Same parent company, different worlds. Facebook skews older, group-and-community driven, link-tolerant, local-business friendly. Instagram is visual identity: discovery through Reels, credibility through the grid, conversion through DMs and Stories.
The metric surfaces
- Facebook pages now lead with followers (the likes-vs-follows history is untangled in this guide); Groups carry the real engagement for many brands.
- Instagram leads with the follower count as a public trust signal (mechanics in the Instagram guide), with Reels reach doing the discovery work.
Where to invest
Local services, events, communities and older demographics reward Facebook; visual products, creators and youth-facing brands reward Instagram. Cross-posting through Meta's tools is cheap, so the real decision is where the conversation happens — check which surface generates replies, not just impressions. Roadmap counters: Facebook and Instagram.