The growing set of apps for Instagram Stories means the potential for creativity is limitless.
While the content may be temporary, their impact is not. Instagram Stories offer social media marketers the perfect opportunity to connect with the more than half a billion users who watch stories every day.
New to Instagram Stories or just struggling to convert your Stories? Read about our favorite Instagram Stories apps to help you create beautiful and compelling content.
Bonus: If you’re looking for inspiration for interesting Instagram posts, check out our blog for the best Instagram apps.
19 Instagram Stories apps that will increase your views by 10x
1.Hootsuite
Best for: planning your stories
With Hootsuite, you can plan and create your Instagram Story content in advance and then find the perfect time to post it. Hootsuite’s story scheduling feature even lets you schedule your stories for later so you always catch your audience at the right time. Learn how to schedule Stories with Hootsuite here.
Key Feature:
- Create content ahead of time to post at your own pace
- Edit images directly from the control panel
- Download stories from your computer or mobile phone
Price: 30-day free trial
Download: Desktop, iOS and Android
2.VSCO
Source: VSCO on the Apple Store.
Best for: Adding filters and edits to Stories.
Often considered the gold standard in photo editing, VSCO offers professional-looking editing presets and highly detailed tools for adjusting color, texture, light, and perspective. High-definition RAW photos from your professional camera can be easily imported and edited on the go, so your Instagram stories will look good even if your phone photography skills aren’t perfect.
Key Feature:
- 10 free presets (more than 200 available for paid subscribers)
- Editing and texture tools
- Video editing including color management
- Create montages with videos, photos and shapes
Price: Free, with paid premium features
3. Expand
Source: Unfold on the App Store.
Best for: Creating a holistic brand presence.
Unfold bills as “storytelling tools”. This Instagram Stories app comes with tons of photo and text layout templates that make every story look like a mini digital magazine. This template app for Instagram Stories gives your content a cohesive look and feel.
Key Feature:
- Over 200 template options (some paid)
- Advanced text tools offer different fonts and styles
- Built-in photo editing tools
- For paid subscribers, early access to new templates
Price: Free, with paid premium features
4 Patterner
Source: Patternator on the App Store.
Best for: Adding animated backgrounds to stories.
Use this Instagram Stories app to create playful animated backgrounds for your stories using a library of GIFs and fancy images. Or add your own photo stickers to personalize the experience. Patternator also allows you to adjust the speed and movement of the cascading graphics to complete your delightfully dizzying personalized video wallpaper.
Key Feature:
- 23 preset animated templates plus motion and layout customization tools.
- Export as GIF, video, live wallpaper or HD image
- Share Directly on Instagram
Price: Free, with paid premium features
5 Life Lapse
Source: Life Lapse
Best for: Eye-catching stop-motion videos.
Become a stop-motion sensation on Instagram! Life Lapse brings even the most inanimate objects to life. The app offers over 50 lessons and tutorials to help you create high-quality stop-motion videos. Plus, take part in one of the Stop Motion Challenges to win prizes!
Key Feature:
- The double image is superimposed on each other for easy shooting.
- In-app video editing tools
- Add music (premium only)
- Interval timer and one-shot timer
Price: Free, with paid premium features
6.Storyluxe
Source: Storylux on the App Store.
Suitable for: stylish photo collages for yeaaaa
Storyluxe is the perfect app for Instagram Stories who need a good vibe. The app’s 700 templates mimic the look of film or photos glued together. Also, use neon elements to add seriousness.
Key Feature:
- Custom branded watermark (premium version only)
- Themed Templates: Choose from categories such as paper, collage, or ribbon.
- Add text and a patterned background
- Export directly to Instagram Stories
Price: Free, with paid premium features
Download: iOS only
7 Motionleap
Source: Motionleap on the App Store.
Best for: Adding movement to static images.
Can’t choose between photos and videos? Motionleap offers the best of both worlds by animating static images to create dynamic ones. Add elements and overlays, then adjust the speed for individual movement.
Move the clouds in the sky, make your hair blow in the wind like it’s Beyoncé’s magic wind machine, whatever you want! Magic!
Key Feature:
- Add moving elements to photos with convenient functionality.
- Control movement, direction, speed and style
- Sky replacement technology and AI water animation
Price: Free, with paid premium features
8.Word Swag
Source: WordSwag on the App Store.
Best for: overlaying text on images.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. What about a picture with words on it? WordSwag is one of the best Instagram Story apps that allows you to overlay beautiful typographic elements on top of your photos, creating an eye-catching combination of photo and text.
Key Feature:
- Over 80 different fonts and typefaces (Professional)
- 1.3 million free backgrounds from Pixabay
- Foil, stamp and watercolor text effects
- Fashion frames and layouts
Price: Free, with paid premium features
9. Boosted
Source: Boosted on the App Store
Best for: Attractive photo and video stories.
If you’re looking for an Instagram Stories app that makes your content stand out, look no further. Boosted lets you create elegant videos (tutorials, Q&A, whatever!) using attractive video templates. Plus, easily add text and music to make your content really pop.
Key Feature:
- Stylish video templates
- Add branded filters, fonts, music and color
- Merge multiple video clips
- Access to the Getty Images video clip library
Price: Free, with paid premium features
10. Hype Type
Source: Hype-Type on the App Store.
