The numbers behind Snapchat’s success

Snapchat is a popular social media platform and multimedia messaging app where users can exchange pictures and videos known as ‘Snaps, ’ which disappear after being viewed. It was created in September of 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, former students at Stanford University.

The app was initially launched under the name ‘Picaboo’ in the IOS operating system in July 2011. However, this was changed in 2012 to avoid confusion with another app called Picaboo.

When Snapchat first launched, it was a huge success and the premise of disappearing messages tapped into something new. It made interactions feel like a conversation rather than a broadcast. Snapchat has gone from huge breakout success to dwindling in popularity over the years.

While it still remains a key platform for younger audiences, it has struggled to maintain its success with strategic missteps, tough competition and changing user trends. In this article, we’ll explore Snapchat’s rise to popularity and how it has impacted the social media landscape.

The rise of Snapchat

Over the years, Snapchat has evolved from a person-to-person photo-sharing app with disappearing messages to a varied multimedia platform incorporating a range of features, including:

• Snaps: A photo or short video message that users send to each other. Users can set a timer for how long the message will be visible before disappearing.
• Lenses: An augmented reality (AR) experience where users can add 3D effects, objects, characters or transformations to their snaps.
• Snap map: Allows users to share their current location with selected friends. There may be some concerns with the safety element of this feature, however it can can be turned off all together, or alternatively users can select specific friends they’d like to be able to see their location. Alternatively, people could also view this feature as something that enhances users safety. Similar to apps like ‘find my friends’, snapchat location allows users to keep tabs on others locations which could be useful for parents and children, or people who are travelling alone for example. It also gives people an easy way to see if their friends are busy or not, as their ‘last seen’ location shows under their name in the chat, as well as how long its been since they were active on the app.
• Bitmoji: Personalised cartoon versions of yourself that can be used in the app. Users can ‘dress up’ these emojis with a range of clothing and accessories to reflect their own personal style and personality in real life.
• Snapscore: a numerical figure to track how many ‘snaps’ someone sends- snaps add to the score and the score goes up immediately after sending a snap. Other users Snapscores can be seen by their friends, meaning people can see how often you’re using the app.
• Snapchat Discover: A feature that provides a personalised feed of content for publishers, brands and influencers.
• Snapchat+: A subscription giving users access to exclusive content and pre-release features.
• Gift Snapchat+: A one-time purchase that allows a Snapchat+ subscriber to gift a friend a Snapchat+ subscription.
• Spotlight: A tab that features short videos from the Snapchat community.
• Voicenotes: Arguably one of the most useful features of the app- voicenotes allow you to send audio messages to friends, rather than typing your message out. These messages can be played back in normal speed, 1.5x speed, or 2x speed, making it quick and easy to communicate with friends. Other platforms like Instagram, however, have now caught up and added this feature too.
• Half swipe: Snapchat shows someone when you’ve opened their message. To avoid this, users can ‘half swipe’ to read the majority of someones message without Snapchat notifying the other person.

These features diversify Snapchat’s offering and aim to retain current users, as well as attract new users from younger generations.

It could be argued that paid subscriptions such as Snapchat+ no longer have a place on social platforms, with so many free platforms with multiple features available. Apps such as Instagram have a messaging feature and have recently added a disappearing messages feature to rival Snapchat, and the app is completely free. Whilst there’s exclusive content on offer for Snapchat+ subscribers, it’s questionable whether this is worth paying for over free platforms with similar features, such as Instagram.

Here are some other key stats about Snapchat:

• Snapchat ranks 9th in popularity compared to other popular social media platforms. It’s ranked higher than Pinterest and X (formerly Twitter).
• In May 2012, 25 Snapchat images were being sent every second.
• In November of 2012, one billion photos on the Snapchat IOS add had been shared.
• As of May 2015, Snapchat users were viewing 2 billion videos per day, reaching 6 billion by November of that same year.
• By May 2016, Snapchat had hit 10 billion daily video views.
• In May 2016, Snapchat raised $1.81 billion in equity offering, showing strong investor interest.
• In February 2017, Snapchat had 160 million daily active users, growing to 166 million in May.
• In 2016, Snapchat Inc was renamed Snap Inc. to coincide with the introduction of the company’s first hardware product, Spectacles, which were smart glasses featuring a built-in camera that could record 10 seconds of video at a time.
• In December 2019, App Annie announced that Snapchat was the 5th most downloaded mobile app of the decade.
• There are 453 million daily active users on Snapchat.
• Snapchat had over 300 million monthly active users in 2023.
• An average of 4 billion Snaps were sent every day in 2020.
• Snapchat has over 14 million Snapchat+ subscribers.
• Over 375,000 Lens creators have used Lens Studio.

Snapchat’s user base

• Snapchat appeals to a younger audience, with 44% of its users in the 18-24 age group.
• In the US, the most popular age group on Snapchat is 15 to 25, making up 48% of users.
• In the UK, ages 18 to 24 comprise 77% of the platform’s users.
• In over 20 countries, Snapchat reaches 75% of the 13 to 24-year-old population.
• Snapchat reaches 90% of the 13-24 year old population.
• Over 75% of 13-34-year-olds in over 25 counties use Snapchat.
• Gen Z users account for 51.1% of Snapchat’s monthly active user base in the US.
• Following a survey in 2022, 64% of male Generation Z users were active on Snapchat. For female Gen Z users, 70% were active.
• Across 2020 and 2021, Snapchat maintained a 54% weekly usage.
• As of 2024, India had the largest Snapchat user base, with 202.51 million active users.
• Males dominate Snapchat by 0.9%, making up 50% of its users.
• In 2023, 43% of people aged 16-64 who used Snapchat didn’t use TikTok.

