Instagram Stories is twice as popular as Snapchat

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) –

Instagram Stories shows no signs of slowing down.

The company owned by Facebook announced last Thursday that more than 400 million people use the popular function every day, compared to the 250 million people who used it a year ago.

This more than doubles the popularity of Snapchat, which had 191 million active users in the last quarter, according to the latest earnings report from the company owning Snap.

When Instagram launched Stories in 2016, many considered it a Snapchat clone. In addition to sharing photos and videos that disappear within 24 hours, Stories allows users to add filters and Snapchat-like embellishments like bunny crowns and ears to messages.

It was not long before the Facebook Snapchat advantage vanished. In eight months, Instagram Stories has exceeded the number of active users per day of Snapchat.

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Instagram continues to add features such as the ability to add GIFs and mention friends in messages. Do not be left behind, Snapchat has also added these features.

In general, Instagram has one billion active users a month.

The platform provided insight to Facebook in the controversy over the Cambridge Analytica scandal that raised questions about how the company deals with the private information of its users.

The British political information firm The United Kingdom has used the personal information of tens of millions of people, sparking widespread indignation and calls for greater surveillance of Facebook.

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If it was your own company, it would have a value greater than 100,000 million, according to published estimates by Bloomberg Intelligence this week. Facebook acquired the app for $ 1 billion in 2012.

Instagram announced another feature Thursday: the ability to add music to photos or videos on Instagram Stories. Just touch the stickers button, choose the music option and search for a song. Ready! You already have a soundtrack.

This feature comes 10 days after Instagram revealed IGTV, a center for full-length videos in vertical format. Anyone can post on IGTV, but it has a 10 minute limit. Users with 10,000 or more subscribers can share videos for up to one hour. Analysts have compared it to YouTube, the Google video platform.