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Quick answer
Reels usually win on reach, and carousels win on engagement and saves. Buffer's analysis of 4M+ posts found Reels got 1.36x the reach of carousels, but carousels got 1.12x the engagement. Fanpage Karma's 2026 study found Reels led reach at every account size. Socialinsider's 2026 benchmarks found carousels had the highest engagement rate (0.55% against 0.52%). Use Reels to be found and carousels to be saved.
Reach: Reels win in most studies
1.36x
More reach for Reels than carousels (median)
4.9% vs 2.6%
Reach per follower, Reels vs carousels, accounts under 10K followers
+13%
More reach for carousels than Reels: the one study that found the opposite
Two big datasets agree that Reels reach more people, and Fanpage Karma's 2026 study found Reels reached more non-followers at every account size. Fanpage Karma's own 2025 study had found the reverse, which tells you how much results move with the period and the accounts in the sample. Buffer also notes carousels used to win on reach before mid-2022, around when Instagram started treating all videos as Reels.
Engagement and saves: carousels win
| Study | What it measured | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Socialinsider (35M posts, 2025) | Engagement rate per follower | Carousels 0.55%, Reels 0.52%, images 0.37% |
| Buffer (4M+ posts, 2022 to 2024) | Median engagement | Carousels 1.12x Reels |
| Socialinsider (50K to 100K followers) | Saves per post | Carousels 35, Reels 22 |
| Metricool (24M posts, early 2026) | Saves vs single images | Carousels 9x |
| Eden (655K carousels, 2025 to 2026) | Likes vs the creator's usual post | Nearly tied: carousels 27.1%, Reels 26.4% |
Reels draw more comments in both Socialinsider's data (at every account size) and Eden's 2026 carousel study (2.7 comments per 100 likes against 1.8 for carousels). People save carousels and talk under Reels.
Every one of these studies measures something slightly different, so we put them side by side in 8 carousel studies compared.
So each format does a different job
Post a Reel when…
You want new people to find you. That is what the reach data says Reels are best at.
Post a carousel when…
You want people to save, learn from and trust you: the engagement and saves data.
Carousels also suit anyone who does not want to film: they run on words. That is why they suit professionals in their 30s and 40s, whose advantage is what they know.
Do both from one idea
- Write the carousel first: hook, points, summary, ask.
- Post the carousel for your followers to save.
- Film a short Reel saying the hook and the best point, and end with "the full list is in my last post", so new people find it.
One idea, two formats, each doing the job the data says it is good at. The words are the hard part, and you write them once. The studio turns them into slides.
FAQ
Are carousels better than Reels for reach?
Usually not. Buffer found Reels got 1.36x the reach of carousels, and Fanpage Karma's 2026 study found Reels led reach at every account size. One 2025 study found the opposite.
Do carousels get more engagement than Reels?
In most studies, yes. Socialinsider found a 0.55% engagement rate for carousels against 0.52% for Reels, and Buffer found carousels got 1.12x the engagement.
Do carousels get more saves than Reels?
Yes, in Socialinsider's data: accounts with 50K to 100K followers averaged 35 saves per carousel against 22 per Reel.
Should I stop making Reels?
No. Reels are the better format for reaching new people. Use Reels to be found and carousels to be saved.
Are carousels good if I don't want to be on camera?
Yes. A carousel is words and design, so expertise carries it. See carousels for professionals in their 30s and 40s.