TikTok vs Snapchat: Which Team Are You?

Ask regular users, creators, brands, and marketers what the “best social media app” is. You’ll find that their answers vary based on their needs. Every app has its strengths and weaknesses, 

However, user experience (UX) often dictates content consumption habits across all social media platforms. So, what’s the verdict in the TikTok vs Snapchat battle? 

Keep reading to find out! 

Snapchat vs TikTok: The Basics

For creators and brands, different social platforms offer unique opportunities for promotion, connection, and community building. Facebook and Instagram established the foundation for social media practices but have become more difficult to break into. 

Newcomers like TikTok and Snapchat, on the other hand, give new generations of users better and more current tools for growth. 

How do you choose between Snap vs TikTok? What are the main differences between these two? Let’s take a look at the basics of each app before we dive into their fundamental differences. 

For starters, TikTok has always been a video-sharing app since ByteDance first introduced it globally in 2017. The app took the world by storm with its easily digestible and engaging dance, lip-synching, and challenge videos. It was an instant hit, particularly among Gen-Zers, but quickly became the app of choice for users of all ages. 

On the other hand, Snapchat began as a mobile messaging app way back in 2011. Users used the app to send text messages, photos, and videos to their Snapchat contacts. 

Snapchat expanded its functionalities to include Stories, shoppable ads, a Discover page, and editing tools, but only in recent years. Its user base primarily comprises Millennials who enjoy using the app to exchange content with family and friends. 

TikTok vs Snapchat: TikTok’s Key Features for Creators and Brands

For content creation, TikTok boasts impressive editing tools to help you produce professional-quality and visually compelling videos. The in-app camera alone gives you access to a dizzying array of filters, effects, sounds, and other editing functionalities. 

TikTok also lets creators create their own augmented-reality (AR) effects via its Mobile Effects editor. The app’s massive Commercial Music Library houses over one million royalty-free songs and sounds from top and emerging artists. 

While it now allows photo and text posts, videos continue to reign supreme on the platform. Users can share videos as short as three seconds or as long as ten minutes. TikTok’s key features include:

• A highly precise and intuitive recommendation algorithm that powers the For You page (FYP). The algorithm curates content based on user interests above all else. It does not consider the popularity of a video in terms of views and likes or the creator’s follower count. 
• The in-app camera offers both basic and advanced editing functionalities. 
• A vast collection of filters and effects and the ability to create augmented-reality effects and share them for others to use. 
• The ability to export content to other social media. You can link your TikTok to your Facebook or Instagram for instant cross-posting. Or you can easily copy a TikTok video URL or use the video’s share function. 
• Engagement buttons, including like, comment, and share. Users can also post video replies to comments. 
• Tagging and @mentions allow users to add not only hashtags but also tag trends, other users, and other videos. TikTok also automatically tags all filters, effects, and sounds used in a video. 
• LIVE streaming lets creators engage with viewers in real-time. They can also collect virtual Gifts from fans and earn Diamonds from TikTok through their LIVEs. 

TikTok vs Snap: Snapchat’s Unique Offerings

Snapchat has been playing catch-up with the OG platforms and the hugely popular TikTok, now offering many of the same functionalities. 

It’s still mostly a text-based instant messaging app, but its video capture and editing tools can go head-to-head with the best of them. Snapchat’s geo-filters, in particular, are as unique to the app as its ephemeral content. 

Here are Snapchat’s unique features:

• Snaps — whether text, pictures, or videos — shared through chats “expire” after they are opened or after a specified length of time. And then they are gone forever. 
• Snaps can also be saved or shared as Stories, which also disappear after 24 hours. 
• Lenses and filters allow users to enhance their photos and videos before sharing them with family and friends. 
• Geofilters or geotags/community tags give users access to geo-specific filters when traveling. 
• Voice and video calls are available via the chat function. 
• A Memories gallery and On this day reminders let users keep special snaps and reminisce to their heart’s content. 
• The Snap Map allows users to map their friends’ and other users’ Snaps wherever they are in the world.
• The Discover page showcases publicly available Stories as well as branded content. 
• Snap Store is your one-stop shop for Snapchat and Bitmoji clothes, gear, and more!

