Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
User consensusAlternativesIs it worth it?
Is it worth paying for

Instagram

40
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

Instagram offers a platform for sharing photos and videos and connecting with others, but it faces significant issues with account moderation, customer support, and an increasing amount of unwanted AI content and advertising.

Free + in-app purchases seen up to $14.99 4.7★ lifetime (29,254,376) since 2010

Instagram is a popular social media app for sharing content and connecting with friends, praised for its features like Reels and Stories R30R13. However, recent reviews highlight severe problems with unjustified account suspensions, non-existent customer support, and an overwhelming presence of ads and unwanted Meta AI features, making paid features questionable R6R7R18.

Free vs paid

The core Instagram experience, including sharing photos, videos, Reels, Stories, and messaging, is available for free R30R14. While the app offers in-app purchases up to $14.99, reviews indicate that paying customers are being scammed with false advertising, such as a non-existent 24/7 Security Centre R6. There are no clear benefits described by users for the paid tiers, only complaints about the lack of promised services for those who have paid R6.

Value complaints

  • Paid users are being scammed with false advertising, specifically regarding a non-existent 24/7 Security Centre.R6

Where it delivers

  • Instagram provides opportunities for everyone and supports them.R1
  • It is an amazing app for sharing photos, videos, and connecting with friends, with smooth Reels, Stories, and messaging features.R30
  • Users appreciate the ability to post their own videos and enjoy the Reels feature.R14R13
Worth paying if

Based on the reviews, it is not worth paying for Instagram due to severe complaints about false advertising for paid features and a lack of customer support R6R7R18.

Skip / stay free if

You should skip paying for Instagram if you expect reliable customer support, account security, or specific benefits from paid features, as many users report issues with wrongful suspensions and non-existent support for paying customers R6R7R18R20. You should also avoid the app if you are frustrated by constant notifications, bugs, excessive advertising, or unwanted Meta AI content R3.

Evidence note: The evidence for paid features is thin and overwhelmingly negative, focusing on a single, significant scam complaint rather than a range of paid offerings. Most reviews discuss the free experience and its associated problems.

Frequently asked

Is Instagram worth using for free?
Instagram can be worth using for free if you want to share photos and videos, use features like Reels and Stories, and connect with friends, as many users find these aspects enjoyable and easy to use R30R13R14. However, be aware of significant issues like bugs, excessive advertising, unwanted Meta AI content, and poor customer support R3.
What are the main complaints about Instagram?
The main complaints about Instagram include unjustified account suspensions and deletions often attributed to Meta AI, a complete lack of human customer support for appeals and recovery, excessive advertising, unwanted Meta AI features in the search bar and video saving, and persistent bugs with notifications and message editing R7R18R20R23.
Does Instagram offer good customer support?
No, Instagram's customer support is widely criticized as broken and non-existent, with users reporting no help for disabled accounts, ignored emails, and appeals denied within seconds by AI, leading to significant frustration and loss of data R7R12R18R23.
Are there issues with Meta AI on Instagram?
Yes, many users are highly frustrated with Meta AI, reporting that it wrongfully bans accounts, shoves unwanted AI summaries and content down their throats, and cannot be avoided or blocked, leading some to consider switching to other platforms R23R27R34R38.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 50 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R6] 1/5 · AU “24/7 Security Centre” is a scam and does not actually exist.: There is a mass report to the ACCC against Meta for scamming paying customers with false advertising; noting that paid users have 24/7 access to a Meta Security Centre. This is false - there is no Meta security centre. I would advise anybody paying customers in Australia to join the ACCC report - to ensure that all Australians who have
  2. [R1] 5/5 · AU Instagram: Giving opportunities to everyone and supporting them
  3. [R30] 5/5 · AU Best Social Media App: Instagram is an amazing app for sharing photos, videos, and connecting with friends. The Reels, Stories, and messaging features work smoothly and the app is easy to use. I enjoy using it every day. Keep up the great work! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  4. [R14] 5/5 · AU k_riishna_kardha: post your own videos
  5. [R13] 5/5 · AU Tarending: Reels
  6. [R3] 2/5 · AU RIP: Instagram is dead. The bugs and glitches for an app that has been operating for years now is just unacceptable. Let alone even considering the pushed content that no one wants. Times have changed, stop frying your brain with doom scrolling and a constant stream of people who scream at you through the phone
  7. [R7] 1/5 · AU Meta your trash: All of a sudden my id got disabled without any reason. And there meta service system is so broken , they didn’t help me a bit.
  8. [R18] 1/5 · AU Meta ai removed my business account: Been seeing a lot of this happening recently and it’s just happened to me. A personal Instagram account which I’ve had for over 10 years, which I transitioned into a business account for sports media where I work as a journalist, removed overnight for nothing. And with no avenues to appeal it with a human! Instagram needs to fix this and restore the accounts
  9. [R20] 1/5 · AU Delete Accounts For No Reason: As most people will now be aware, Meta has been deleting thousands of accounts for no reason and with no recourse to a proper appeal process. Be very wary of trusting Meta with your memories or of using a Meta platform to run a business as they are known to regularly pull the rug for no reason
  10. [R23] 1/5 · AU Wrongful suspensions: Instagrams Meta AI feature has wrongfully banned my Instagram account, I’ve contacted Instagram multiple times yet I’ve never gotten a response, Instagram has turned to robots to police their systems and ban users for no reason. Never have I ever seen an app so terrible with customer support, this app needs to be deleted immediately
  11. [R12] 2/5 · AU Horrible: Run by a bunch of dropkicks who cbf unbanning peoples accs for no reason
  12. [R27] 1/5 · AU Meta Ai problems: Suspended twice in 4 days for the same reason. In between, Meta emailed me confirming my account followed their guidelines. Make that make sense
  13. [R34] 1/5 · AU I hate meta ai: can we not have ai slop shoved down our throats?? i want to be able to save my videos without being given a mandatory ai summary of it... i can use my own eyes and watch the video - i dont need a summary! probably going to stop using instagram and move to tiktok where i can still save videos normally. instagram has sucked so bad since the addition of meta ai.
  14. [R38] 1/5 · AU All AI, broken, and writhing with hackers: do NOT get instagram if you are a normal human and not a mainstream popular icon who posts inappropriate content or straight-up porn, you WILL get banned for being a nobody, as i have many times. I do literally nothing except follow friends and watch videos and then suddenly “you’ve been suspended”, and the funny thing is, is that they just let their AI m

Synthesized from 50 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store