The Best Apps for Instagram Success

Every month, more than 4 billion Instagram accounts are active. Based on information from within the image network, about 90% of these accounts follow at least one company. 

Instagram shows this and other information about what its users do, as well as some impressive success stories, on its homepage to show companies, bloggers, and other influencers that its social platform is worth using.

 Whether it’s a high-quality photo of a product, a story on Instagram, or a targeted ad: At first glance, marketing on the image network seems like a surefire way to do well.

In reality, though, a lot of work goes into marketing on Instagram that would be impossible without technical tools. Choosing the right tools is very important, especially when perfecting images and videos, which are very important for public presentations. 

But the right programs can also help plan publications and communicate with the target audience. This article gives short descriptions of some of the best Instagram apps and desktop programs in different categories to help you find the right ones.

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1. Apps for Editing, Text, Graphics and create Instagram Stories

On Instagram, how you look is the most important thing. Only people who know how to present themselves well can get the attention of other Instagram users and successfully spread their own advertising message.

Because of this, Instagram apps that let you make high-quality photos and collages are just as important as the right filters, fonts, and colors. Get more knowledge about Instagram and read our article how Instagram changed society here.

A Color Story (iOS, Android, Desktop)

A Color Story is another useful Instagram app for editing photos. The editor gives you a wide range of tools that make it much easier to design the look of your images.

Among other things, you have access to more than 500 filters that let you change a photo’s colors in the best way for you. Also, there are more than 120 effects that can be used to make light leaks, lens effects, color fog, and much more in any place you want.

There are, of course, all the tools you would expect for basic image editing: You can change the contrast, saturation, and brightness, or you can weaken or strengthen the color tones.

A Color Story is pretty much free to use. You can find the app at the App Store or Google Play Store. But users can only use all of the features if they pay a monthly fee of 5 euros or an annual fee of $29.99 for an ACS+ subscription.

Effects and filters can also be bought individually or as a set through an in-app purchase. All paid parts of the app are marked with a plus sign.

Pros

• easy to operate
• precise use of the available filters and effects possible

Cons

• free version very limited
• edits safes can be confusing

Stitch Pic (iOS, Android, Desktop)

Pic Stitch is the best app for making collages of photos and videos for Instagram, Facebook, and other places. The program gives users access to more than 250 different layout templates that they can fill with their own multimedia files.

Some of these layouts are free to use, while others must be bought first through an in-app purchase. The same is true if you want to change the collage’s frame or texture, which also requires you to buy a separate package.

chosen photos can not only be put together in stylish compositions but they can also be changed right away using the built-in photo editor. The Instagram tool has tools like effects, soft and sharp focus, a red-eye remover, and tools for cutting and optimizing.

Collages that are done can be sent by SMS or email, saved in the cloud (Dropbox), or shared on social networks with just one click. Before the post goes live on Instagram and other platforms, you can also add filters, and effects, and post texts that are typical for that platform.

Pic Stitch is free to download from the App Store and the Google Play Store for both iOS and Android users. Windows users can only get a paid app from the Microsoft Store. This app’a pro version costs $0.99, which isn’t too much.

Pros

• over 250 different layout templates available
• integrated image editing function
• many framing possibilities for photos

Cons

• no camera function included

Canva (iOS, Android, Desktop)

The graphics tool in Canva makes it easy to put together images and text. Based on more than 50,000 ready-to-use templates, the app lets you make posters, logos, presentations, flyers, infographics, and even custom Instagram posts.

The templates you can choose from are always just a starting point, because everything in the Instagram tool, like the fonts, font size, and number and placement of text modules, can be changed in any way at any time.

Users can either post their finished works directly to Instagram or save them on their own devices.

The start menu of Canva already tells the user that not all of the graphics program’s content is free: “FREE” is written next to the parts of the basic version.

Even though this is a lot, you can only get access to the full library of over 60 million templates, fonts, and stock images by signing up for a monthly ($12.99) or annual ($119.99) Canva Pro membership.

Even if you use Instagram for a long time, you don’t have to pay for the basic version, which you can find in the App Store or Google Play Store.

Pros

• huge selection of templates, stock photos and fonts
• easy to use

Cons

• free version very limited

WordSwag (iOS, Android)

With the Word Swag app, content creators can make your own branded images and graphics in just a few minutes. If you make content for your business or brand, WordSwag will make it easier for you to make visual content, which will help you get more people to interact with your content and improve your content marketing.

Word Swag is an app for your phone or tablet that lets you quickly and easily combine photos, text, and even your logo to make beautiful social media graphics that show off your brand.