Are You Team TikTok or Team Snapchat? 

Whether you’re Team TikTok or Team Snapchat, your content consumption or connection needs typically determine your app of choice. And it’s perfectly normal to have a presence on both channels! 

Especially if you have a business or are a digital creator, building a presence across multiple channels is a must!

Is community building critical to your social media goals? It’s also important to know the differences between TikTok and Snapchat in terms of each one’s user base. 

Who Uses TikTok?

As the newest kid on the social media block, it makes sense that TikTok became hugely popular among young users. Its video format, content style, and fun editing tools also cater to the younger demographic. 

In its early years, TikTok’s active users were mostly Gen Zers or those in their late teens and early to mid-twenties. As the platform broadened its horizons and developed new functionalities, its user base also aged up and continues to do so. 

Today, TikTok has more than one billion monthly active users. Gen Zers continue to make up the majority of TikTok users, representing 60% of its overall user base. In the U.S., user statistics are as follows, according to TikTok:

• 60% of users are female.
• 40% of users are male.
• 60% are between the ages of 16 and 24. 
• 26% are between the ages of 25 and 44. 
• 80% are between the ages of 16 and 34. 

These days, marketing strategies largely involve target audiences online, and TikTok represents a substantial piece of the social media market. If you’re still on the fence about building a presence on TikTok, it’s not too late to hop on the bandwagon now! 

Do People Still Use Snapchat?

Do people still use Snapchat? And what does Snapchat’s user base look like? 

While Snapchat is a much older app, its user base still skews toward the younger demographic. According to Statista, Snapchat’s number of daily active users has been increasing continuously since 2019. 

As of the first quarter of 2024, Snapchat had 422 million daily active users worldwide. In the U.S., 48% of internet users aged 15 to 25 use the social messaging and photo-sharing app. 

If this demographic makes up your target audience, Snapchat offers a great opportunity to connect with them. 

TikTok Marketing vs Snapchat Marketing

Leveraging each platform to drive brand discovery would require different content strategies. Setting aside demographic-based marketing, you’ll need to develop separate creative assets for each channel. 

Keep in mind that TikTok’s FYP delivers content based on user interests. You can take advantage of this by understanding your target audience’s content preferences on TikTok. And because TikTok facilitates convenient cross-posting, you can reach more users with your TikTok creative assets. 

Many users also prefer to use TikTok for search and discovery. This means you also need to optimize your content to rank high in searches. 

Conversely, Snapchat designed its Discover page specifically for brands. As with all types of Snaps, however, Discover content is available only for a limited time before it expires. 

You’ll have to be constantly producing new content to sustain top-of-mind awareness among your Snapchat audience. Because Snapchat’s format is very similar to Instagram’s, you’ll be able to use your Snaps outside the app.

You can explore more creative possibilities on TikTok as you can engage audiences on multiple sensory levels. On Snapchat, more straightforward and hard-hitting content is your best shot at building brand awareness. 

Which App Is Better?

Snapchat is among the most preferred instant messaging apps for staying in touch with family and friends. For entertainment, information, and social media trends, TikTok offers the most satisfying UX. 

If you enjoy creating and sharing content, TikTok also provides the most rewarding opportunities for viewership and engagement. 

Each app has unique strengths. You must determine whether these strengths align with your needs and goals as a user, creator, or brand. 

When it comes to building a community around your content or brand, TikTok wins in the battle between TikTok vs Snapchat. It’s the best place to connect with your niche community, as its recommendation algorithm prioritizes user interests. 

And if you sign up for a High Social plan, you can double your audience-targeting power!

High Social’s advanced, proprietary AI technology is the perfect reinforcement for TikTok’s algorithm. Reach more viewers who are likely to hit your follow button, engage with your content, and become lifelong fans. Start growing your TikTok today!

TikTok 101