The average TikTok save rate across all content is 0.48% of views, but top-performing educational content reaches save rates above 3.8%. Saves are the most heavily weighted engagement signal in TikTok's recommendation algorithm — carrying an estimated 4-5 times the algorithmic value of a like — making this metric the clearest indicator of whether your content delivers lasting value to viewers.
Key Findings
A save on TikTok means a viewer found your content valuable enough to bookmark for later. Unlike a like (which can be reflexive) or a comment (which can be driven by controversy), a save represents genuine utility or emotional resonance. TikTok's algorithm recognizes this distinction and rewards saved content with significantly broader distribution.
Here are the 2026 TikTok save rate benchmarks:
| Performance Tier | Save Rate (% of Views) | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 2.0%+ | Top 5% of content; expect strong algorithmic push |
| Good | 1.0% – 1.99% | Top 20%; content delivers clear value |
| Average | 0.35% – 0.99% | Middle 50%; room for improvement |
| Below Average | 0.15% – 0.34% | Bottom 25%; content is consumed but not retained |
| Low | Under 0.15% | Bottom 5%; content lacks re-reference value |
Key insights from the data:
- Saves carry disproportionate algorithmic weight. Internal testing and creator experiments consistently show that a single save moves the distribution needle more than 4-5 likes. TikTok interprets saves as a signal that content has lasting value, not just momentary appeal.
- Save rates vary by a factor of 10x across niches. Education and tutorial content averages 1.92% save rates, while pure entertainment averages 0.19%. This does not mean entertainment is worse — it means the metrics that matter differ by content type.
- Save rate correlates more strongly with follower growth than any other engagement metric. Creators with consistently high save rates grow followers 2.4 times faster than creators with equivalent like rates but lower saves.
See how your save rate compares to these benchmarks -->
TikTok Save Rate Benchmarks — Primary Data
By niche
Content category is the single largest determinant of save rate. Viewers save content they want to reference later — recipes to cook, workouts to follow, tips to implement, places to visit. Pure entertainment content, while it may generate millions of views, rarely gets saved because its value is in the immediate viewing experience.
| Niche | Avg. Save Rate | Top 10% Save Rate | Primary Save Motivation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education/Tutorials | 1.92% | 4.21% | Reference for later learning |
| Finance/Business Tips | 1.68% | 3.84% | Actionable advice to implement |
| Recipes/Cooking | 1.54% | 3.52% | Save to cook later |
| Travel/Destinations | 1.41% | 3.18% | Trip planning and wishlists |
| Fitness/Workout | 1.33% | 2.87% | Exercise routines to follow |
| DIY/Home | 1.22% | 2.64% | Project instructions |
| Fashion/Style | 0.78% | 1.86% | Outfit inspiration |
| Beauty/Skincare | 0.71% | 1.74% | Product recommendations |
| Motivation/Quotes | 0.52% | 1.31% | Emotional bookmarking |
| Pets/Animals | 0.31% | 0.82% | Sharing favorites |
| Comedy/Skits | 0.19% | 0.58% | Rewatching favorites |
| Dance/Music | 0.14% | 0.43% | Learning choreography |
The gap between average and top 10% save rates within each niche reveals significant optimization potential. An education creator averaging 1.92% could push toward 4%+ by studying what separates their most-saved content from the rest.
What drives saves in high-performing niches:
- Listicle structure. "5 tools every photographer needs" or "3 exercises for lower back pain" — numbered content creates an implicit promise of reference value.
- Step-by-step format. Content that walks through a process gives viewers a reason to return.
- Specificity over generality. "How to remove coffee stains from white linen" gets saved; "cleaning tips" does not.
Creators in lower-save niches should not chase save rates at the expense of their content identity. For comedy creators, shares and completion rate matter more. Understanding which metrics drive distribution in your specific niche is essential.
By follower count
Save rate also varies by account size, though the pattern differs from other engagement metrics. While overall engagement rate drops steadily as accounts grow, save rate follows a more nuanced curve.
| Follower Tier | Avg. Save Rate | Save as % of Total Engagement |
|---|---|---|
| Nano (1K-10K) | 0.85% | 9.1% |
| Micro (10K-50K) | 0.66% | 11.1% |
| Mid-Tier (50K-200K) | 0.43% | 11.3% |
| Macro (200K-1M) | 0.31% | 11.7% |
| Mega (1M+) | 0.22% | 11.8% |
While the absolute save rate declines with follower count (as all engagement metrics do), the proportional share of saves within total engagement actually increases as accounts grow. For mega accounts, saves represent 11.8% of all engagements compared to 9.1% for nano accounts. This suggests that larger audiences engage more selectively — when they do interact, they are more likely to save than to leave a casual like.
This has practical implications for monetization. Brand partners increasingly request save rate data alongside standard engagement metrics because a save indicates purchase intent or genuine interest — exactly the kind of engagement that translates to conversions.
