Danny 'Marina' Owston
Best editing apps for IG stories and Instagram. 14 ultimate creative apps to Go 0-100 on Instagram
Updated: Sep 10, 2020
This is arguably the greatest list of all time. You love to see it.
Want to up your 🅲🆁🅴🅰🆃🅸🆅🅸🆃🆈 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅾🅽 🅸🅽🆂🆃🅰🅶🆁🅰🅼?
Want to establish an aesthetic for your feed and stand out in your timeline?
Yes i do Dan.
Great. You should do. With 1 billion active monthly users, IG and IG stories are a great way to showcase your business or personal brand.
Best Instagram Editing Apps
Here are 14 of the best instagram editing apps apps that you can use right now to:
Talk to your audience
Establish your visual identity
Separate your brand in the marketplace
Drive traffic to your offers
Sell more.
Look professional af.
Let’s get straight into it.
Unfold Create Stories

The Instagram story layout App that makes beautiful IG stories.
Creators and businesses everywhere are exploring the possibilities of this app. And it’s easy to see why.
With both a free and a paid version, there is something for everyone. Unfold is one of best Instagram story apps if you use it correctly.
Best IG Story Templates
Create collages and frames, with over 150 of the best IG story templates and filters out there. Then add text and boom! stunning stories for any aesthetic. IG Stories displays vertical videos and pictures that go to the top of your feed and disappear after 24 hours. So plenty of room to test what your audience responds to with the best IG story templates from Unfold. If you want Instagram Stories that are a cut above the rest, get Unfold. An honorable mention here goes to Story Art as a great alternative. They also bring some of the Best IG story templates.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moonlab.unfold
IOS:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/unfold-create-stories/id1247275033
InShot - Video Editor & Video Maker

THE BEST VIDEO EDITING APP FOR YOUR PHONE. FAXX.
Literally the ultimate way to conveniently edit your videos for stories and posts - colour grading, resizing, trimming, speed changes, add music, text and so much more. The best bit? It’s free. If you are serious about upping your game on IG, this no-fuss app is the one.
Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.camerasideas.instashot
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/inshot-video-editor/id997362197
VHS Cam.
Soooo Fetch! Nothing says 90s nostalgia better than this app. Filming grainy, wavy footage with time & date stamps giving authentic throwback footage.
Used by Kendall Jenner, Snoop Dogg, Khloe Kardashian, Victoria Beckham, Wiz Khalifa, BTS, Die Antwoord, Philip Bloom and featured on SNL (S41E01). Jeez! If you want one of the best Instagram story apps, this is a sick option for establishing your visual identity. Fun, easy to use... this is one of the most aesthetic photo editing apps. Grainy Instagram filters at your fingertips.

Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rarevision.vhscamlite
IOS:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/vhs-cam-retro-80s-camcorder/id1087259990
VSCO

Oh lord a mercy. The blurb says it best… ‘Advanced photo editing by creators, for creators’. We agree. VSCO is more than an app to support your IG game, it’s a community of its own. This is one of our-go to photo and video editing apps. And should be on your radar to. Powerful presets allow you a whole lot of control over creating the perfect images and videos for next post. What we really like is there really are no excuses with VSCO - discover mode allows us to get inspo from some of the best creators online and access tutorials to up the levels. If you want a great all in one solution, VSCO could be it mate.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/vsco-photo-video-editor/id588013838
Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vsco.cam
Huji Cam
One of our personal faves, barely a day goes by without us (and creators all over the world) using Huji. Let’s break it down simply. This app is something you will have seen without knowing, you know, the one with the date in the corner and the vibey aesthetic that looks great in the feed and on your IG Stories. If you want your brand to be ahead of the curve, if you don’t have the best camera and want to shoot raw onto a great looking app, if you love nostalgic vibes, this is the camera and editing app for you. Huji, we salute.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/huji-cam/id781383622
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.co.manhole.hujicam
Lightroom & Adobe Collection

The little brother of the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom programme, nevertheless the Lightroom collections packs an incredible punch for editing on the fly and getting your work out to the world on the gram. This one is aimed more at professional users who want an elite social media presence. It’s well worth noting that Adobe have a range of products and Apps for you to check out. We use lightroom on a daily basis. Like all Adobe programmes, Lightroom takes time to learn its almost infinite possibilities. But you get out what you put in right?
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app-bundle/adobe-social-photo-and-video-editors-bundle/id1454447622
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=4734916851270416020
Planoly - Visual Planning & Digital Marketing Solutions

