Instagram Story Templates - Ideas and Tools for Eye-Catching Stories

Tired of plain Instagram Stories? Templates are the best solution to add impact to your Stories. This article discusses the usage ideas and the top 7 downloaders, including Capcut, for downloading eye-catching Story templates for Instagram.

Instagram story template
CapCut
CapCut
Sep 1, 2025
12 min(s)

Instagram Story templates enable you to design eye-catching visuals that boost engagement and style. This article discusses the benefits and the top 7 free Instagram Story template downloaders, such as CapCut, Evanto Elements, Freepik, Canva, Adobe Express, Placeit, and VistaCreate. We will also compare these tools on various aspects by constructing a comparison table. Finally, the article will share the best Instagram Story templates and tips for making engaging Instagram Stories. CapCut is the number one tool for downloading and customizing Instagram Story templates because of features like the library of templates, creative visual effect options, and AI tools.

Table of content
  1. Benefits of using Instagram Story templates
  2. 7 Best free Instagram Story template downloaders
  3. Which platform is the best for making an Instagram story
  4. Top 5 Instagram Story template ideas with examples
  5. Tips for creating a perfect Instagram Story
  6. Conclusion
  7. FAQs

Benefits of using Instagram Story templates

Instagram Stories are short-lived posts that disappear after 24 hours, enabling users to share photos, videos, or text in fun and attractive ways. They are an essential tool for personal branding and audience engagement. Let's look at the benefits of Instagram Story templates:

  • Cohesive branding and aesthetics: Templates provide a uniform aesthetic with consistent fonts, colors, and layouts across your Stories, which improves the visual identity and allows your brand to become distinguishable by various types of viewers.
  • Faster design process: Professionally designed, customizable templates remove the need for design creation. You save time, without compromising on quality, because your content does not sacrifice a professional-looking aesthetic, even if you are not a designer. Plus, their appealing layouts encourage viewers to stop, watch, and interact, resulting in more shares and clicks.
  • Higher engagement and interaction: Professional templates capture viewers' attention more quickly than ordinary Stories. Plus, their appealing layouts encourage viewers to stop, watch, and interact, resulting in more shares and clicks.
  • Creative customization options: Templates offer customizable elements, like fonts, stickers, and filters, which you can adjust according to your style. This enables you to stay creative without too much effort.
  • Stand out from competitors: Due to their quick nature, tons of Instagram Stories are posted daily. Templates give a professional edge, which makes your story pop, standing out from the competitors.

These are the top benefits of Instagram Story templates. But what are the tools for downloading Instagram Stories? Stick around as the following parts discuss this and much more.

7 Best free Instagram Story template downloaders

CapCut

CapCut is a top-notch and adaptable video editing software that offers quality editing and AI capabilities. It is also a useful tool for customizing and downloading Instagram Story templates. CapCut has a large array of video templates that you can edit text and add audio to, and it will allow you to make great-looking Instagram Stories. You can also make edits to the template video, adding numerous visual aspects such as filters, effects, animations, and stickers for a more appealing aesthetic. So download CapCut now and use its editing features to create picture-perfect Instagram Stories.

Pros
  • CapCut provides an extensive range of Instagram Story video templates, making it easy to find the best designs for different moods and branding needs.
  • You can edit the text, images, and audio of the video template and add your unique twist for an Instagram Story.
  • Enhance your videos with a variety of visual effects and AI-powered features, like auto captions, background removal, and noise reduction.
  • CapCut offers a large stock of copyright-free music tracks that you can use for your Instagram Story.
Cons
  • Some advanced features require an active internet connection.

Steps to use CapCut for making Instagram Story templates

    STEP 1
  1. Select an Instagram video template

To start, open CapCut and create a new project. Next, click on the "Templates" option from the top-left menu. Browse through a variety of template categories, like "Memes," "New year," and "Vlogs," according to your requirements. Once selected, resize the template to the "9:16" Instagram Story ratio by clicking on the "Ratio" option just below the video.

Selecting an Instagram video template and resizing it in CapCut
    STEP 2
  1. Edit the template

To edit the template, click on customizable elements, like replacing text, images, and audio. Next, select from various effects, such as filters, stickers, and animations, to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your Story video.

Editing the video template for Instagram Story
    STEP 3
  1. Export the Instagram Story video

Once satisfied with the Instagram Story video, click the "Export" button in the top-right corner of the screen and select your desired format and resolution. Finally, click the "Export" button to save the video to your device.