TikTok Save Rate Benchmarks — Extended Data
How Saves Influence the Algorithm
TikTok's recommendation algorithm uses a weighted engagement model where different actions carry different values. Based on extensive creator testing and platform behavior analysis, the estimated algorithmic weight hierarchy in 2026 is:
| Engagement Action | Estimated Algorithmic Weight | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Save/Bookmark | 5x baseline | Strongest intentional signal |
| Share (to DM or external) | 4x baseline | Indicates content worth spreading |
| Comment | 3x baseline | Active engagement requires effort |
| Complete View + Replay | 2.5x baseline | Passive but strong quality signal |
| Complete View | 2x baseline | Viewer chose to stay |
| Like | 1x baseline | Low-effort positive signal |
| Partial View (50%+) | 0.5x baseline | Moderate interest |
| Skip (under 2s) | Negative signal | Content did not resonate |
Saves sit at the top of this hierarchy because they represent the most deliberate form of engagement. A viewer must consciously decide to tap the bookmark icon, which requires more intention than double-tapping to like. TikTok's algorithm interprets this intentionality as a reliable quality signal.
The practical effect: a video that receives 500 saves and 2,000 likes will typically receive more algorithmic distribution than a video with 100 saves and 10,000 likes, all else being equal. This is why many experienced creators optimize for saves above all other metrics.
Save Rate Trends Over Time
Save behavior on TikTok has increased year over year as the platform has made the bookmark feature more prominent:
| Year | Platform Avg. Save Rate | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0.38% | — |
| 2025 | 0.43% | +13.2% |
| 2026 | 0.48% | +11.6% |
The growth in save rates reflects two trends: viewers are becoming more familiar with the save feature, and creators are getting better at producing save-worthy content. TikTok has also made saves more accessible by placing the bookmark icon more prominently in the interface and introducing save-to-collection functionality that encourages organized bookmarking.
For creators working toward TikTok monetization, understanding save rates is directly relevant. The Creator Rewards Program factors engagement quality into payment calculations, and saves contribute disproportionately to the "quality engagement" score that determines RPM. Use our RPM Calculator to see how different engagement profiles affect your per-view earnings.
Methodology
The save rate data in this analysis is compiled from 1.6 million TikTok videos published between November 2025 and January 2026, across 28,000 creator accounts spanning 12 primary content verticals.
Data collection and definitions:
- Save rate calculation: Number of saves (bookmarks) divided by total views, expressed as a percentage. A save rate of 1.0% means 1 save per 100 views.
- Source data: Anonymized analytics data shared by 3,800 creators through our research program, supplemented by third-party analytics platform aggregations and publicly visible save counts on posts.
- Niche classification: Each account was categorized into a primary niche based on its dominant content type (determined by hashtag analysis and content classification). Accounts spanning multiple niches were classified by their highest-volume category.
- Follower tier assignment: Based on follower count at the time of posting. Accounts that crossed tier boundaries during the measurement period were assigned to the tier where they spent the majority of the period.
- Algorithmic weight estimates: The weight hierarchy table is derived from controlled creator experiments (A/B testing content variations), platform behavior observation, and published statements from TikTok about engagement signal importance. These are directional estimates, not official TikTok figures.
Exclusions: Promoted and sponsored content, videos under 500 views, and accounts exhibiting patterns consistent with artificial engagement inflation were removed from the dataset.
Limitations: Save data is only visible to the creator through their analytics dashboard — save counts shown publicly on videos may differ from the analytics-reported figure in some cases. Our sample may over-represent creators who actively monitor analytics, as these are the creators most likely to participate in research programs.
Calculate Your Own Numbers
Knowing the benchmarks is step one. The real value comes from measuring your own save rate and taking action based on where you fall.
The TikTok Save Rate Calculator takes your video views and save counts, calculates your save rate, and compares it to benchmarks for your niche and follower tier. If you are above average, the calculator highlights what is working. If you are below, it identifies the gap and suggests focus areas.
Strategies for improving your save rate:
- Create content with re-reference value. Ask yourself: will someone need to come back to this video? If the answer is no, the content is consumable but not saveable.
- Use text overlays that invite saves. Lists, steps, and statistics displayed as on-screen text give viewers a concrete reason to bookmark — they want to remember the information.
- Add a CTA for saves. A simple "save this for later" or "bookmark this so you don't forget" at the end of a video can increase save rates by 18-25% based on creator testing.
- Study your most-saved content. In your TikTok analytics, sort by saves and identify patterns. What format, topic, or structure drives saves for your specific audience?
Your save rate, combined with your completion rate and overall engagement metrics, paints a complete picture of content quality. Explore all of our engagement benchmarks and data to build a comprehensive understanding of where your content stands and where it can improve.