1. [Home](https://socipro.com/) 2. [Blog](https://socipro.com/blog) 3. [Buying guides](https://socipro.com/blog/buying-guides) 4. What is a good engagement rate? Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X benchmarks > 2026 engagement rate benchmarks for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X, why the big reports disagree, and how to judge your own rate on each platform. Page: https://socipro.com/blog/good-engagement-rate Updated: 2026-10-10 # What is a good engagement rate? Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X benchmarks 2026 engagement rate benchmarks for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X, why the big reports disagree, and how to judge your own rate on each platform. [**Oliver Ashford** Editor, YouTube, X and Buying Guides](https://socipro.com/authors/oliver-ashford)Reviewed by [Eleanor Whitmore](https://socipro.com/authors/eleanor-whitmore)Published October 10, 2026 · 9 min read The short answer A good engagement rate is one above the benchmark built with your formula and above your own median. By followers, 2026 brand benchmarks put TikTok near 2 to 2.7%, Instagram at 0.30 to 0.45%, YouTube at 0.21% and X at 0.03 to 0.10%. X's own analytics divide by impressions, so its rates run far higher. Key facts - Quid's 2026 benchmark (formerly Rival IQ) found median engagement by followers of 2.01% on TikTok, 0.30% on Instagram, 0.21% on YouTube and 0.03% on X. - Socialinsider's mid-2026 update put average engagement by followers at 0.45% on Instagram and 0.10% on X, with TikTok around 2.6 to 2.7%. - X's Post Activity Dashboard defines engagement rate as engagements divided by impressions, and counts clicks anywhere on a post as engagements. - Both major benchmarks sample brand accounts, so they describe companies, not individual creators. - Benchmarks only compare fairly when your formula, interactions counted and denominator match the report's. “Is my engagement rate good?” has no single answer, and the reason is arithmetic, not opinion. Every rate is interactions divided by something, and the reports, the platforms and the calculators online don’t agree on what to count or what to divide by. A rate that is excellent under one formula can look weak under another. This guide puts the 2026 benchmarks for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X side by side, explains why they disagree, and shows how to calculate a rate you can compare fairly. For the step-by-step Instagram formulas and where each number lives in Insights, see our separate guide to [Instagram engagement rate](https://socipro.com/blog/instagram-engagement-rate). ## What is a good engagement rate on each platform? Two large studies published 2026 figures for brand accounts, both dividing interactions by followers. As of October 2026: | Platform | Quid 2026, median by followers | Socialinsider mid-2026, average by followers | | --- | --- | --- | | TikTok | 2.01% | about 2.6 to 2.7% | | Instagram | 0.30% | 0.45% | | YouTube | 0.21% | not covered | | X | 0.03% | 0.10% | Read the table as ranges, not targets. If your by-followers rate sits at or above both columns for your platform, you’re doing well against brands. If it sits between them, you’re roughly typical. Below both, look at your formats before your audience. The ordering is the one thing both reports agree on. TikTok leads by a wide margin, Instagram comes second, and X trails. Quid added YouTube for the first time this year and placed it between Instagram and X; Socialinsider doesn’t track it. If you plan to [buy Instagram likes](https://socipro.com/buy-instagram-likes) for a launch post, note that likes sit in the numerator of every formula above. Mark that post in your tracking and leave it out of your benchmark comparison, or your baseline drifts upward and every normal post after it looks weak. ## Why do the two big reports disagree? Because they measure different things, in different ways, on different samples. Neither is wrong. | | Quid (formerly Rival IQ) | Socialinsider | | --- | --- | --- | | Statistic | Median of 150 random companies per industry | Average across 70M posts | | Sample | 18 industries, drawn from a database of 200,000+ companies | International brands active on each platform | | Interactions counted | Likes, comments, favorites, reposts, shares, reactions, video interactions | Instagram: likes and comments. TikTok: likes, comments, shares and saves. X: likes and reposts | | Divided by | Followers | Followers | | Posts included | Paid and unpaid | Not stated | A median and an average can sit far apart when a few accounts perform exceptionally, which is common on TikTok. And an Instagram rate that counts only likes and comments will always be lower than one that adds shares and saves, which Instagram’s own Insights include under Interactions. Socialinsider also notes that its headline 2026 figures were first built from 2025 data and updated quarterly as the year went on. That’s why its page shows slightly different TikTok numbers in different sections. ## Which formula does each platform use itself? Only one of the four publishes an official engagement rate. - **X** defines it in its Post Activity Dashboard: “the number of engagements divided by the number of impressions.” Engagements are broad: clicks anywhere on a post, including reposts, replies, follows, likes, links, media, your username, profile photo or post expansion. - **Instagram** reports Interactions (likes, comments, saves and shares) and Accounts engaged in Insights, but no engagement rate. For posts, stories and live videos, Accounts engaged can be split into followers and non-followers, which is the quickest way to see whether interactions come from your existing audience or from people discovering