Although the latest updates of Instagram seem more designed to make it a kind of Snapchat, for now it is still predominantly a social network of photographs. Upload a photo, put it pretty with a couple of filters – or not – and you rejoice every time you get a like or comment.

Although Instagram itself has a good selection of filters and tools, they are not enough for its 700 million monthly users. There are all kinds of third party applications to take full advantage of Instagram, and as we show and here we have selected the top 15 …

Layout

We started the compilation with another application of the house, Layout, Instagram’s application to create photo collages of up to nine snapshots. It is quite easy to use, totally free and without advertising.

Layout works independent of Instagram, so you can use it to create photo collages with total freedom and without Instagram account. The process is really fast and when you finish you can share your collage in Instagram, Facebook or any other application.

Boomerang

The other application of the house is Boomerang, to create short videos with infinite loops. The essence is the same as in Layout: a very simple and quick to use application that you can use in Instagram or any other application that supports the sending of videos.

All you have to do is save a short video clip and Boomerang generates an infinite loop that is usually very colorful. After recording you can make a few adjustments to choose a specific piece of video, adjust the speed and stabilize the result.

Microsoft Hyperlapse

Microsoft Hyperlapse is a curious application with which you can record fast camera with stabilized image with which to impress the visitors of your Instagram. The result is very curious, but better appreciable if you record in perfect conditions and with the camera pointing to the front.

With Microsoft Hyperlapse you can create fast camera videos ranging from 2x to 32x speed. The main interest lies in the image stabilization that makes the resulting videos are smoother and enjoyable to see if we simply increase the speed without more.

Framelapse

Framelapse is another application to generate videos to camera fast but it has an essential difference with the previous one of Microsoft: it is based on taking photos every certain interval of time personalization to later to join them in a video.

The difference implies that it does not have Microsoft Hyperlapse image stabilization, but in return it requires less mobile space by making continuous recordings and you can potentially use it for much longer timelapses without having to worry about storage space.

InstaWide

When Instagram introduced the photo view into a carousel (several photos in a single publication), InstaWide was the first application to use this new feature to display panoramas on Instagram using several photos.

The operation is simple: choose a photograph from your gallery, or take a new one, and then choose the grid. InstaWide cuts the original photo into chunks so you can post them on Instagram once and imitate a panoramic photo.

InstaSwipe

If for the reason that is InstaWide does not convince you, another alternative to do the same is InstaSwipe. That is, it also allows you to take a photo and cut it into pieces to publish it on Instagram as if it were a panoramic image.

The interface is a bit more modern and includes some additional options (for example, you can rotate the source image ), in addition to include a useful preview mode, although in return it is somewhat more complicated to find your photos in the gallery than in InstaWide.

WhenToGram

Should you upload that picture of the coffee right now … or wait a little? Know the answer with WhenToGram, the application that tells you when you should publish to get the most reach, at least in theory.

The free version will only tell you the best time slots. If you want additional reports and graphics, you should buy them separately with prices from $0.99 to $1.99 or $3.99 to unlock all the information.

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9Cut

Surely, you have ever come across an Instagram profile in which the published photo gallery forms a mosaic. How do they do that? Easy, with 9Cut or similar applications as Grid Maker.

Choose an original photo with sufficient resolution and then choose a grid of 3 x 1 to 3 x 5 squares to make the cut. 9Cut then assists you to share the grids on Instagram in order and thus achieve the correct effect.

Later

Even today, Instagram does not have the function of programming publications, not even for accounts for companies. To achieve this you need third party applications, such as Later, formerly called Latergramme.

The advantage of Later is that you can schedule publications comfortably on the PC or on the mobile. Unfortunately, they will not be published automatically, but it will still be you who publish them when the time comes (you receive a notification when you must).

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is one of the most popular social media management services. With Hootsuite you can centralize in a single application what happens in all your profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and, of course, if you would not be here, Instagram.

With Hootsuite you can program publications in Instagram, although at the moment of truth once again it is you who must take the last step, because the Instagram API does not allow third parties to publish photographs, at least for now.

Snapseed

Although the built-in photo editor inside Instagram is quite capable, sometimes you’ll need something a bit more advanced to give that final touch that will turn your good quality photo into a work of art, and Snapseed is one of the best.

Whether removing unwanted objects, correcting perspective, changing color curves, or adding text to your images, there are few photo-retouching applications that give you so much for so little.

Foodie

If you use to publish photos of food in your Instagram, you may be interested in applications specially designed to edit this type of photos, such as Foodie. Yes, Instagram already includes its own filters, but Foodie’s are special for food, or so they say.

Foodie includes more than thirty food filters, blur effect and tips for those spaghetti with meatballs to stand out like never before on Instagram. It is also possible to record videos from the application. You can read this guide for the top places to purchase likes for Instagram.

Magnify

Are you using the correct hashtags? Find out with Manify, the application that helps you find the best hashtags among other advantages. Best of all, it does so semi-automatically when you type certain keywords in Instagram (requires accessibility permissions for this). Magnify suggests hashtags for categories.

Not all categories are available in the free version, while the Pro version is valued at 4.89 dollars. Other functions of Magnify are the programming of publications in Instagram: when activated, you will receive a warning when at the specified time.

Color Pop

It is called “pop color” to the effect by which all the color of the image is removed except in certain elements or specific colors. Some photo editors include this effect, although if you’re thinking of something more simple and concrete, you have it in Color Pop Effects.

This application is not based on color ranges, but literally you must paint over the image the parts you want to be in black and white or in color. Although it is somewhat rudimentary, with sufficient patience you can achieve good results.

Blend Me Photo Editor

As in the previous case, many complete photo editors include the possibility of mixing images, but if you are looking for something more concrete and simple you may be interested in this application. With it you can fuse images to give them a more epic touch.

Use different masks and filters to merge your photos with the included wallpapers or join two of your photos in the same composition. The result will depend a lot on your expertise, although it can be really colorful with the right material.