What are the top social media platforms in the world?

Research highlights: As of 2024, Facebook is on top with 3.1 billion monthly active users, followed by YouTube with 2.5 billion. Instagram and WhatsApp are tied for third place, each with 2 billion users. TikTok has 1.6 billion users, and WeChat has 1.3 billion. Meta leads the pack with a total of 8.1 billion users across its platforms.

Related research: How many people use social media? | How many users does Instagram have? | How many users does Facebook have? | How many users does Telegram have? | What's the average age of a TikTok user? | How many users does Twitter have? | What's the average time spent on social media each day?

The top social media platforms by monthly active users

•  In 2024, Facebook is still the top social media platform with 3.1 billion monthly active users, making it the only one to surpass 3 billion users

• YouTube comes in second with 2.5 billion active users, which is 600 million less than Facebook

• Instagram and WhatsApp both have 2 billion monthly active users, tying for third place

• TikTok is growing fast with 1.6 billion active users, just behind Instagram and WhatsApp

• WeChat is huge in China with 1.3 billion users but isn't as popular globally compared to Instagram and TikTok

• Facebook Messenger has 1 billion active users, showing Facebook's strong presence since both the main platform and its messaging service are in the top seven

• Telegram and Snapchat have large user bases too, with 900 million and 800 million users respectively

• Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has 755 million users in China, and Kuaishou follows closely with 700 million users. Both are major short-video platforms in China

• X (formerly Twitter) has 611 million active users worldwide

• Weibo, another Chinese social media platform, has 598 million users

• Pinterest has 498 million users, maintaining a niche for discovery and inspiration

• Meta (which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger) controls four of the top seven platforms, showing its huge dominance with a combined 8.1 billion active users

• Chinese platforms like WeChat, Douyin, Kuaishou, Weibo, and QQ together have over 3.9 billion users

The top social media sites by time spent

•  TikTok is ahead when it comes to time spent, with users averaging 34 hours per month. That's almost 6 hours more than YouTube

• YouTube users spend about 28 hours and 5 minutes each month on the platform

• Even though Facebook has the most users, it ranks third in time spent, with users averaging 19 hours and 47 minutes per month

• WhatsApp Messenger is fourth, with users spending around 17 hours and 6 minutes per month

• Instagram users spend about 15 hours and 50 minutes per month, a bit less than WhatsApp. Instagram's mix of photos, stories, and reels keeps people coming back, but sessions might be shorter compared to video-heavy platforms like YouTube

• Line, a messaging app popular in Japan and other regions, sees 8 hours and 14 minutes of user engagement per month

• X (formerly Twitter) users spend about 4 hours and 40 minutes per month on the platform

• Telegram and Snapchat users spend 3 hours and 45 minutes and 3 hours and 33 minutes per month respectively

• Facebook Messenger users average 3 hours and 21 minutes per month, which is much less than the time spent on WhatsApp

• Pinterest users spend about 1 hour and 49 minutes per month, suggesting that while it has a good number of users, they typically engage in shorter sessions

• LinkedIn has the least engagement, with users spending just 51 minutes per month

The top social media apps by revenue

•  Facebook leads by a big margin in revenue, making $80.7 billion annually. Even though it ranks third in time spent, its user base and strong advertising system make it the top earner

• Instagram is second, earning $49.8 billion annually

• YouTube comes in third, making $31.5 billion annually

• WeChat and TikTok are almost tied in revenue, with WeChat making $16.3 billion and TikTok $16.1 billion annually. WeChat’s ecosystem, which includes payments, services, and messaging, drives strong earnings in China, while TikTok’s ad-based revenue model is growing fast

• LinkedIn earns a significant $15.7 billion annually, even though it has the lowest time spent (51 minutes per month) among the major platforms

• Snapchat makes $4.6 billion in revenue annually

• Twitter (X) earns $3.4 billion annually, putting it in the middle tier for revenue despite having 611 million active users

• Pinterest follows closely with $3.0 billion in revenue. Though its time spent is low (1 hour 49 minutes per month), Pinterest does well with shopping and discovery-based ads

• WhatsApp makes $1.2 billion annually, which is relatively low compared to its 2 billion active users

