The Best Apps for Instagram Stories to Take Them to the Next Level
We’ve rounded up the 15 best apps that will provide you with tutorials, tools for editing your photos and videos, and a myriad of other elements that will take your stories to the professional level.Â
Posted 2 years ago
Written by
Alex RosonePosted 2 years ago
It is no secret Instagram stories have become just as important as posts. They are great for generating engagement, providing opportunities to interact with followers, adding personality to any brand, and driving traffic to Instagram profiles. This may sound like a lot of pressure, but rest assured; as always, there are plenty of apps that can help. We’ve rounded up the 15 best apps that will provide you with tutorials, tools for editing your photos and videos, and a myriad of other elements that will take your stories to the professional level. Try these out and watch your engagement soar through the roof. You can thank us later. 💅
Spark AR Studio
If you’re keen on filters, this app is for you. Spark AR Studio allows users to create all kinds of filters unique to their brand, all of which are engaging and eye-catching for new and old followers. This app offers sample projects, tutorials, templates, and effects that will help you customize your stories and create your own “interactive augmented reality experience.”
Unfold
Unfold, a product of Squarespace, is an excellent one-stop shop for social media managers looking to improve their Insta stories. With over 400 templates in a wide array of styles, this is a great app for anyone looking for inspiration. The app also offers built-in editing tools, filters, exclusive fonts, stickers, gifs, and other style elements, as well as the option to plan your posts with the “Feed Planner” tool.
Storyluxe
Storyluxe is the app for all things design and style. This app offers over 700 templates, so there is sure to be something for any brand with any Instagram aesthetic. Not only that, but it also offers built-in editing tools and exclusive fonts, stickers, and gifs, so your stories are bound to stand out.
StoryArt/Artory
StoryArt/Artory offers thousands of template collections with new ones dropping every month, so this is an excellent option for social media managers looking to try something new without having to create something from scratch. In addition to the templates and other editing tools, this app also offers a wide range of music options to add even more personality to your stories.
VSCO
If you’re looking to take your editing to a professional level, VSCO is here to help. The presets on this app are high quality and professional grade, so even your most amateur iPhone shots will look like they were taken by a pro. And if presets aren’t your thing, the app also offers intricate editing tools to manipulate light, color, texture, and perspective, all of which can be used to improve your images.
Lifelapse
Lifelapse is here for all your stop-motion story needs. If time-lapse videos work for your brand, then this is the perfect app to master the art. The in-app tutorial not only teaches users how to use the app but provides educational content on best practices and techniques for this kind of story. Between in-app editing tools, ghosted image overlaps, and interval and one-shot timers, your time-lapse stories are about to get a makeover.
Enlight Pixaloop
Have a photo you wish was a video? Look no further than Enlight Pixaloop for an easy solution. This unique app animates static photos by adding elements and overlays, so your photos can have moving elements (cue sailboat drifting across the sea or flag flying in the wind). You can control speed and style, ensuring you get the perfect, customized result.
Adobe Spark Post
Adobe has been a standard for editing for quite some time, and with good reason. Spark Post provides thousands of templates, some of which are animated, and built-in editing tools and exclusive elements guaranteed to set your posts apart from the others. This app also offers millions of free stock photos and background music features, so you can really take your stories to the next level.
Filmm
Filmm makes it super easy and convenient for you to edit your favorite videos! If you’re looking to add some depth or textures to your videos, Filmm is the app for you. You can mix and stack filters on top of your videos with light effects, subtle distortions, and different film textures to make your Instagram Stories that much more fun to watch!
Typorama
Typorama is here to remind you never to underestimate the power of the written word. With over 100 fonts and typefaces, this app allows you to include the perfect text snippets on your stories. Design elements include 3D distortion, shadows, gradients, color palettes, and overlays, so your text will be anything but boring.
Photogrid
Photogrid is the answer to your collage-related prayers (we all have those, don’t we?). This app offers thousands of templates for turning your photos and videos into collages on your stories, as well as a real-time selfie camera and a recorder with a smart face filter. So, if you have more than one photo or video you’d like to post on the same story, here’s your answer!
Boosted
If your Instagram stories are mostly videos, then Boosted is the app for you. With tons of trendy video templates, this app will take your tutorials, interviews, etc. to the next level. You’ll also have the option to add branded filters, access the Getty Images video clip library, combine video clips, and layer text and music.
Jumprope
Jumprope is the perfect app for all things step-by-step. If your brand features stories that are tutorials, routines, or guides of any kind, Jumprope will help you organize and edit your content to make it as accessible and engaging as possible. With this app, you can add voice-overs, time-lapse elements, filters, and background music to your photos and videos, making them all the more appealing to your audience.
Canva
Canva is one of the greats as far as user-friendly graphic design. This app offers over 60,000 templates (some free, some paid), ranging from business cards to book covers to, you guessed it, Instagram stories. The versatility of these templates allows social media managers to match Instagram stories to other social media posts across all platforms, bringing consistency to your brand’s social media presence.
Clipomatic
Closed-captioning is no longer just for movie screens. With Clipomatic, you can add automatic live voice-to-text captioning in 40 different languages and caption styles. And while the app is automatic, you can still edit your captions to make sure your message is as clear as possible. This will not only help you reach a wider audience, but it will also allow your followers to consume your content without sound (so when they’re on the train without headphones, they don’t have to skip your stories).
Need help with making your Instagram Stories as engaging as possible? Click here to learn all of our tips and tricks. Plus, keep track of all of your Story analytics with Flick! You’ll see exactly who stayed, who left, and what Story of yours is doing the best. Start your free 7-day trial today:
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