Instagram continues to grow as a social network because brands are publishing more content, the platform is generating more views and interactions are also increasing. However, data from Metricool’s new “Instagram Study 2026” points to a deeper evolution: performance no longer depends only on being present; You have to understand what function each format fulfills within the strategy.

The report, prepared from the analysis of 24,364,803 publications from 375,118 Instagram accounts around the world, compares the months of January and February 2025 with the same period in 2026. Its conclusions show a mature, more competitive platform and increasingly oriented to rewarding signals of real interest: saved, shared, responses, viewing time and conversation.

According to Metricool, brands publish 24% more content on Instagram than a year ago. The platform has responded with a 27% increase in views and a 19% increase in interactions. The frequency of publication also increases, by 9%, although the average engagement decreases by 7%, which confirms that publishing more does not guarantee a better relationship with the audience.

The very concept of visualization has changed. Starting in April 2025, Instagram replaced impressions with views as a common metric for all formats. This means that each time a carousel is displayed again, each time a Reel is played, or each time content is opened again, it counts as a new view. In this context, formats capable of being saved, shared or revisited gain weight within the overall performance.

The carousel is imposed as a value format

The study data has a particularly prominent format: the carousel. Although brands continue to post more unique images than carousels, the latter format outperforms single-image posts in all metrics analyzed.

The most striking difference is in the saves. According to Metricool, carousels generate nine times more saves than single image posts. Plus, they get more than double the reach and views, and almost four times the interactions. Specifically, compared to a single image post, the carousel registers 142% more reach, 143% more views, 310% more likes, 67% more comments, 13% more shares and 819% more saves.

Despite this, carousels are used 37% less than single images. The study interprets this difference as an inertia of use: the single image is still familiar, quick and easy to produce, but choosing it as the default format means giving up an important part of the reach and potential engagement.

Reels retain longer and are shared more

Reels continue to be one of the most effective formats for reaching new audiences within Instagram. According to the report, brands publish 35% more Reels than in 2025 and this format generates, on average, four times more interactions than a single image publication. Furthermore, it is the only format whose engagement rate grows significantly, with an increase of 24.76%.

But the most relevant data is the viewing time. In just one year, the average play time for Reels has more than doubled, going from 3.9 seconds to 8.5 seconds. Metricool notes that average playback time has grown by 118%, while total viewing time has increased by 139%. On a platform where every second of attention is decisive, Reels are making users spend more time with the content.

Shared ones are also growing strongly. Reels are shared 67% more than in 2025, indicating that users not only consume this format, but also actively contribute to its distribution. The report defines it as a sign that the “human algorithm” is once again having weight: when content is relevant, people become its main amplification mechanism.

However, TikTok maintains an advantage in vertical video. The Metricool comparison shows that Reels generate on average 29.86% fewer views and 14.24% fewer interactions than videos on TikTok. The conclusion is clear: Instagram and TikTok can compete for similar formats, but they do not work the same nor should they be approached with the same strategy.

The conversation gains weight compared to the monologue

The study also reinforces an idea that is increasingly important for brands and creators: Instagram rewards conversation. Posts that include a question generate 36.7% more comments than those that do not. And when the text includes a direct call to action to comment or save, comments triple and saves practically double.

Metricool points out that posts with CTAs get 203% more comments and 92% more saves than the platform average. On the other hand, asking for likes does not generate the same effect: publications that do so get 5% less than those that do not request it. The data shows a shift in the quality of the interaction. Likes still exist, but comments, shares and saves have a more direct relationship with the perceived value of the content.

The Stories also confirm this trend. Although its reach remains at levels similar to those of 2025, responses grew by 88%, while abandonments fell by 6%. The format, often considered less competitive compared to the rise of short video, is thus consolidating itself as a space for direct conversation. It doesn’t necessarily reach more users, but those who see it interact more.