Exporting the Instagram Story template from CapCut

Evanto Elements

Evanto Elements is a popular creative marketplace offering unlimited downloads of digital assets, including professional-quality Instagram Story templates. It provides professional-grade designs made by experienced creators, giving access to polished visuals. Its user-friendly platform allows for easy browsing and instant access to trending and customizable templates, helping users create eye-catching Instagram Stories in minutes.

Evanto Elements
Pros
  • Evanto Elements provides unlimited access to thousands of free Instagram templates.
  • Most templates are designed by professionals, ensuring superior quality and originality.
  • The platform comes with commercial licensing, allowing safe use of templates for business and promotional purposes.
Cons
  • Templates are static files, so you need external editing software to edit them.

Freepik

Freepik is an impressive platform for free and premium design assets, offering a variety of templates, including Story templates. Some of its unique and standout features include vector-based designs, editable PSDs, and professional-quality graphics, which can be customized further in tools such as Photoshop or Illustrator. Freepik provides both free and premium plans, enhancing flexibility.

Freepik
Pros
  • All Instagram Story templates are available in editable formats, making them customizable in professional-grade software.
  • Freepik offers trendy and creative graphics to give your Stories a modern look.
  • It frequently updates its library with new templates, ensuring users have access to fresh and trending designs.
Cons
  • Attribution is required for free downloads.

Canva

Canva is an efficient and user-friendly design platform. Users enjoy the drag-and-drop feature and the plethora of templates. What is special about Canva is that it allows you to edit the templates in Canva on either a web browser or a mobile app, using all of the editing features. It has excellent team collaboration features, so that you can work with your teams to develop and co-create Stories in real time.

Canva
Pros
  • Canva offers a vast library of Story templates, catering to various industries and themes.
  • The real-time collaboration features allow several users to edit and design together.
  • The platform contains stock photos, icons, and videos, saving time on external sourcing.
Cons
  • Some templates are overused, making the Stories look less original.

Adobe Express

Adobe Express is a streamlined design tool that focuses on quick and efficient content creation. It also offers a variety of Instagram Story templates made by experts, with the ability to customize the fonts, layouts, and colors. The thing that makes Adobe Express stand out is its seamless integration with Adobe Creative Cloud, providing access to premium fonts, brand kits, and syncing with popular Adobe design tools, like Photoshop or Illustrator.

Adobe Express
Pros
  • Adobe Express provides an extensive range of templates with Adobe's signature creative quality.
  • It provides brand kits to maintain consistent logos, fonts, and colors across various designs.
  • The built-in images and icons within the platform ensure fast content creation.
Cons
  • Advanced features and premium assets are locked behind a paywall.

Placeit

Placeit is a versatile design tool, known for its mockups and marketing templates. However, it also lets you download Instagram Story templates. You can also download video-based templates, which stand out in comparison to static templates. So, it's ideal for users looking to create engaging and visually appealing Instagram Stories.

Placeit
Pros
  • Placeit offers both static and animated video templates for more dynamic content.
  • It offers simple customization options, allowing you to edit text, fonts, or brand colors.
  • The tool contains a mockup generator, enabling you to highlight your Instagram Story designs on real device screens.
Cons
  • Placeit offers limited design flexibility.

VistaCreate

VistaCreate, formerly known as Crello, is a powerful design platform, specifically designed for downloading eye-catching templates for social media platforms, including Instagram Story layout templates. The thing that sets it apart from others is the presence of motion graphics, providing thousands of pre-made animated story layouts that quickly grab the viewers' attention. Other than this, it provides a stock library of photos, videos, and music, making it a perfect resource for downloading Instagram Stories.

VistaCreate
Pros
  • VistaCreate offers a vast library of Instagram Story templates for dynamic content.
  • Access a variety of built-in royalty-free stock photos, videos, and music to enhance your Instagram Stories.
  • It supports team collaboration, so multiple users can work on Instagram Stories in real-time.
Cons
  • The free plan offers limited templates and design assets.

Which platform is the best for making an Instagram story

Which platform is the best for making an Instagram story

Top 5 Instagram Story template ideas with examples

  • Product showcase template

These templates are ideal for new arrivals or best sellers, which focus on visuals with bold text overlays. For instance, a fashion brand could display its latest handbag collection with price tags and a clean layout to attract the audience and enhance conversions. CapCut provides some jewelry templates suitable for product display, such as skincare products, which also display product packaging, texture, and model usage scenarios.

