Facebook is one of the largest and most influential social media platforms in the world. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates, Facebook has grown to over 2.85 billion monthly active users as of the third quarter of 2022. However, Facebook faces stiff competition from other major social media platforms like Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok and more. In this article, we will compare Facebook to its main competitors across several key metrics to see how it stacks up.
Monthly Active Users
Monthly active users (MAUs) is one of the most important metrics for comparing social media platforms. This refers to the number of unique users who logged into and used the platform at least once during the month. More MAUs generally mean a larger user base and increased revenue potential through advertising.
| Platform | Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2.85 billion | |
| YouTube | Over 2 billion |
| 2 billion | |
| 2 billion | |
| 1.29 billion | |
| TikTok | Over 1 billion |
| Snapchat | 347 million |
| 237 million | |
| 444 million | |
| 430 million |
As we can see, Facebook has the most monthly active users out of all major social platforms with 2.85 billion MAUs. The closest competitors are YouTube and WhatsApp, which are also owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta. Other platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat have hundreds of millions of users each but still lag significantly behind Facebook in terms of sheer user base size.
User Demographics
Understanding the demographics of each platform’s user base can provide insights into how they differ. Facebook has traditionally been strong among older users, while platforms like Snapchat and TikTok skew very young.
| Platform | Key Demographics |
|---|---|
| 67% of users are over 35 years old. Most popular among Gen X, Baby Boomers, and older demographics. | |
| 72% of users are under 35 years old. Most popular among Millennials and Gen Z. | |
| Snapchat | 90% of users are between age 18-34. Very popular with teens and Millennials. |
| TikTok | 60% of users are between age 16-24. Popular among Gen Z and younger Millennials. |
| Roughly equal distribution of users across age groups; no strong age skew. | |
| 65% of users are female. Popular among older Millennial and Gen X women. |
Facebook’s age demographics are a potential concern for the company as younger generations flock to other platforms like TikTok. However, Facebook still maintains a very large active user base across all age groups overall.
Revenue and Profitability
As publicly traded companies, we can compare the revenues and profitability of Facebook vs. competitors like Snap and Twitter.
| Company | 2021 Revenue | 2021 Net Income |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook (Meta) | $117.9 billion | $39.4 billion |
| $5.1 billion | $221 million | |
| Snap | $4.1 billion | -$487 million (loss) |
Facebook is by far the financial leader here, generating over $117 billion in 2021 revenue and nearly $40 billion in profit. Twitter and Snap’s revenues are less than 5% of Facebook’s. While Facebook has high profit margins, Snap is still losing money. Facebook’s sheer financial dominance allows it to invest heavily in new products and acquisitions.
International User Base
All social platforms aim to grow users globally, but some have found more international success than others. Facebook has the most international reach.
| Platform | Percentage of Users Outside US |
|---|---|
| Over 80% | |
| Over 70% | |
| 78% | |
| Snapchat | 75% |
| TikTok | Over 60% |
| 43% |
Facebook and Instagram have the most worldwide distribution, with over 80% and 70% of users located outside the U.S., respectively. Twitter and Snapchat also have solid global penetration. Pinterest lags with the majority of users still in the U.S. TikTok has grown rapidly internationally but China still accounts for a substantial portion of its user base.
Daily Active Users
While monthly active users show the overall size, daily active users better measure the number of people actively using the platform each day. This affects factors like user engagement and revenue potential.
| Platform | Daily Active Users |
|---|---|
| 1.96 billion | |
| Over 500 million | |
| Snapchat | 347 million |
| 237 million | |
| TikTok | Over 1 billion |
The platforms with the highest daily engagement are Facebook and TikTok with nearly 2 billion and over 1 billion daily active users respectively. Instagram is next with over 500 million. Snapchat and Twitter have lower engagement with 347 million and 237 million DAUs.