you. - **TikTok** shows views, likes, comments, shares and retention metrics in TikTok Studio, including average watch time and the share of viewers who watched the full video. We found no official engagement-rate definition in its help pages as of October 2026. - **YouTube** counts likes, dislikes and subscriptions as engagement metrics and notes that it takes time to confirm which are legitimate. We found no engagement-rate formula in its help center either. The X definition is the trap. An X post with 2,000 impressions and 40 engagements has a 2% rate by X’s own formula, even if only a handful of those engagements were likes or reposts. Measured the way the benchmarks do it, the same post could land well under 1%. Our explainer on [X views and impressions](https://socipro.com/blog/x-views-and-impressions) covers why impression counts run so high. ## How do you calculate yours so it compares fairly? Pick the formula to match the comparison you want to make. 1. **Decide what you’re comparing against.** Against a published benchmark, copy its formula exactly. Against your own past posts, choose any formula and never change it. 2. **Match the interactions.** For Socialinsider’s Instagram figure, count likes and comments only. For Quid, include shares and other interactions too. 3. **Match the denominator.** Benchmarks use followers. For judging a single post, views or reach tell you more. 4. **Use the same post age.** Score every post after the same number of days, such as seven, because counts keep rising after posting. 5. **Take the median of 20 or more posts.** One viral post skews an average for months. 6. **Leave out posts with paid promotion or paid engagement.** They describe your budget, not your audience. Here is a worked example with hypothetical numbers. An Instagram creator with 12,000 followers posts a carousel that gets 300 likes, 20 comments, 45 saves and 15 shares after seven days. - Socialinsider-style (likes + comments ÷ followers): 320 ÷ 12,000 × 100 = **2.7%** - All interactions ÷ followers: 380 ÷ 12,000 × 100 = **3.2%** Both sit well above the brand benchmarks, but only the first is a fair comparison with Socialinsider’s 0.45%. Our [Instagram engagement rate calculator](https://socipro.com/tools/instagram-engagement-rate-calculator) and [TikTok engagement rate calculator](https://socipro.com/tools/tiktok-engagement-rate-calculator) let you switch between formulas so you know which one you’re quoting. ## What counts as good for your goal? A single number can’t serve every purpose. Match the measure to the decision you need to make. | Your goal | Measure to use | Where to find the inputs | | --- | --- | --- | | Pitching brands with a media kit | Interactions ÷ followers, median of recent posts | Instagram Insights, TikTok Studio, YouTube Studio | | Deciding what to post next | Interactions ÷ views or reach for each post | Post-level insights on each app | | Growing beyond your followers | Shares and saves per 1,000 views | Instagram Insights, TikTok Studio | | Checking a TikTok video’s pull | Average watch time and full-video rate | TikTok Studio, per video | | Comparing X posts | Engagements ÷ impressions, as X defines it | X Post Activity Dashboard | Shares and saves deserve their own line because they travel differently. TikTok lists the content you like, share, comment on and watch in full or skip among the interactions that shape recommendations. Our guide to [TikTok saves versus shares](https://socipro.com/blog/tiktok-saves-vs-shares) explains which one to aim for. ## Do brand benchmarks apply to creators? Loosely. Both reports sample companies, not individual creators. Quid’s 2026 report does track an Influencers category, and it moved differently on each platform: it led the way on X, landed below the all-industry median on TikTok, and sat around the median for YouTube posting frequency. A personal account’s audience also relates to it differently than to a brand page. So a creator’s rate several times the brand benchmark proves nothing on its own, good or bad. The more useful question is whether this month’s median beats last month’s, measured the same way. ## Why do engagement rates keep falling across platforms? Because the benchmark itself moves. Quid’s 2026 report found Instagram’s median slipped from 0.36% to 0.30%, a drop of roughly 17% year over year, while X’s median doubled from a low of 0.015% to 0.03%. Socialinsider’s quarterly data shows the same Instagram direction, from 0.52% in the first quarter of 2025 to 0.45% in the first half of 2026. So a rate that held steady while the market fell is quietly improving. Compare yourself with the benchmark from the same year, never with an older figure from a blog post. The mix of interactions is shifting too. Socialinsider reported shares per post up 45% year over year on TikTok and up 12% on Instagram, while comments per post fell on both. If your comment counts are drifting down while shares rise, that’s in line with the market rather than a sign that your audience has lost interest. The practical rule: re-check the benchmark once a year, and recalculate your own median every month. When the two move in opposite directions, trust your own data, because it’s the only one built from your audience, your formats and your formula. ## What drags a rate down without anything being wrong? A few changes lower your rate while your audience is doing fine: - **Follower growth outpacing posts.** The by-followers denominator grows first; interactions catch up later. - **A post reaching far beyond your followers.** Casual viewers interact less, so a by-views rate drops on your widest-reaching posts. - **Bought followers.