Team Instagram vs. Team Vine: The Battle Is On

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Another video app? That’s right—as you’ve probably heard, Instagram rolled out video functions on June 20th. But what does this mean for big video sharing software Vine? Recently I wrote a blog post about Vine and how to know when and if it’s appropriate to use for your business. Now it’s back to the drawing board, but before you decipher whether Instagram Video or Vine (or either) is right for you, let’s take a broad look at the capabilities of each.

Aside from traditional video functions, both Vine and Instagram Video offer a front-facing camera and the ability to save videos to your device’s camera roll. Neither app has (yet) proposed the option for users to import and edit older videos, so users have to shoot videos directly through both apps. Here’s a closer look at what each app has to offer that’s unique from its rival:

Vine:

  • 6-second videos
  • Looping videos
  • Embeddable videos
  • Sharable on Facebook and Twitter


Instagram Video

  • 15-second videos
  • 13 filters available
  • Ability to select a cover frame
  • Video stabilization
  • Sharable on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, foursquare, Flickr, and emails

On paper, Instagram Video looks pretty awesome. Users can make 15-second videos, they can add one of 13 filters to their videos, and they don’t have to download a separate app because it’s integrated right into Instagram…among other things.  That being said, Vine already has a pretty solid user base.  Only time will tell whether the addition of video will be beneficial to Instagram, but it may take away from what the app is known for best—being a photo-sharing app. Vine is unique because it has created a niche in the mobile video app market by being easy. It focuses on video and video alone.

However, users may appreciate Instagram’s video integration—it’s one less app they have to download. Will Vine see a decline in users as Instagram Video becomes more prominent? As soon as Instagram released video functions, #RIPVine was trending on Twitter almost immediately. Ironic, considering Twitter owns Vine. We’ll have to wait to discover whether Team Instagram or Team Vine will dominate, but it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out (no pun intended).

We haven’t jumped on the Vine bandwagon, but take a second and follow us on Instagram @hmgcreative!