Time Spent Per Day
Related to active users is the average time per user spent on the platform each day. Higher time spent can signal more addictiveness and opportunity to show ads and generate revenue.
| Platform | Average Minutes Per Visitor Per Day |
|---|---|
| 17.5 minutes | |
| TikTok | 24.5 minutes |
| 28 minutes | |
| Snapchat | 30 minutes |
| 31 minutes |
Here we see TikTok and Instagram lead for time spent per user. Facebook is quite low comparatively at just 17.5 minutes per day. The upside for Facebook is having the most total users overall. But competitors like TikTok and Snapchat appear to be more addictive per person.
User Experience
User experience includes the interface, features, and overall enjoyment of using each platform. This is subjective but important for driving engagement.
Facebook offers a straightforward news feed, messaging, groups and more. Instagram focuses mainly on photo sharing and Stories. Snapchat pioneered ephemeral messaging. TikTok is all about short form videos and entertainment. Twitter centers around short text posts and real-time updates. Each platform has its own unique flair.
Facebook’s user experience is fairly utilitarian compared to more youthful competitors. However, it still offers all the standard social media features users expect. Instagram’s focus on visual content appeals to younger users. Snapchat’s fun filters and disappearing messages add uniqueness. Meanwhile, short-form vertical video has driven TikTok’s addictive user experience among teens. Twitter’s real-time stream makes it great for following live updates.
Impact on Culture
Social platforms have major cultural influence by affecting trends, shaping attention, and more. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok have each changed culture in different ways.
Facebook popularized oversharing personal life updates through status posts. Instagram birthed the influencer age with viral photos dictating aesthetics and fashion. Twitter provides a real-time pulse on news, politics, pop culture. TikTok heavily amplifies music hits and viral video challenges.
All platforms have made it easier than ever to compare oneself socially through curated content. Facebook is sometimes blamed for increasing political polarization. Instagram impacts body image and mental health for young users. Each network has positive and negative societal effects.
Privacy and Security
With frequent data breaches and questionable handling of private data, social media privacy is a major concern. But some companies fare better than others.
Facebook has dealt with various privacy scandals like Cambridge Analytica from illicit user data sharing. Still, they have improved privacy controls over time. Instagram and WhatsApp benefit from Facebook’s boosted security infrastructure. Snapchat’s ephemeral messages provide more privacy. Twitter has fewer known breaches but users still share openly. TikTok gathers lots of user data that could be exploited by its parent company ByteDance.
Overall, Facebook and Snapchat appear more secure currently than Twitter and TikTok. But no platform has a perfect reputation for complete data privacy as their business models rely on collecting user info. Consumers have to weigh risks versus benefits of using each.
Advertising Capabilities
Social media advertising powers most platforms’ revenues. Facebook and Instagram excel here with sophisticated targeting based on massive user data.
Facebook advertising lets brands micro-target users with exact interests and demographics. Ad performance is measurable through online conversions or in-store/app activity. Video ads are also very popular on Facebook and Instagram. Both provide robust advertising interfaces, options and reporting.
Other platforms have limited advertising compared to Meta. Snapchat ads can be engaging but limited in scale. Twitter provides some tweet promotions but less granular targeting capabilities. TikTok is newer to Western advertising but rapidly growing with fun video ad formats. Still, none rival Facebook and Instagram’s advertising technology and reach.
Conclusion
In summary, while competitors like TikTok and Snapchat excel in some areas, Facebook remains the overall leader across major metrics like monthly users, revenue, profitability and advertising capabilities. But Facebook faces rising competition and usage stagnation among younger demographics. Instagram provides Facebook a growth engine with higher engagement among Millennial and Gen Z users.
Twitter occupies a niche for public real-time news and commentary but lags financially. Snapchat pioneered vanishing messaging but remains much smaller than Facebook. TikTok has exploded with youth engagement, especially for short fun videos, but has limited advertising so far.
Each platform evolves features and user experiences, making them more similar over time. But for now, Facebook dominates social media overall thanks to its massive user base and advanced advertising systems. However, competitors continue rising with engaging experiences that could threaten Facebook’s supremacy long-term if it fails to adapt.