Instagram's version of Spark Ads.
Reels trending ads: placements next to popular creators' Reels, available through an Instagram ads sales rep since September 2025.
The practical difference is placement. A TikTok campaign runs mainly on TikTok, though automated campaigns can add some of TikTok's partner apps. An Instagram campaign can run the same video on Instagram, Facebook and Threads, which helps if you're spending a small budget and want it spread wide.
Budgets and costs
TikTok's minimums are higher. Its help center says a campaign's daily budget must be more than $50 and an ad group's more than $20, so testing three ad groups at once costs more than $60 a day.
Instagram's floor is much lower: roughly $1 a day for an ad set charged on impressions and about $5 a day when you pay for clicks. The exact minimum depends on your currency and what you're paying for, and Ads Manager shows it when you set the budget.
Published cost-per-thousand-impression figures vary too much by industry and season to say one platform is cheaper. Benchmarks for both land in single digits to the mid-teens of dollars per thousand impressions. The only reliable test is to run the same creative on both for two weeks and compare what each one costs per sale or sign-up.
Video specs
The same vertical video works on both, with a few limits to check.
TikTok In-Feed: 9:16 recommended (1:1 and 16:9 accepted), at least 540 x 960 pixels, up to 10 minutes and 500MB.
Instagram Reels ads: 9:16, up to 15 minutes, up to 4GB, MP4 or MOV.
Watch the safe zones. Instagram's ad guide asks you to keep the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side clear of text and logos, because the caption, buttons and account name cover those areas. TikTok publishes downloadable safe-zone templates for its ad formats. If you're making one edit for both, keep text in the middle of the frame and you won't lose it on either app.
Creative that works on each
TikTok's own advice to advertisers is "Don't make ads, make TikToks." Ads that look like regular posts, shot on a phone, with someone talking to the camera and sound that matters, tend to do better than polished brand spots. Its Creative Center shows what's trending, from sounds and hashtags to top-performing ads by industry, and its Symphony AI tools can generate variations and dub an ad into other languages.
Reels doesn't punish a polished look as much, partly because the same ad may also run in Feed or Stories. Creator content still performs well there, which is why partnership ads keep getting new features. Advantage+ creative tools can generate images and video variations and add AI voiceovers.
Either way, the first two seconds decide whether anyone keeps watching. Open on the product or the problem, not on a logo.
Which one should you start with?
Start with TikTok if your product demonstrates well on camera, you can work with creators or film creator-style video yourself, or you already sell through TikTok Shop. Budget more than $50 a day for a real test.
Start with Instagram Reels if you're already running Instagram or Facebook ads, your budget is small, or you want one campaign to reach people across Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
If you can afford both, cut one 9:16 video with text kept to the center, run it on each for two weeks, and move budget toward whichever brings in customers more cheaply.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to advertise on TikTok or Instagram Reels?
Neither is reliably cheaper. Costs depend on your industry, audience and creative, and published benchmarks for both overlap. TikTok does have a higher minimum spend: more than $50 a day per campaign, against a few dollars a day per ad set on Instagram.
Can I use the same video for TikTok and Reels ads?
Yes. Both take 9:16 vertical video. Keep text and logos in the center of the frame so the apps' buttons and captions don't cover them, and check TikTok's 10-minute and Reels' 15-minute length limits.
What is the minimum budget for TikTok ads?
TikTok's help center says the daily budget must be above $50 at the campaign level and above $20 at the ad group level.
Are TikTok ads still running in the US?
Yes. A US joint venture took control of TikTok's US data, algorithm and moderation in January 2026, but advertising stayed with TikTok's existing business, and Ads Manager and its ad formats kept running.
What are Spark Ads and partnership ads?
Both let you turn an organic post, yours or a creator's, into an ad. Spark Ads is TikTok's name for it and partnership ads is Instagram's. Spark Ads keep the original post's handle and engagement, and partnership ads show both the creator's and the brand's handles, so either one looks like a regular post.