• Reddit rounds out the list with $800 million in annual revenue

• Meta (which includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) dominates social media revenue, making over $131.7 billion annually combined

• YouTube and TikTok show the power of video platforms in making money, both ranking among the top five revenue generators

• LinkedIn's high revenue per user shows its unique value for professionals and businesses, proving that niche platforms can make a lot through premium services and specialized ads

• Despite high user engagement, platforms like WhatsApp and Reddit make relatively lower revenues, showing the challenge of monetizing messaging services and community-based platforms compared to ad-heavy social networks

The top 10 most popular social media platforms

Facebook

Company details:

• Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA

• Launched: 2004

• Founders: Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes

Key data points:

• Active Users: Facebook is the biggest social media platform with 3.1 billion monthly active users in 2024, making it the largest platform worldwide

• Time Spent: On average, users spend 19 hours and 47 minutes per month on Facebook. While it's not the highest in time spent, it ranks third behind TikTok and YouTube

• Revenue: Facebook is the top earner among social media platforms, pulling in a huge $80.7 billion annually. This is thanks to its large user base and a strong advertising system

• Engagement vs. Monetization: Even though Facebook ranks lower in time spent compared to TikTok and YouTube, its ability to make money through ads is unmatched

• Meta's Ecosystem: Facebook, along with Instagram and WhatsApp, is part of Meta's powerful ecosystem. Meta controls four of the top seven platforms in terms of active users

Related research: How many users does Facebook have?

Youtube

Company details:

• Launched: 2005.

• Headquarters: San Bruno, California.

• Founders: Jawed Karim, Steve Chen, Chad Hurley.

Key data points:

• Active Users: YouTube is the second largest social media platform globally with 2.5 billion monthly active users

• Time Spent: On average, users spend 28 hours and 5 minutes per month on YouTube, making it second only to TikTok in terms of user engagement. This shows YouTube's strength in long-form video content and the high time commitment from its users

• Revenue: YouTube brings in $31.5 billion annually, ranking third in revenue behind Facebook and Instagram. Its income comes from a mix of video ads, premium subscriptions, and monetization by creators

• Video-First Platform: YouTube's focus on long-form and diverse video content helps drive high user engagement and substantial ad revenue

• Content Variety: YouTube offers a wide range of content—from entertainment and tutorials to education and news—making it a versatile platform that appeals to various audiences

Instagram

Company details:

• Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA

• Launched: 2010

• Founders: Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger

Key data points:

• Active Users: Instagram is tied with WhatsApp for third place globally, each having 2 billion monthly active users. This shows how popular Instagram is, especially among younger people

• Time Spent: On average, users spend 15 hours and 50 minutes per month on Instagram. While this is less than TikTok and YouTube, Instagram still holds a strong position as a key platform for visual content and social interaction

• Revenue: Instagram makes $49.8 billion annually, making it the second-highest earning social platform, just behind Facebook. Most of its revenue comes from ads, e-commerce integrations, and influencer marketing

• Meta's Ecosystem: As part of Meta, Instagram plays a crucial role in the company's overall dominance. It complements Facebook by attracting younger users

• Visual Content Focus: Instagram's strength is its focus on visual content, with features like Stories, Reels, and the Explore page driving engagement. Its mix of short-form videos and images helps it compete with newer platforms like TikTok

Related research: How many users does Instagram have?

Whatsapp

Company details:

• Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA

• Launched: 2009

• Founders: Brian Acton, Jan Koum

Key data points:

• Active Users: WhatsApp is tied with Instagram for third place globally, each having 2 billion monthly active users. This makes WhatsApp one of the most widely used messaging platforms in the world

• Time Spent: On average, users spend 17 hours and 6 minutes per month on WhatsApp. This puts it among the top platforms for engagement, showing how important it is for daily communication

• Revenue: Despite its huge user base and high engagement, WhatsApp makes relatively low revenue, earning $1.2 billion annually. This is much less than other platforms with similar or even smaller user bases because WhatsApp has been slower to monetize

• Communication-First Platform: WhatsApp is mainly used for messaging, voice, and video calls. Its monetization strategy is still developing, with business messaging, payments, and enterprise services starting to play a bigger role in its revenue model

• Meta's Ecosystem: As part of Meta's suite of apps, WhatsApp adds to the company's overall dominance in social media and communication. However, its revenue contribution is still small compared to Facebook and Instagram, despite its large user base

