In Saudi Arabia, Snapchat’s potential advertising reach hit 25.3 million by late 2025, about 72.9% of the population, according to Communicate Online’s summary of DataReportal’s 2026 Saudi report. TikTok is larger. DataReportal’s Digital 2026 Saudi Arabia report shows 38.6 million TikTok users aged 18 and over in the country, and Statista reports that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the highest TikTok reach among adults of any country, at 154.3% and 134.6%.

A reach above 100% looks like a mistake, but Statista attributes it to duplicate and fake accounts and mismatches with census data. The figure counts accounts advertisers can reach, not unique people. The direction is still clear.

Snapchat is mostly a Saudi story

Dazed MENA reports that 90% of 13 to 34 year olds in Saudi Arabia use Snapchat, opening it about 50 times a day. Snap’s own executives explain this by culture. One told Al Arabiya English in 2023 that the app suits a society that places high importance on family values and privacy, and that messages disappear with no likes or comments. That is the company’s account, so it’s a partial answer at best.

The UAE looks different. Kolsquare’s 2026 guide puts Snapchat at 5.1 million UAE users, about 49% of adults. That is a lot, but well below Saudi levels. “Gulf” hides real gaps, and as Communicate Online notes, a cultural reference that works in Saudi Arabia can fail in the UAE, and Arabic and English creative need different treatment.

What Snapchat offers brands beyond reach

Snapchat’s pitch to advertisers is format as much as audience. One agency guide to Snapchat ads in the Gulf says AR lenses and filters give shoppers an interactive try-before-you-buy experience, and that the region is among the most enthusiastic AR markets in the world. It also calls Ramadan the peak Snapchat season, above all in Saudi Arabia. That is an agency’s view, but it matches the way the platform is used, as a place for quick personal updates and chats more than polished posts.

TikTok works in both markets

Wisdom IT Solutions’ UAE guide, which cites DataReportal, reports 11.3 million TikTok users aged 18 and over in the UAE, and that Dubai is the most-posted city on the platform. Daily use is heavy. The same guide estimates 85 minutes a day in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while Hovi Digital Lab cites 95 minutes in Saudi Arabia. Hovi also ties that to a young population, 70% under 35, with 99% smartphone penetration.

23HubLab’s 2026 GCC report adds that Arabic content drives 65% of high-engagement posts in Saudi Arabia, and that TikTok’s performance advertising tools have matured enough to measure ROAS directly. Both are agency claims.

Commerce is where the sources disagree

Selling inside TikTok is the most talked-about shift, and the least settled. Some agency guides say TikTok Shop launched in Saudi Arabia in 2023 or 2024. Seller-side trackers say otherwise. Ecomcrew reports that as of mid-2026 there was no local Seller Center in Saudi Arabia, and sellers could reach Saudi shoppers only through cross-border sellers. Ebrun reported in August 2026, citing unnamed sources, that a Saudi launch is planned for the first quarter of 2027. DPL’s country list found no confirmed launch for the UAE either.

Either way, the opportunity is real. Ebrun puts Saudi e-commerce penetration at only around 10%, with beauty sales rising 300% month on month during Ramadan. Entering the market takes SASO product certification and 15% VAT.

Attention is not the same as budget

Hovi Digital Lab says Snapchat typically gets 5 to 10% of paid social spend in the GCC, while Meta and Google absorb 70 to 80%, and that Snapchat CPCs run 50 to 70% lower than Meta. Meta is also getting pricier. 23HubLab reports average GCC Meta CPMs rising from $7.20 in 2024 to about $8.40 in 2026, with Ramadan CPMs often above $14 to $18. Attention and cost peak at the same time of year, so Ramadan planning starts early.

What changes for marketers

Three things follow from the sources. Budgets are still weighted toward Meta and Google, so the cheaper attention on Snapchat and TikTok is the gap most likely to close. Plans built for “the GCC” will underperform, because Snapchat is a Saudi-first channel and TikTok is strong in both markets. And automation doesn’t remove the need for local judgment. Communicate Online argues that AI can optimise bids and audiences, but the marketer still has to decide strategy and understand why a reference works in one country and fails in another.