Does Instagram have 4 algorithms​

Instagram has 4 algortihms for you. It does not operate with exactly four distinct algorithms, but it uses multiple specialized ranking systems tailored to different app sections like Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore. These systems analyze thousands of signals such as user activity, relationships, post recency, and engagement types to personalize content.​

Core Ranking Systems

Each Instagram surface has its own AI-driven processes rather than a single overarching algorithm. For instance, the Feed prioritizes posts from followed accounts based on predicted user interest, while Reels focuses on discovery for non-followers through watch time and shares. Stories emphasize recency and frequent interactions, and Explore recommends fresh content matching past behavior.​

2026 Updates

Recent changes shift emphasis toward meaningful engagement like saves, DM shares, and video completion rates over likes. Videos now get 2.5 times more priority than photos, with AI models processing billions of data points for hyper-personalization. This multi-system approach ensures relevance across 2 billion+ users without a unified “four algorithms” framework.

Instagram has also introduced Edits & Meta AI and have considered to focus on catalogues and introduced a bunch of new features,which may resulting in seperate algorithms to drive engagements for different types of media as well.   So it is better to use a mix of medias for your growth instead sticking to one media/platform