TikTok

Company details:

• Launched: 2016

• Headquarters: Culver City, California

• Founders: ByteDance Ltd, Zhang Yiming, Toutiao

Key data points:

• Active Users: TikTok is fifth globally with 1.6 billion monthly active users. It's growing fast and is especially popular among younger people

• Time Spent: TikTok users spend an average of 34 hours per month on the app, more than any other platform. This shows how good TikTok is at keeping people engaged with its short videos

• Revenue: TikTok makes $16.1 billion annually, putting it in the top five for revenue. This money comes from in-app ads, partnerships, and virtual goods, all boosted by its high engagement levels

• Video-Centric Engagement: TikTok’s success comes from its short, algorithm-driven videos that get users to interact and watch a lot, making it the leader in time spent

• Competition and Growth: TikTok's quick rise has made it a big competitor to YouTube and Instagram, especially in video content. Its mix of entertainment, trends, and user-generated content attracts a wide audience worldwide

Related research: What's the average age of a TikTok user?

WeChat

Company details:

• Launched: 2011

• Headquarters: Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

• Founders: Tencent Holdings Limited

Key data points:

• Active Users: WeChat is sixth globally with 1.3 billion monthly active users. It's the most popular social platform in China and a major player in the region

• Revenue: WeChat makes $16.3 billion annually, ranking fourth in revenue worldwide. Its earnings come from ads, payments, in-app purchases, and various services within the WeChat ecosystem

• Multi-Functionality: WeChat is more than just a messaging app. It's a super app that includes social media, payments (WeChat Pay), e-commerce, and mini-programs, making it essential for daily life in China

• Regional Dominance: While most of WeChat’s users are in China, its integration into many aspects of daily life gives it huge influence in the region, setting it apart from global competitors like Facebook and Instagram

Facebook Messenger

Company details:

• Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA

• Launched: 2008 (as Facebook chat)

• Founders: Meta Platforms

Key data points:

• Active Users: Facebook Messenger has 1 billion monthly active users, making it one of the top messaging platforms globally, though it has fewer users than WhatsApp

• Time Spent: Users spend an average of 3 hours and 21 minutes per month on Facebook Messenger. This is much lower than WhatsApp and other major platforms

• Revenue: Facebook Messenger's revenue isn't separately reported, but it contributes to Meta's broader ecosystem, mainly through business messaging and integration with Facebook's ads

• Communication Focus: Like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger is mainly used for messaging, voice, and video calls. It’s a key part of Meta’s strategy, offering seamless integration with Facebook, but its monetization has been slower compared to other Meta platforms like Instagram and Facebook

Telegram

Company details:

• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

• Launched: 2013

• Founders: Pavel Durov

Key data points:

• Active Users: Telegram has 900 million monthly active users in 2024, making it one of the top messaging apps worldwide

• Time Spent: Users spend an average of 3 hours and 45 minutes per month on Telegram. This shows moderate engagement compared to other messaging platforms like WhatsApp (17 hours) or Facebook Messenger (3 hours and 21 minutes)

• Privacy and Security Focus: Telegram stands out for its strong encryption, privacy features, and the ability to host large public channels and groups. This attracts users looking for secure communication and niche communities, helping it grow

• Global Appeal: Telegram has a wide international user base, with significant growth in Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia

Related research: How many users does Telegram have?

Snapchat

Company details:

• Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA

• Launched: 2011

• Founders: Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, Daniel Smith, David Kravitz, Leo Noah Katz

Key data points:

• Active Users: Snapchat has 800 million monthly active users, making it one of the most popular social platforms, especially among younger people

• Time Spent: Users spend an average of 3 hours and 33 minutes per month on Snapchat. While this is less than platforms like TikTok and Instagram, it shows Snapchat's continued relevance

• Revenue: Snapchat makes $4.6 billion annually. Most of this comes from advertising, with a focus on mobile-friendly ads, sponsored filters, and AR experiences aimed at its younger, mobile-first audience

Sources

• Biggest social media platforms by users 2024 | Statista

• Digital 2024: Global Overview Report — DataReportal

• Social App Report 2024: Revenue, User and Benchmark Data

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