You can import photos from Word Swag’s library, Pixabay, or your own photos using the toolset. Once you’ve imported them, you can add your own text and fonts and then share them on Instagram.

You can get WordSwag in the app store or the Google Play store. There is a free version, but the paid version has more features. Yes, you have to pay money for it, but it’s only $4.99. For all that it does for you, it’s definitely worth it.

Pros

• professional design interface
• easy to add text to images

Cons

• can be slow

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2. Mobile and Desktop Apps for Instagram Planning

Like marketing with newsletters, marketing on Instagram needs to be well planned. For example, it’s important not only what you post, but also when and how often you post. There are also some useful Instagram apps for this, and we’d like to show you three of them here.

Later (iOS, Android, Desktop)

Later is another another well-liked Instagram growth tool. You may manage many social media accounts on this platform, including Instagram. It offers offer a free account so you may test out the software before you decide to use it.

Using Later, you may schedule pictures and posts that include tags for users and places. The premium services also include management of Instagram Stories and hashtag suggestions.

The analytic capabilities offered by Later include hashtag monitoring. As a result, you can view tag statistical data and identify the tags that are best for your campaigns.

The activities of the target audience is taken into account while determining the ideal time to post.

Later offers the Linkedin Bio landing page for retail businesses. This makes it simpler for people to shop and resembles your Instagram feed. To obtain more information about Instagram posts and sales, it integrates with Google Analytics.

Later subscription starts from $18 per month.

Pros

• easy it is to use
• affordable pricing plans

Cons

• free version with only very basic features

Hootsuite (iOS, Android, Desktop)

Aside from the Instagram profile, it’s often a good idea to use other social media channels as well. After all, a wider audience means more marketing success.

But large-scale campaigns also take a lot of work: on the one hand, new content has to be made in a way that works for the platform, and on the other, it has to be released at the right time.

The right way to solve this problem with organization is to use the Instagram tool Hootsuite. Once the program is installed, it can be used as a central hub for all important social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

This means that once the relevant accounts have been linked to the tool, posts can be shared on the desired channels right away or at a later time using the “AutoPlan” function.

Hootsuite makes it easy to manage your own social media posts, and it also has useful optimization features like automatic link shortening and detailed analytics reports that make it stand out (from the “Professional” edition).

The app also keeps track of how platform users respond (comments, likes, shares, etc.). This makes it even easier to figure out how successful each post is.
The Instagram app, which is also available as a web app and for iOS and Android, can be used for free on up to three social media accounts. Paid plans start at $49.

Pros

• combines the management of all major social networks
• presents all important user interactions

Cons

• free version very limited

WhenToPost (iOS, Android)

When you publish Instagram posts on a set schedule, your main goal is to get as many people to see them as possible. But to do this, you need to publish new content on a regular basis and choose the best time to do so.

This is easier said than done, though. Only those who study and analyze the behavior of their target users or followers on a regular basis will know when they are online and open to new content.

WhenToPost is a useful Instagram app that makes it easy to find out about users. Once the tool is linked to an Instagram account, it looks at the followers’ activity patterns to figure out when the best times are to post new content.

In the overview menu, WhenToPost shows you a number of different values: On the one hand, the Instagram tool shows the three best times of the day for new posts.

Along with this, there is a countdown to the next date. On the other hand, the app makes a weekly schedule that shows the best times for the next seven days.

The basic version of the app is free and can be used on both iOS and Android devices. For a fee, you can add things like a dynamic graph or a chart of the most popular days of the week. Proversion starts at $12.99 per month.

Pros

• fast analysis of the online times of the followers
• data are regularly updated

Cons

• free version just for 3 social media accounts

Combin Scheduler (Desktop)

A mobile app doesn’t give everyone the comfort they need to plan their own Instagram posts or stories in a strategic way. Because of this, the planning software Combin Scheduler is best used on a desktop PC. This is because the company didn’t make mobile apps for iOS and Android, so the Instagram tool is only available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

You can either use the app to plan and schedule your posts or upload them directly. After that, you can keep an eye on the planned content by looking at the calendar view.

But the scheduling features aren’t the only thing that makes Combin Scheduler stand out. The tool also helps users prepare the images by giving them options to crop, zoom, change the size, and align them.

Also, Instagram’s usual location tags and hashtags can be added directly in the desktop app, so scheduled posts are the same as regular Instagram posts in every way.

People who want to try out Instagram and all of its features have a week to do so during the free trial phase. After that, you have to pay a monthly fee, which starts at 17.40 euros.