Planoly Planner For Instagram
We all need a plan right? In a world of scheduling apps, Planoly stands right up there as the best app to schedule Instagram posts for a couple of reasons. 1) You can put your feed together IN ADVANCE, so you can work out how it is going to look before it goes live in your feed. Cool right.
Best Instagram Scheduling App
No guesswork is how we arrive at our visual identity, so make sure you plan your instagram feed. Adding in features such as Shopable links so that you can drive traffic direct to your site makes this a very handy tool indeed.
Got 99 Problems But A Grid Ain't One
2) Planoly allows you to schedule posts for the next month - absolutely FREE. Want more than one post a day? Bigger businesses would do well to upgrade so that your team can maximise your output. Planoly takes all of the hard creative work and adds some structure to it. All you have to do is schedule. A much needed app to automate Instagram posts.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/planoly-planner-for-instagram/id1014568284
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.planoly.android
Canva - Online design made easy

This app (or web version) should form part of your arsonal for both social media and many, many other graphic design elements. Simple, easy to use and with a range of free stock photos, fonts and the biggest Story template collection online, our words will not do Canva justice. So check out the app or the web version, get creating and combine with some of these other apps to create unique posts like only your brand can. Great for small businesses and content on the go or in combination with other APPS if your feeling it.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/canva-graphic-design-creator/id897446215
Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.canva.editor
Hype Type - Moving Text Photos

Adds epic moving text to create impact and make your posts and stories stand out. A great add-on for IG stories and its ever-changing ecosystem. Typography has never been this lit. Download Hype Text - Moving Text Photos below.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/md/app/hype-type-moving-text-photo-s/id1152687277
Picsart

The premise of Picsart photo studio is to go beyond the filter. And we are here for it. Picsart helps you edit pictures for Insta with almost limitless possibilities. One of the great things about the Story art App is that you can check out some inspo before you decide to download - simply go to their site https://picsart.com/ and take a look. It’s pretty wild. Creative brands, this might be the App for you.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/picsart-photo-editor-collage/id587366035
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.picsart.studio
Adobe Photoshop Mix - Cut-out, Combine, Create

We all know, use or have heard of Photoshop. Well Photoshop mix is that but for your phone. If your team wants to create multi-layered images, retouch, work on the go and love to create, this App is well worth looking into. Professionals the world over use Adobe for a reason, and your brand should do to.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app-bundle/adobe-social-photo-and-video-editors-bundle/id1454447622
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=4734916851270416020
3D Glitch Photo Effects - Camera VHS Camcorder

Let’s face it, glitch photography and video is the wave, and it’s about time your brand dominated the glitch demographic in your niche. Make super-interesting 3D glitch effects including VHS, vaporwave, grainy filters and an ever-updated library of add-ons means this is our choice for Glitch photography edits and video. A quality piece of apparatus.
IOS Alternative (Paid): https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/glitch%C3%A9-photo-video-editor/id634467171
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glitchVHS.glitch3d.vhs.camcorder.effect.glitch
HypoCam

Ever wanted to make a noir film? Me too, so Hypo Cam is needed. This App allows stunning black and white images to be shot with a world of control that filters simply don’t have. Monochrome my world with one of the best Instagram editing apps.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hypocam/id1077991979
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xnview.hypocam
Hyperlapse (Exclusive to IOS)
Not gonna lie, we slept on the Hyperlapse App when it came out. Shame .
Shoot handheld timelapse videos whilst moving. I know, mind is officially blown. This App is by Insta themselves, so you can expect in-house stabilisation incase you are carrying your morning cappuccino in your other hand. No tripods, no fuss, no nothing mate.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hyperlapse-from-instagram/id740146917
BONUS - Instagram itself!
People, where to start… Instagram is getting bolder and bigger every day! We are literally living for the offering on the platform right now and are OBSESSED with the features in the app itself! From adding the lyrics to your latest fave track to adding mad amounts of GIFs the possibilities are unreal on the app itself. Polls, locations, countdowns, q&a stickers and even more! You can use the drawing tools, text tools and so much more to make the story your own! Make the text rainbow, offer sneak previews of your new posts, reshare posts & stories that you have been tagged in. Tbh this is as good as any App, so get up and get creative.
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/instagram/id389801252
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instagram.android
We hope you enjoyed this pretty exhaustive list of the best Instagram editing apps. Instagram is the #1 social media App for a reason. Remember, value is the key. your audience deserves it. We would love to see what you are creating, feel free to tag us in any posts and be sure to SIGN UP to our email list for more free ways in which you can grow your business.
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Here's what i'm listening to rn Armin Van Buuren - Something Real
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Peace, Dan
x ❤️
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