CapCut's product template
  • Before-and-after transformation template

These templates are perfect for showing progress results or improvements in an engaging manner. For example, a fitness trainer could showcase a client's 30-day workout transformation with comparison panels side-by-side. CapCut's hair before-after video template shows a woman's hairstyle before and after comparison, allowing the audience to see the difference at a glance.

CapCut's hair before-after template
  • Poll interaction template

Poll interaction templates are designed to enhance interactions, encouraging users to vote, choose, or share their opinions. For example, CapCut's poll results video template shows how people think about engagement groups.

CapCut's poll results template
  • Behind-the-scenes Story template

These templates humanize your brand and make it more relatable by providing a peek into the everyday operations and events. For instance, a popular bakery could use these templates to share the behind-the-scenes moments of preparing pastries or frosting cakes. CapCut's behind-the-scenes video template showcases a shooting scene behind a video creation.

CapCut's behind-the-scenes template
  • Tutorial or step-by-step guide template

Ideal for educational or informative content, these templates break lengthy processes into simple steps. For example, a beauty influencer could demonstrate a "7-step skincare routine" using arrows, text, and visuals. CapCut's Matcha Aesthetic guide video template shows the steps to make a Matcha drink clearly.

CapCut's Matcha Aesthetic guide video template

Tips for creating a perfect Instagram Story

  • Use bold and consistent branding: Stick to a specific color palette, styles, and fonts, which reflect your brand identity. This is quite beneficial as it makes your story more recognizable. CapCut simplifies the process with customizable features and templates.
  • Add engaging visual effects: Filters, effects, and stickers grab the viewers' attention instantly in the fast-scrolling feed. Use them subtly to make your design attractive and clean. CapCut offers a variety of visual effects, like filters, effects, stickers, and animations, to enhance your design.
  • Keep the text short and readable: Instagram Stories disappear at once, so your message should be quick at a single glance. To keep the visual focus, use large fonts and minimal text. CapCut offers a variety of text editing options, like fonts, bold, text effects, and animations to enhance readability.
  • Leverage music or voiceovers: A good audio adds energy and emotion, which makes your Stories more memorable. Choose a suitable background or narrate to add context. CapCut allows you to add royalty-free music or record great voiceovers using its "Text to speech" feature.
  • Utilize interactive elements: Polls, questionnaires, and quizzes enhance audience participation while keeping the Stories interactive. So, add proper call-to-actions to guide viewers towards interaction. CapCut lets you design interactive layouts such as CTA stickers before uploading them to Instagram.

Conclusion

Using an Instagram Story template is an effective way to create quick and scroll-stopping Instagram templates without having to start from scratch. This article discussed the benefits and the top 7 Instagram Story template downloaders, such as CapCut, Evanto Elements, Freepik, Canva, Adobe Express, Placeit, and VistCreate, each offering its unique pros and cons. To create high-quality Instagram Stories, follow strategies such as maintaining consistent branding, incorporating visual effects, leveraging music, and utilizing interactive elements to maximize engagement. Among all these 7 tools, CapCut stands out as the best Instagram Story template downloader due to its impressive features, including an extensive template library, a variety of visual effects, and AI-powered features such as auto captions, background remover, and noise reduction. So, get CapCut now and utilize its advanced editing features to start designing Stories that make an impact.

FAQs

    1
  1. Do Instagram Story templates work for both personal and business accounts?

Yes, Instagram Story templates can be used for both personal and business accounts without any restrictions. Personal account users can create aesthetic templates, while business accounts can design branded promotions. Templates are quite beneficial as they maintain visual consistency and save a lot of time and effort, without compromising on quality. CapCut offers an extensive library of customizable Instagram Story templates, which you can use for personal and business Instagram accounts without copyright issues.

    2
  1. How can I create an Instagram Story template collage for free?

CapCut is one of the best free tools for creating Instagram Story template collages. It provides pre-design layouts, stickers, filters, and text effects to make unique Instagram Stories. You can create a collage by combining multiple photos, videos, and templates into a single Story, and then use transitions between them. Once done, you can export it in high quality and share it on Instagram.

    3
  1. Are Instagram Story templates compatible with mobile devices (Android and iOS)?

Yes, most Instagram Story templates are designed for both Android and iOS devices. Several apps and online platforms offer cross-platform compatibility, allowing you to use them from anywhere. Whether using a phone or a tablet, you can create and customize templates with ease. CapCut is available as software, online, and as an app, making its video templates easily accessible on mobile devices like Android and iOS.

Hot and trending