Pros

• fast analysis of the online times of the followers
• data are regularly updated

Cons

• free version just for 3 social media accounts

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3. The Best Instagram Apps for making better Videos

Moving pictures can also be a big part of Instagram success, as long as they fit in with the site’s usual style. The goal is to make a video clip that is as short as possible, but still interesting and only needs a few seconds of attention.

But it’s not always that easy to do. It’s also important to think about things like the format or how exclusive the preparation is. Here are some cool Instagram tools from 2020 that will help you make videos and animations for Instagram and add them to your account.

KineMaster (iOS, Android)

KineMaster is a flexible and useful video editing program that will help you with your daily life and give you more freedom. And as the number of people using KineMaster grows, it is constantly updating and improving based on user feedback and suggestions to make the experience better for users.

Compared to desktop computer editing software, you can take videos and edit them whenever and wherever you want. Also, if you want to learn about editing, you can start with its effective material assets and vast reference tutorials.

KineMaster is free to use in its basic form. You can pay $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year to upgrade your plan and get rid of the watermarks on the videos.

Apple’s iMovie is a simple program, but KineMaster can meet people’s high expectations better.

Pros

• interface for operating on a horizontal screen
• easy to use for beginners

Cons

• in-app advertising in the free version
• watermark in free version

Boomerang for Instagram (iOS, Android)

Boomerang, which is also from Instagram, is also made by Instagram. The free Instagram app can be used on its own or with the picture network. When you press the shutter button, it takes ten pictures, creating a minimalist photo series with the well-known Boomerang effect.

This way, even the most simple tools can be used to make short, exciting animations that move back and forth like a boomerang. Boomerang can be used on both Android and iOS.

As soon as a clip is recorded, it can be posted directly to Instagram or Facebook through the app, saved locally, or sent to friends and other people through email, WhatsApp, and many other ways.

InShot (iOS, Android)

You can edit videos in the best way with the Instagram tool InShot. Whether you want to trim a clip, get rid of the middle part, or change the speed, InShot has the right tool for you.

Videos can also be split into two or more clips, and two or more clips can be joined together. Background music and sounds (samples or your own recordings) as well as filters and effects like “Cinema” or “Dark” (black and white) can give your Instagram stories a whole new tone.

Stickers and text blocks can also be used to finish off your videos. You can also use the app to edit simple photos or collages that you want to post on Instagram.

Most of the features of InShot are free for users to use. But if you want to use all of the stickers, transitions, effects, and more, you need a Pro account, which costs either $3.99 a month, $14.99 a year, or $34.99 lifetime.

When you decide to upgrade, the default InShot logo and any in-app ads are removed from your projects.

You can download the free basic version of Instagram from the Google Play Store or the App Store. This version gives you enough options to try out the tool in depth.

Pros

• video and image editing
• direct link to Instagram and other social channels

Cons

• In-app advertising in the free version

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4. Instagram Tools for Hashtags and Links

Since a long time ago, hashtag marketing is not just something that Twitter marketers do. The right keywords are now also a must on Instagram if you want to reach a lot of people and interact with them. Even a link in your bio that gets a lot of attention can make a big difference.

inTags – Best hashtags for Instagram (Android)

If you want people who aren’t already following you on Instagram to talk about your posts, the hashtags you use are important. If you choose keywords that a lot of people on Instagram search for, you will automatically reach more people.

But this will only show up in the number of likes, shares, and comments if the hashtags match the content. inTags is one of the best Instagram apps because it makes it a lot easier to search for specific, high-volume keywords.

The application, which was made by Oleg Tarashkevich, lets you search for hashtags based on the latest data and trends and quickly add the results to the main social media platforms.

The app not only lets you look for the best tags for a single keyword or any combination of keywords, but it also has predefined categories like “Food,” “Sports,” and “Drinks and desserts.”

The basic version of the Instagram tool for Android, which can also be used to do research for Twitter, Pinterest, and other sites, is free (with advertising). Users can get the full version without ads if they pay a one-time fee of $2.19.

This app will help you get more “likes” and ratings for your photos and posts.

Pros

• with hashtag collections on the most important topics
• can also search hashtag for other social media platforms

Cons

• in-app advertising in the free version

Sistrix – Free Instagram Hashtag Generator (Desktop)

One of the best free tools for using hashtags on Instagram is Sistrix.

You only have to enter a pillar hashtag. The tool will find 30 of the best tags that are related to this hashtag. It also shows you the Instagram hashtags that are most related to the pillar hashtag first.

The Sistrix Instagram Hashtag Generator can help you find popular hashtags to use in your posts. Get more people to notice you and follow you. To begin, just type in a hashtag.

