Instagram has become such a big part of reality in 2024. From getting jobs to getting dates, your IG profile dictates more than you can imagine. In fact, celebrities and influencers today charge by the millions for a single Instagram post. And so, curating your feed has become more important than ever before. If you’re dreaming of going viral or quitting your 9-to-5 to become a full-time influencer, you need to focus on quality because content is king in today’s virtual world where algorithms and trending topics are always changing.
Visual storytelling is not a simple game to ace. But if you’ve got your storyboard down, we’ve got the tools you need to execute your vision to perfection. Below, we’re listing some free and paid apps available for iOS and Android users which will take your photos and videos and turn them into a Insta-worthy post.
PicsArt
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, with in-app purchases
PicsArt is that one photo-editing app that can do everything under the sun. It has all the editing and enhancement features that you can ever need, and to top it off, it even has its very own social platform to share your creations with others. From fitting Instagram frame sizes to removing unwanted backgrounds or creating graphics using your photos, PicsArt will let you do everything, but charges a fee for some of the premium features. It even has a text-to-image AI generator, which makes sure that nothing limits your creativity.
Canva
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, but premium features come with the subscription
Canva is among the most popular apps when it comes to photo editing or creating any type of graphics. From invitations to creative Instagram stories—Canva has you covered on every front, thanks to their huge library of templates suited for every aesthetic and occasion. While its free to use, some features like removing backgrounds to fancier fonts come with a paid subscription. But even without spending a penny, it can give you the ability to give your Instagram that professional touch. The cherry on top? It even has some basic video editing features.
Polarr
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, but premium features come with the subscription
If you love experimenting with filters, this is the must-have app on your phone. Not only does it give users the ability to browse through a whole range of features create by others around the world, you can even create your very own filter and share it with the world. It also has photo editing features that allow you to colour correct your images and adjust macros like brightness, contrast, saturation and more. If you’re more of a beginner, the AI-powered features like auto-enhancement, portrait and masking tools would come in handy. While it is free to download, some tools and features come with a price tag.
Snapseed
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Completely Free
Google’s official photo-editing app might be the easiest to use on this list, given that the developers relied on familiarity for the user interface. It offers a wide range of tools that can help enhance and modify your photos, ranging from colour correction to adding filters, removing unwanted objects from your images, adding a blur effect to simulate depth of field and even lets you select specific parts of your photos to edit. It’s a great option for both professional and beginners and all its tools are completely free to use!
Huji Cam
Available on: iOS
Price: Free, with in-app purchases
If you’re a huge fan of all things vintage and want your Instagram to also reflect that retro vibe, Huji is the app for you. Its claim to fame is that takes your phone shot images and gives it that film-like effect to mimic those nostalgic photos take on disposable cameras, complete with the date stamp. It has a really simple interface, and will make your feed look like a photo album from the 90s.
InShot
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, but premium features come with the subscription
Making videos from your social feed has been this easy. From letting you pick frame sizes based on the type and platform you want to post on to giving you the ability to easily stitch and edit clips on your phone—InShot is the perfect beginner-friendly way to create and edit videos on your phone. While some premium features require a subscription, they can availed by watching some ads.
Premier Rush
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, but premium features come with the subscription
This one is for those who already have some experience with video editing—specifically Premier Pro, one of the most widely-used video editing apps or any other Adobe video editing apps. It’s basically the mobile version of Premier Pro, where it allows you to quickly edit and create videos on your phone. It has some standout features like multi-track editing, allows you to use built-in templates and filters, has colour correction tools and even has motion graphic templates. The best part is that it even has cloud sync, which means if you upload your project to the Adobe Creative Cloud, you can access it on your phone and desktop. While some basic editing features are free, to use the Premier Rush seamlessly, you will need to pay the subscription fee.
CapCut
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Created by the makers of TikTok, this is where you will the library of all those OTT transitions to dynamic video effects that have become trademarks of the viral videos coming out of the platform. Its super easy to use and makes video editing accessible to all. From allowing you to work with multiple layers of video and audio tracks, images and effects to letting you easily add text captions with fun fonts and animations, replace backgrounds using the green screen effect, as well as letting users toggle with video speed, music and sound effects--CapCut is the app you need to start creating those viral reels.
GoPro Quik
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, but premium features come with the subscription
If you’re someone who loves to capture content on their handy little GoPro, you’re going to love this one. This app not only simplifies the process of creating professional looking videos from footage captured on your GoPro but also edit videos shot from any other device. Its AI capabilities analyse the clip and help users cerate polished videos that require minimal editing. It’s perfect for those times you quickly want to upload something to your social feed right after capturing it. It also has an inbuilt library of royalty-free music you can use, which is a lifesaver against those copyright strikes. You can even create templates for preferred editing methods, create slow-motions or time lapses with a tap of a button. It also has advanced ProTune settings for GoPro footage, which allows more manual control over quality. While basic tools are free to use, you will require a subscription to use the premium features.
FilmoraGo
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, but premium features come with the subscription
With a super easy user interface, FilmoraGo is the mobile version of the desktop app Wondershare Filmora. It’s a great app for beginners, with standout features like video cropping and resizing, trimming and splitting, photo-to-video slideshows, reverse and slow motion effect tools, easy to add text and title templates, a huge library of themes, transitions, filters and animations as well as a royalty-free music library. However, to access features like removing watermarks and premium effects need a subscription.