Suitable for: adding animated text
Add some drama to your text with this video text animator. Flip, flip, speed up, slow down: just make those words move. In addition, Hype-Type can automatically generate interesting and meaningful quotes to give context to your stories.
Key Feature:
- Merge multiple video clips or apply them to individual photos or videos.
- Text placement control
- A wide variety of font styles and animations
Price: First week free, then $20/year.
11.A Design Kit
Source: App Store Design Kit.
Best for: Adding custom elements to static images.
When it comes to Instagram Stories, design matters. Besides brushes, fonts, design details, collage templates and stickers, A Design Kit can be your best design toolkit. Its sister app, A Color Story, makes a great companion if you’re looking for influencer-approved Insta filters and effects.
Key Feature:
- Tons of fun custom stickers
- 60+ fonts and 200+ designs
- Realistic brushes for adding texture and color
- Bold background options like metallic and marble.
Price: Free, with paid premium features
Download: iOS only
12 Facetune
Source: Seen in the App Store
Suitable for: smooth video transitions
Seen comes from the creators of Facetune, so you know it’s all about a flawless presentation. While the app has templates and stickers, the real highlight is the dramatic transitions. Images blend into each other, text appears and disappears, and photos fade out.
Key Feature:
- Smooth transitions
- Fashion patterns (including seasonal options)
- Huge library of stickers.
- Mix video and photo in one layout
Price: Free, with paid premium features
Download: iOS only
13. Adobe Express
Source: Adobe Express on the App Store.
Best for: High quality social media templates.
Adobe Express gives you access to thousands of beautiful Instagram Story templates, as well as free design tools to make them stand out. Just choose a template, upload your brand assets, add your own text and voila! You have a social media template worth talking about.
Key Feature:
- Remove background from images
- Trim, resize and animate videos
- Add Text Effects
- Share on any social platform
Price: Free, with paid subscription option.
Download Adobe Express: iOS, Android or desktop
14. InShot
Source: InShot on the App Store.
Best for: High quality video editing.
InShot is a powerful Instagram story editing app that helps you create professional-level stories with ease. From music to transitions, emoji to filters, background blur, quick edits and more. InShot is your partner for cinematic excellence.
Key Feature:
- Picture-in-picture editing
- Add motion to layers
- Sound effects and voice acting
- Cinematic filters and transitions
Price: Free, with paid subscription option.
Download InShot: iOS and Android
15.Films
Source: Filmm on the App Store.
Best for: Super aesthetic video editing.
Filmm allows anyone to become a professional video editor. This Instagram Stories app combines professional lighting effects, textures and film distortion with a modern aesthetic. Your audience will swoon when you’re done with them.
Key Feature:
- 30+ text animations
- 100 filters and effects
- Plot trim
- Editing multiple clips
Price: Free, with paid subscription option.
Download Filmm: iOS and Android
16. Tezza
Source: Tezza on the App Store.
Suitable for: Aesthetic photo editing
While Filmm is what you need for aesthetic videos, Tezza is what you need for aesthetic photos. Use this Instagram Stories filter app to create stunning, wistful and beautiful static photos that will take your audience right into your fantasies.
Key Feature:
- 40+ presets
- Vintage photo effects
- 150+ templates
- Texture and size overlays
Price: Free trial, then $5.99/month or $39.99/year.
Download Tezza: iOS only
17. Magisto
Source: Magisto Video Editor on the App Store.
Best for: AI-assisted video editing.
Magisto Video Editor & Maker uses artificial intelligence to select the best parts of your video and edit it to perfection. Sit back, relax and let the robot do all the work. In just a few clicks, the Magisto Instagram Story editing app will create scroll-stopping Instagram stories worthy of a new audience.
Key Feature:
- Custom templates and stickers
- Smart editor with AI
- Add text, font and color
- Slideshow and collage options
Price: Free, with paid subscription option.
Download Magisto: iOS and Android
18. GoDaddy Studio
Source: GoDaddy Studio on the App Store.
Suitable for: simple graphic design tools
GoDaddy Studio (formerly Over) lets anyone become a graphic designer with easy-to-use design tools built for social media. Use the GoDaddy Studio app for Instagram Stories to create new templates, add graphics to content, and make your Stories stand out with stickers. You can even create a logo!
Key Feature:
- Background removal tool
- Template, font and image library
- Mix video with images
Price: 7-day free trial, then $14.99 per month.
Download GoDaddy Studio: iOS and Android
19. Photo Grid
Source: PhotoGrid on the App Store.
Good for: creating custom collages.
PhotoGrid is an app for Instagram Stories that helps you create your own layouts in various shapes and styles. Just gone on vacation? Create a collage of your best photos. Showcasing your latest product features? Show them all in a custom collage.
Also, add your own fonts, text, and colors to make your content stand out.
Key Feature:
- Over 20,000 custom layouts
- 1000 fonts
- Photo and video grid options
- Custom stickers, backgrounds, frames and more
Price: Free, with paid subscription option.
Download PhotoGrid: iOS and Android
These are just some of the tools available to make your Instagram story pop. Download one or download them all, but remember that Instagram Stories apps are the perfect place to experiment, so get creative, try new things, and see first hand what works best for your brand.