Instagram doesn’t have a traditional search function, so hashtags are the best way to find things. With our Instagram hashtag generator, you can find good hashtags that could be helpful.

The Instagram Hashtag Generator uses more than 15 billion possible combinations of hashtags. It has information about more than 7.7 million different hashtags and is regularly updated.

After you sign up, the tool is free to use. You don’t have to sign up to search for up to 25 hashtags per day.

Pros

• find popular hashtags fast

Cons

• signup required to make more than 25 hashtag searches

 

Linktree (Desktop)

Putting links on Instagram, like to your own website, isn’t that easy: The Instagram bio, which is where this is supposed to go, only has room for a single link.

So, it’s hard for someone to meet their legal obligations, like putting the imprint and privacy policy in a prominent place, and also get attention for their own website or other social media appearances.

Linktree is a desktop app that lets you combine a lot of links into a single Linktree link, this is an elegant solution.

Even in its most basic form, the useful Instagram tool lets you add as many links as you want. This free edition also shows how many times each link has been clicked on and gives you a good selection of themes to choose from when making the link collection.

But if you sign up for a paid subscription (either $6 for a month or $60 for a year), you’ll have access to a lot more themes and analytics insights, such as click-through rate (CTR) data. After the upgrade, the Linktree logo, which was there before, is also gone.

Pros

• User friendly
• Enables a link in Your Bio section

Cons

• No custom domain names

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5. Instagram Tools for analytics and insights

Every single day, Instagram users “like” more than 4.2 billion posts, but if analytics weren’t so powerful, you wouldn’t know it. You’re losing out on a great chance to maximize the performance of your Instagram if you’re simply concerned with taking lovely pictures and videos without paying attention to how they perform. To monitor and enhance your progress over time using Instagram, think about include one of these three analytics programs in your suite.

Iconosquare (iOS, Android, Desktop)

Iconosquare is a web-based analytics tool for Instagram (and Facebook) that enables users to watch follower demographics (location, language, and more) and discover when their audience is online to increase visibility.

Additionally, it keeps track of the fundamentals, such as views, comments, and likes, to provide a benchmark for how well each article does.

Although it has powerful analytics, it doesn’t link with Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, or other well-known sites.

Iconosquare has a monthly starting price of $49, however major agencies with numerous client accounts should get in touch with Iconosquare’s sales staff for a personalized quote.

Pros

• publishing is intuitive
• ranking comparsion to competitors

Cons

• calender view a bit fuzzy

Command (iOS)

With the use of the Instagram dashboard Command, marketers can better understand their followers and analytics so they can publish at the appropriate times and on relevant subjects.

The “Report Card” section of the app finds trending hashtags in your industry that you can use in your content to increase interaction. It also offers personalized advice for how to enhance your account performance.

With Command, users who would rather see analytics on a desktop are out of luck because the software is only available for iOS.

Command was created exclusively for Instagram and offers free basic functionalities. Users must upgrade to a paid account for advanced analytics, which costs $10 per month.

Pros

• account analyze with improvement suggestions
• hourly stats about your latest posts

Cons

• hashtag recommendations can be inconsistent 

Swydo (Desktop)

A social media reporting tool called Swydo generates thorough and customizable reports. To help you choose the best course of action for your account, all of the metrics are made available on a single dashboard.

You can either make your own template or use one that Swydo has already developed. The data may then be modified to meet your needs by simply connecting your data sources (in this case, your Instagram account).

Once finished, you’ll have a variety of reports at your disposal that you can share if necessary. Swydo offers a 14-day free trial before charging $39 per month.

Pros

• scheduled reports can be set up to send daily, weekly, monthly, custom
• hourly stats about your latest posts

Cons

•  reports/dashboards can load slow

Socialbakers (Desktop)

Socialbakers is now Emplifi. You get a comprehensive picture of your Instagram performance with Socialbakers. a dashboard that contains details about your following, posts, and articles.

The tool can assist you in determining what others want to see from you if your goal is to increase your number of likes. assisting you in choosing your next content, which will raise engagement.

The free edition of Socialbakers allows you to view statistics from your most popular posts. The tool’s unified marketing platform is available as a custom bundle for Instagram needs that are more complex (prices vary by what you need etc). Trial account is free for 14 days, subscription starting at $240 monthly.

Pros

• AI powered “Persona Mapping” identifies target audience
• interface is easy to use

Cons

•  expensive

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More to read about apps for Instagram success:
Instagram – Apps on Google Play
Instagram Scheduling Tools
Instagram Follower Tracking Apps
Instagram Photo Split Tools
Guide to Instagram and Other Photo Apps