Snapchat vs TikTok: Which Is Better and Why?

6 min readJul 4, 2023

In the rapidly growing world of social media, Snapchat and TikTok have emerged as two viral platforms with unique features and large user bases. These platforms have disrupted the digital landscape, offering engaging experiences for both content creators and content consumers. With such unique offerings, it can be challenging to determine which platform is better suited for creators. To simplify this decision-making process, we will explore the key features and usage in this battle of Snapchat vs TikTok.

monthly active tiktok u — *Monthly active users comparison of TikTok with Snapchat*

According to the data and the article published by Techcrunch, Snapchat has crossed 750m Monthly Active Users mark. If the data shared by Insider Intelligence is correct, then TikTok will surpass Snapchat with 834 million monthly active users in 2023, which may increase to 1 billion in 2025.

Snapchat: Disappearing Content and Interactive Features

Snapchat is widely recognized for its privacy features, most known for its disappearing content features. Users can share photos and videos that vanish after being viewed, with options for immediate disappearance or content that lasts for 24 hours. This unique feature has attracted a dedicated user base, particularly among younger content creators and consumers. Here are some key features of Snapchat:

Disappearing Content: Snapchat offers various unique features, such as streaks and memories. However, its core feature is the disappearing content, which adds an element of privacy and exclusivity to interactions for its users. Users know that whatever they send will be gone after being read by the recipient. They can send Snaps directly to friends or post them as Stories, making real-time engagement.
Lenses and Filters: Snapchat was the first platform for AI filters and lenses, which quickly gained immense popularity among users. These lenses and filters enable users to add creative and playful effects to their photos and videos, making them more engaging and entertaining. From puppy faces to augmented reality filters, Snapchat’s lens library offers endless possibilities for user-generated content.
Discover and Discover Channels: Snapchat’s Discover section provides a valuable opportunity for creators to showcase their content. Regardless of whether someone has subscribed to your profile, there’s a chance they will come across your content in the Discover section. This feature includes a diverse range of content from various publishers, encompassing news, entertainment, and lifestyle. It enhances the platform’s appeal and provides users with a wide array of content to explore.

TikTok: Short-sized Videos and Viral Trends

TikTok rapidly became a viral platform, standing out with its offering of short and customized videos for both creators and viewers. It gained worldwide popularity by providing short videos and introducing viral trends related to new songs and challenges. With an algorithm that prioritizes user preferences, TikTok delivers a personalized and addictive content consumption experience. Now, let’s explore some key features of TikTok:

Short Videos: TikTok’s primary appeal lies in its short video format, which lasts up to 60 seconds. The best part about this feature is its user-friendly nature, allowing anyone to easily create their own short videos using the app. The short duration encourages users to watch more content and becomes addictive, offering creativity within a limited timeframe. Users can showcase their talent, entertain others, share comedy videos, or provide informative content in a short and engaging manner.
Music and Soundtracks: TikTok has a wide library of licensed music and soundtracks, enabling users to enhance their videos with popular songs or audio snippets. This feature plays a crucial role in making content go viral. It has helped create numerous viral challenges and dance trends, boosting engagement and interaction on user profiles.
Discoverability and “For You” Page: TikTok’s “For You” page functions similarly to Snapchat’s Discover section, but with a twist. TikTok’s algorithm analyzes user behavior to curate personalized content on the For You Page. This page showcases a mix of popular and niche content, facilitating content discovery and increasing the likelihood of content creators going viral on the platform.

Snapchat vs TikTok: Which is better for you?

While both platforms offer unique features, there are certain aspects where one has an edge over the other:

1. Audience and User Base

Snapchat has a loyal user base, particularly among youngsters who value the privacy features offered by the platform. On the other hand, TikTok attracts a wide range of users, appealing to people of all ages due to its entertaining and captivating content. Its fun and addictive nature make it popular among a large and engaging audience.

Loyal userbase, privacy features or addictive and engaging features? I think many people will side with Snapchat on this one.

Snapchat: 1 — TikTok: 0

2. Content Formats

Snapchat focuses on providing a more intimate and personal sharing experience through its disappearing Snaps and Stories. On the other hand, TikTok encourages users to create and consume short and highly shareable videos that can quickly become viral by adding music or following ongoing trends in their videos.

If content creation is the topic of discussion, this battle is won by TikTok as millions os short videos are created and shared everyday.

Snapchat: 1 — TikTok: 1

3. Discoverability and Virality

TikTok’s “For You” page utilizes an algorithm to show users content that aligns with their preferences. This enhances the discoverability of interesting videos and increases the potential for content to go viral. TikTok’s algorithm acts like a smart computer program, making their For You page a more engaging experience.

While, Snapchat has a section called Discover that exclusively showcases content from selected publishers and creators chosen by the platform. Thus, while TikTok focuses on the visibility and viral potential of more content creators, Snapchat focuses on a smaller, handpicked selection of content on its Discover page.

TikTok clearly wins this battle solely because how viral the content on TikTok gets and the challenges performed by the users for the sake of clout.

Snapchat: 1 - TikTok: 2

4. Security

Both Snapchat and TikTok have their own security measures in place, Snapchat is primarily focused on private messaging and ephemeral content, where messages and media disappear after being viewed. The platform incorporates encryption to secure user data in transit, and it offers features like end-to-end encryption for specific types of content, such as Snaps sent to a group of friends. Snapchat has also implemented measures to detect and prevent unauthorized access, like two-factor authentication.

TikTok, on the other hand, has faced scrutiny in the past regarding user privacy and data security due to its ownership by a Chinese company, ByteDance. TikTok has made efforts to address these concerns, including the establishment of data centers outside of China, but many people still feel TikTok is less secure.

We all knew who will win the battle of security among Snapchat and TikTok, didn’t we?

Snapchat: 2 — TikTok: 2

Winner: Tie

Conclusion

In the battle to find out which platform is better and offers unique features, both Snapchat and TikTok bring their own distinctive features to the table. Snapchat’s primary focus is on disappearing content and interactive features which is the basic need of its loyal, younger user base, fulfilling their essential needs. On the other hand, TikTok’s focus is on short videos, daily challenges, and viral trends which attracts a wider audience, without age limits.

Both platforms offer exciting opportunities for content creators who want to showcase their talents, engage with their target audience, and achieve viral success. By taking advantage of the strengths of each platform and adjusting their strategies accordingly, they can maximize their impact, expand their reach, and boost engagement on these dynamic and influential platforms.

This article was originally posted on The SocioBlend Blog