Top Apps for Creating Instagram Stories
Give your stories a bit of extra flair with our top apps for creating Instagram stories. From video editing to image filters and analytics, it's time to go pro.
If you think that Instagram Stories are old news for brands, think again.
What once began as Instagram taking a page from Snapchat’s book has now evolved into Instagram’s most popular feature by far.
In fact, over 500 million people engage with Stories on a daily basis. That number represents about half of Instagram’s entire user base.
That rapid growth has encouraged brands to hop on the Stories bandwagon as well. From polls and stickers to Stories ads and whatever else is around the corner, Stories remain a proven way to engage your followers.
Brick-and-mortar store? Digital brand? Influencer?
No matter what kind of business you’re running, you need to be creating Stories.
The challenge, though? The gold rush of businesses producing Stories means that making your posts stand out is easier said than done.
The more creative and technical features you have available beyond Instagram’s default settings, the better.
And that’s why we put together this list of the top Instagram Stories apps.
11 of the top apps for creating Instagram Stories
Listen: Instagram’s baked-in Stories features don’t even scratch the surface of what the platform is capable of.
If you want to maximize engagement and streamline the creation of your Stories, it’s time to look into some third-party apps.
The following list represents our top apps for creating Instagram Stories, all of which boast awesome features which won’t break the bank.
1. Over
Over is an easy-to-use, all-in-one app for creating branded Instagram Stories.
Built-in templates, stock photos and fonts allow users to customize Stories from scratch in a matter of seconds. By creating and saving your own templates, you can quickly roll out branded campaigns without batting an eye. With over a million reported users, Over is killing it right now for a reason.
Pricing: $10/mo or $60/yr
2. InShot
Video marketing is all the rage right now and apps like InShot make it a cinch to become a director yourself.
Custom transitions, special effects and speed controls are all built into InShot and allow you to create video-based Stories to catch your followers’ eyes. Mobile editing means no exporting or dealing with clunky file types or complicated software. Sounds nice, right?
Here’s a quick overview of what InShot is capable of:
Pricing: $10/yr for full features, $3 for no watermark, limited features
3. Canva
Canva is one of the most popular tools for creating custom brand images and their mobile app doesn’t disappoint, either.
Representing one of the top apps for creating Instagram Stories, Canva aims to enhance the experience when creating photo stories, video stories, quiz/interactive stories, and even highlight covers.
It’s the fastest and easiest way to step up the quality of your stories, grow your audience, and keep them engaged.
Pricing: It’s free and has heaps of templates with different set themes, filters, and texts to choose from.
4. Lifelapse
Anything that scores style points is a big plus on Instagram.
And so the most creative Stories are the ones that your followers are going to remember.
Enter Lifelapse, an app that specializes in stop-motion videos which are striking yet shockingly simple to produce.
Although stop-motion is often associated with tripods and stabilizing equipment, neither are necessary with Lifelapse. Whether it’s products in the wild or stunning action shots, the app can do the trick.
Pricing: Free, $25/yr for full features
5. Easil
Easil is another tool for producing branded templates for your Stories, including custom fonts and colors that vibe with your business. Where Easil separates itself from tools like Canva or Over is its emphasis on sharing templates among teams.
If you’re working as part of an agency or are collaborating with a team, Easil can eliminate a lot of needless back and forth. If nothing else, Easi’s sharing options are a great way to get your coworkers involved with social media as you brainstorm your Stories together.
However, Easil’s variety of templates is nothing to scoff at, either. Heck, they even have Australia Day templates to choose from.
Pricing: Free, team access plan available for $7.50/mo
6. Iconosquare
Not all of the top apps for creating Instagram Stories are solely about style.
Let’s say you’re concerned about analytics over aesthetics.
Hey, we totally get it.
If you want to know how your Stories are performing by the numbers, Iconosquare has you covered. Robust analytics and the ability to schedule Stories in advanced means you can publish them during peak engagement hours and get more eyes on your content.
Pricing: $29/mo
7. CutStory
CutStory is one of the best apps for creating Instagram Stories based around video.
In short, the app is capable of cutting existing videos into bite-sized, 15-second Stories clips in a matter of seconds. You can also create custom slideshows from your photo feed with just a few taps.
Pricing: Free, $2 to remove watermark
8. Plann
Plann is an insanely popular Instagram scheduler that allows you to queue up your Stories.
Beyond traditional scheduling features. Plann clues you in on your top-performing content in terms of impressions, reach and overall engagement.
Pricing: Free, $7/mo for full features
9. Unfold
Unfold is a simple app that boasts some serious creative flair. In the developer’s own words, Unfold’s minimalist frames and filters are designed to mimic elegant print editorials and analog photography. If you want a classic, vintage vibe for your Stories, look no further.
Pricing: Free, additional frames and templates available for $1 to $2
10. Snow
Snow is an influencer app that can help beautify your otherwise boring Stories. In addition to the ability to apply digital makeup and beauty effects to your photos, Snow has built-in style filters and stickers, too. The app is perfect for taking your selfie game to the next level.
Pricing: Free!
11. Phonto
Phonto lives up to its namesake by being one of the biggest Instagram Stories apps that’s centered solely around fonts. Chances are you can find a font built into Phonto that meshes with your brand or at the very least a new typeface to make you next Stories campaign pop.
Pricing: Free, additional fonts and packages available for $1 to $2
What Are Your Go-To Apps for Creating Instagram Stories?
Stories are a no-brainer for businesses looking to up their engagement on Instagram.
That said, brands need to go beyond default settings if they want to stand out.
By stepping up your creatives and analytics, you can do exactly that. Each of these apps is worth experimenting with to better understand what you can do with Stories, especially given their low or non-existent price tags.
And if you’re still stumped on what to post, don’t sweat it. Make sure to check out our list of inspiring Instagram Stories to see how your business can start creating more Stories-based content today.