The business model and revenue

So how exactly does Snapchat make money? Here is a breakdown of some key stats on Snapchat’s business model:

• Snapchat+ is the paid version of Snapchat. It was released in June 2022 and is £3.99 per month.
• As of the fourth quarter of 2024, Snapchat+ had 14 million subscribers.
• In May 2019, Snapchat had 41.5 million downloads.
• 64% of Snapchat ads are viewed with the sound on.
• 55% of Gen Z users have ad recall after watching between 0 to 2 seconds of an ad.
• Snapchat ads can run for as little as $5 per day.
• In 2026, Snapchat is expected to generate $7.26 billion.
• 91% of social media users in the US have Snapchat awareness.
• Snapchat users hold $4.4 trillion in global spending power.
• Millennials and GenZ are said to have over $1 trillion in spending power alone.
• 10% of UK participants in the Global Consumer Survey Special ‘E-Commerce’ said they’d purchased on Snapchat in the last 12 months.
• 87% of social media users in the same survey show Snapchat awareness, but only 25% said they used the platform.
• Over 300 million Snapchat users engage with Snap Map every month.
• In November 2020, Snapchat launched Snapchat Spotlight, announcing it would pay a total of $1 million a day to users who post viral videos.

Snapchat’s competitive edge

How does Snapchat stay ahead in the competitive landscape of social media platforms? Here are some key stats on Snapchat’s competitive edge over other social media platforms:

• In 2024, Snapchat’s annual revenue increased by 15.2% to $5.3 billion.
• Snapchat was given a customer satisfaction rating of 77 out of 100 points by its users in 2024. The dissatisfaction of 23/100 could be explained by multiple challenges the platform has faced over the years, which we’ll explore now.

The challenges

Snapchat’s decline started around 2018 after a major platform redesign. It didn’t help that around this time, Instagram and TikTok were becoming more popular and replicating but, most importantly, improving similar features such as Stories and AR filters.

Some key stats on Snapchat’s challenges are:

• In November 2017, Snapchat announced a redesign, which proved controversial to many followers.
• Over 1.2 million people signed a Change.org petition asking the company to remove the new app update. This shows a clear sign from the general public that the update is neither functional nor engaging, and should indicate to Snapchat that they need to keep up with what the public wants or face backlash.
• Kylie Jenner tweeted about Snapchat’s redesign in February 2018, criticising it. Influencers and celebrities that are popular among the younger generation sharing negative opinions on Snapchat is bad news for the platform. Nowadays, with the rise of influencer culture, people want to be where the influencers are. If someone such as Kylie Jenner (who has a following on Instagram of 395 million people) voices their opinions and indicates they’re not going to be using a certain platform, people will follow them to wherever they are- in this case, Instagram.
• In 2017, Instagram Stories had 250 million daily active users, surpassing Snapchat’s 166 million. Instagram also offers a messaging feature, with the recent addition of disappearing messages after 24 hours, making it even more of a rival to Snapchat.
• Snapchat’s daily user total dropped by 2% to 188 million users.
• In 2024, there was a loss of almost 513.2 million monthly Snapchat users worldwide. In the ever-changing world of social media, apps fight for users’ attention and patronage, and Snapchat is seemingly losing that battle.
• Despite the earlier stats mentioned on Snapchat users, it looks like the age range of users is changing. A recent stat showed that 34% of young internet users in the US view Facebook as an app for “old people”, signalling a broader shift in generational habits. Users are constantly looking for fresh, engaging platforms, and Snapchat once filled that role as a trendy alternative to Facebook. Now there are newer, apps such as Instagram and TikTok, and Snapchat is old news to a lot of the younger generation.
• Snapchat made a net loss of $697 million in 2024. This poses questions around the longevity of Snapchat, and whether it can survive the next few years when faced with stiff competition from the likes of social media giants like Instagram and TikTok.

So, what’s the future of Snapchat? The stats indicate that from a financial point of view, the app isn’t viable for much longer with the net losses it’s making. The financial challenges, combined with the rise of other social media platforms with similar features, such as Instagram, means Snapchat’s long run may come to an end in the next few years. The platform will need to work hard to keep ideas fresh and compete for the attention of younger audiences, whose screen time is largely taken up by other social media giants such as TikTok.

What do you think is the future of Snapchat?

Will it be replaced by newer apps, or has it cemented its place in the social media landscape?

If you’d like to learn more about different social media platforms, you can read our other expert-written blogs, such as:

• The newest of the social apps: stats about Bluesky, written by Senior Paid Social Executive, Megan Atkinson
• How to create engaging Instagram carousels, by Paid Social Manager, Jenny Byrne
• 12 essential TikTok vs Reel vs Shorts stats, by Head of Paid Social, Harriet Tuite

Our Paid Social team are on the pulse of all the latest platforms and trends and can help you transform your brand’s performance across multiple platforms. If you’d like to learn more, you can contact us today.