The report points out that Stories have gone from being a mass dissemination format to acting as a relationship channel. For brands, this implies a different function within the strategy: they are not necessarily the main tool to gain reach, but they are a relevant space to activate the community, resolve doubts, collect answers and maintain a closer relationship with the audience.

SEO comes to Instagram

Another relevant change has to do with the weight loss of hashtags. For years they were one of the main tools to increase visibility on Instagram, but Metricool data points to a change in trend. Posts that include at least one hashtag register 31.7% fewer views and 33.9% fewer interactions than the platform average.

The study warns that this is a correlation, not a proven cause. It is possible that the accounts that use hashtags more are also less optimized in other aspects that weigh more for the algorithm today. However, the trend fits with the recent evolution of Instagram: the platform has reduced the prominence of hashtags and has strengthened the indexing of texts, keywords and natural language.

Metricool points out that Instagram already indexes the caption in keyword searches and that, starting in July 2025, public posts can appear in Google and Bing results. This represents a relevant change for brands and creators. The words used in descriptions no longer only work within the platform, but can contribute to visibility outside of it.

The reading is clear: SEO has arrived on Instagram. Hashtags can still be useful when used with intention, but they should no longer be at the center of your strategy. The optimization of content through natural language, terms relevant to the business and writing designed to be found gains weight over the generic use of tags.

Growth is still possible, especially from below

The study also analyzes the evolution of accounts according to their size and concludes that Instagram continues to offer growth opportunities, especially for small profiles. 8.93% of the accounts analyzed were upgraded during the period studied. In the case of accounts with less than 10,000 followers, the percentage exceeds 10%.

Tiny accounts, with up to 2,000 followers, recorded a growth of 10%, while Small accounts, with between 2,000 and 10,000 followers, reached 11%. From there, the progression slows down: Medium accounts grew by 3% and Big accounts grew by 1%. According to Metricool, growing on Instagram is more likely when you start from a small community, because the leap necessary to change levels is smaller and because there is still room to expand visibility with an appropriate strategy.

In the comparison between platforms, Instagram does not lead in follower growth, but it occupies a solid position. TikTok tops the ranking, with 16% of accounts moving up a category, followed by Instagram, with 9%, and LinkedIn, with 7%. YouTube and Facebook are at 4%, while Twitter/X and Pinterest are at 1%.

For brands, this means that Instagram continues to be a relevant platform to build a community, even if growth is slower than on TikTok. Its strength is in stability, the variety of formats and the ability to retain users who come to the profile for valuable content.

The first three days mark the performance

The report also looks at the lifespan of content and notes that the performance window remains very concentrated. In the case of Reels, 65% of views and 61% of total interactions occur in the first three days after publication. In single image posts and carousels, the concentration is even higher: 76% of views and 75% of interactions take place in that same period.

This makes the initial distribution a critical factor. The content must attract attention quickly, but it also needs a publication, promotion and community activation strategy that especially accompanies the first days. After the third day, the growth becomes more gradual and the algorithm progressively reduces the exposure.

The study also places the best time to publish between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., any day of the week, as the global period of greatest activity. Metricool clarifies, however, that this is a general average and that each account must review its own analytics to identify the specific habits of its audience.

For Juan Pablo Tejela, CEO and Co-Founder of Metricool, the results reflect a change in the way of building strategies within Instagram. “The rules for capturing attention on Instagram are changing. The brands that obtain the best results no longer use all formats in the same way. Each one fulfills a specific function: reaching new audiences, getting saves, generating conversation or strengthening the relationship with the community. In 2026, growing on Instagram will depend on understanding how users really interact with content.”

The study thus leaves a fundamental conclusion: Instagram is rewarding those who best understand the behavior of the audience. Reels are used to reach new audiences, carousels are used to generate saved and repeated views, Stories are used to open conversations, and optimized texts are used to improve search visibility. Growth, therefore, is not reserved only for large accounts. It is increasingly linked to the ability to use each format with intention.