** They raise the denominator and never add interactions. Expect your by-followers rate to fall after any follower order. Our guide to [Instagram followers versus likes](https://socipro.com/blog/instagram-followers-vs-likes) compares the two. - **A change of format.** Rates differ by format on every platform, so compare each format with its own median. ## Where do paid likes fit? They change one input, and you should know which. Paid likes raise the numerator of a single post’s rate. They don’t create shares, saves, watch time or followers, and they don’t tell any app who would enjoy your next post. That makes them a poor tool for improving an engagement rate and a reasonable one for a narrower job: giving a launch post, a new product photo or a first carousel a fair first look while real interactions build. If that’s the job, you can [buy Instagram likes](https://socipro.com/buy-instagram-likes) with only the public post link. We show you the post before payment, track delivery live and refund any undelivered part automatically; Premium includes a refill window on eligible services. Then log that post separately, so your benchmark comparisons stay honest. ### Sources (7) 1. [2026 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report (Quid, formerly Rival IQ, Mar 5, 2026)](https://www.quid.com/knowledge-hub/resource-library/blog/2026-social-media-industry-benchmark-report) 2. [2026 Social Media Benchmarks (Socialinsider)](https://www.socialinsider.io/social-media-benchmarks) 3. [Post and Video Activity Dashboards (X Business Help)](https://business.x.com/en/help/campaign-measurement-and-analytics/tweet-activity-dashboard) 4. [About Instagram insights (Meta Business Help Center)](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/788388387972460) 5. [TikTok analytics introduction (TikTok Creator Academy)](https://www.tiktok.com/creator-academy/en/article/tool-analytics-intro) 6. [How engagement metrics are counted (YouTube Help)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2991785) 7. [How TikTok recommends content (TikTok Help Center)](https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7655285288050104852) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a 1% engagement rate good? It depends entirely on the platform and the formula. By followers, 1% on Instagram is more than double the 2026 brand benchmarks from Quid and Socialinsider, while on TikTok it sits well below them. On X, 1% by followers would be far above the benchmarks, but 1% by impressions, X's own formula, is a different and much easier measure. ### Why is my X engagement rate so much higher? Because X's dashboard divides by impressions and counts nearly every click as an engagement. Expanding a post, tapping your profile photo or opening media all count. Published benchmarks divide a smaller set of public actions, such as likes and reposts, by followers. Both numbers are valid; they just can't be compared with each other. ### Should I use views or followers for TikTok? Use views to judge a video and followers to compare with published benchmarks. Most TikTok views come from the For You feed, often from people who don't follow you, so a by-followers rate can swing wildly between videos. A by-views rate tells you how the people who actually watched responded, which is what you can improve. ### Do brand benchmarks apply to personal creator accounts? Only loosely. Quid and Socialinsider both sample brand accounts, and creators often have closer relationships with their audiences. Quid's 2026 report does include an Influencers category, which led on X and landed below the median on TikTok. Use the benchmarks as a sanity check, and your own median as the real target. Oliver AshfordEditor, YouTube, X and Buying GuidesOliver Ashford edits Socipro's YouTube, X and buying guides. The YouTube guides cover how views and subscribers are counted, why counts sometimes get corrected, and what the YouTube Partner Program asks for. The X guides cover followers, reposts and how the trending list works. The buying guides explain what to check before paying any growth service, Socipro included: refill terms, refund rules and what the seller needs from you. Socipro sells the services mentioned in this article. How we write and check our guides: [editorial policy](https://socipro.com/editorial-policy). In this article - The short answer - What is a good engagement rate on each platform? - Why do the two big reports disagree? - Which formula does each platform use itself? - How do you calculate yours so it compares fairly? - What counts as good for your goal? - Do brand benchmarks apply to creators? - Why do engagement rates keep falling across platforms? - What drags a rate down without anything being wrong? - Where do paid likes fit? - Sources - FAQ Instagram Likes Quality and Premium packages, ordered with a public username or link. from $0.64 See packages ## Keep reading - [Buying guides · 10 min readRefill vs refund: what happens when bought followers dropA drop and a shortfall are different problems. See how refill windows and shortfall refunds work, and which seller terms to read before you buy followers.Oct 22, 2026](https://socipro.com/blog/instagram-followers-refill-vs-refund) - [Buying guides · 11 min readHow to pick where to buy Instagram followers: a 12-point checklistA 12-point checklist for choosing where to buy Instagram followers: what to check on a seller's page, from refunds and refill to tracking and terms.Oct 21, 2026](https://socipro.com/blog/best-place-to-buy-instagram-followers) - [Buying guides · 9 min readHow much do 1,000 TikTok followers cost in 2026?What 1,000 TikTok followers cost in 2026: Socipro's dated prices, public prices from other sellers, and what refill and refund terms add to the bill.Oct 12, 2026](https://socipro.com/blog/buy-tiktok-followers-cost)