Instagram

Few apps need less of an introduction than Instagram, Meta's photo and video network. At its core it is a place to share moments from your life, follow friends and creators, and browse content tuned to your interests.

The app is split into several ways of posting and watching. Stories and Notes vanish after 24 hours, while the Feed holds longer-lasting posts from trips and events. Reels offers short videos to watch or make, and posts can be dressed up with templates, music, stickers and filters. Group chats and a Close Friends list handle more private sharing. On the discovery side, Explore surfaces photos and videos from accounts you do not follow yet, creators' videos are recommended to you, and brands and small businesses can be browsed and shopped. Meta notes that some features vary by country.

Scale is enormous: 5,000,000,000+ installs and nearly 169.4 million ratings averaging 4.0. The split is sharper than the average suggests, with 66% five-star and 19% one-star. It is free, carries ads and lists in-app purchases from $0.19 to $10,000.00 per item. The update from 2026-09-21 is recent, the Android requirement varies with device, and it is rated Teen. We list 137 versions; the latest, 445.0.0.45.83, is 139.0 MB.

For anyone who wants to stay in touch with friends and follow creators, it remains a default choice. People put off by ads or algorithmic feeds may prefer a quieter service.