Skip to content
City PM
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
Friday 19 December 2014 12:07 pm

Instagram valued at $35bn – but how does that compare to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and WhatsApp?

By: Catherine Neilan

Add as a preferred source on Google

Instagram exceeded Twitter in terms of daily users last month; now it looks like that has trickled through to its valuation. 
 
The photo-sharing app has been valued at $35bn by Citi analyst Mark May, nearly double the amount he previously estimated. 
 
Based on Twitter's current share price, it's worth just over $23bn.
 
Instagram was bought by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2012 for around $1bn, when it had 100m active users. Now it has 300m.
 
As a result, it has the potential to drive revenues within the Facebook group far more significantly than previously thought, May said.
 
“While Instagram is still early in monetizing its audience and data assets and its financial contribution to Facebook is minimal today, we believe that it is quickly gaining monetization traction and would contribute more than $2 billion in high-margin revenue at current user and engagement levels if fully monetized,” he wrote in a note issued today. 
 
Citi has raised its price target for Facebook to $91 from $86 as a result. 
 
 Next year could be a particular boom year for the business. May reckons 2015 will be the first year that Facebook begins to develop “more meaningful off-Facebook revenue streams”, including Instagram.   
 
Here is how those valuations compare with other social media platforms this year:

This is what it looked like back in 2008. Obviously many of the multi-billion dollar businesses dominating the industry were just twinkles in their creator's eyes six years ago. 

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • News

Categories

  • Business

Related Topics

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Trending Articles

  • Two solicitors linked to Post Office scandal charged with misconduct

  • Revealed: Secret Treasury plan to tax State Pension before it is paid out

  • Clarkson’s Farm and why businesses must stop blaming the weather

  • As it happened: Stocks tumble after Apple rattles global markets; UK food exports hit by US tariffs

  • Barclays and Lloyds join banking sector plan for digital ID

More from City PM

  • Musk brands UK a ‘police state’ as Big Tech rebels against Starmer’s social media ban

    Tech
    Getty Images logo on a digital screen, symbolizing media and photography industry presence in news and business contexts
  • Social media ban may push children to ‘darker corners of the internet,’ lawyers warn

    Legal
    Australia's policy, which came into force in December and bars children under 16 from major platforms including Tiktok, Instagram, Snapchat and X.
  • Bluesky bets on the end of X and Meta’s social media grip

    Tech
    Elon Musk owns X
  • Lloyds taps $160bn fintech giant to boost small business tech

    Banking
    Lloyds headquarters exterior against a clear sky, showcasing iconic modern architecture in a bustling business district
  • Tiktok falls under ban just as brands ramp up ad spend

    Tech
    Tiktok appeals to overturn US ban in a broader battle for tech regulation
  • VPN demand rockets as UK prepares for under-16 social media ban

    Tech
    Getty Images logo on a digital screen, symbolizing media and photography industry presence in news and business contexts
  • ‘Protecting children is right’: Starmer takes on Big Tech with social media ban for under-16s

    Politics
    Keir Starmer speaks in Downing Street
  • BGC boss warns tech giants over black market ads ahead of World Cup betting surge

    Betting
    Soccer players competing in the World Cup, showcasing intense action on the field with a stadium full of cheering fans

City PM — European politics, business and analysis.

Europe

  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • UK & Ireland

Topics

  • Business
  • Markets
  • AI
  • Technology
  • Opinion
  • Energy

More

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Fintech
  • Legal
  • Sport
  • Life

Company

  • About City PM
  • Editorial Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 City PM · Published by CityPM Media, Bahnhofstrasse 65, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
About · Editorial Policy · Corrections · Contact · Privacy