The TikTok ban isn’t happening — for now. But the threat of the wildly popular app disappearing, combined with a fraught political atmosphere on other platforms, has people looking for alternatives. And there are plenty. At this point, it’s hard to tell which ones will rise to the top (and by the time you read this, there may be 10 more contenders!) But here are a few we’re watching.
Bluesky
https://bsky.app
Users: More than 27 million
An open-source alternative to X/Twitter, Bluesky switches things up with its decentralized approach. That means users can host their own versions of the platform or customize their feeds and moderation settings. Bluesky saw major growth in the weeks following the U.S. election as a major migration from X took place. Brands are following, too, with Duolingo, Netflix and Hulu establishing footholds. Take a deeper dive.
Threads
https://www.threads.net
Users: 300 million
Meta’s own version of a Twitter-like platform, Threads was introduced to general indifference in 2023. But don’t count it out. As of late 2024, it boasts 300 million monthly international users; however, the number of daily active users is much lower, somewhere in the 30+ million range. And, as with X, a politically driven backlash towards Meta is causing many to delete the app.
Pixelfed
https://pixelfed.org
Users: 275k
And speaking of a Meta backlash, some people are looking for an alternative to Instagram (which Meta owns). Say hello to the user-funded Pixelfed, a free, ad-free and open-source decentralized photo sharing social media platform. It’s very similar to Instagram — or maybe the Instagram of a decade ago. It also offers a method to import your old Insta posts, which is nice.
Lemon8
https://www.lemon8-app.com/en-US
Users: 5 million (monthly active users)
The TikTok ban was postponed for the moment, with the new U.S. president giving it a 75-day extension. Prior to that news, many TikTok users were migrating over to the similarly styled Lemon8 — a confusing move since Lemon8 is owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance. So, whether it would withstand the ban remains to be seen. But its combo of Pinterest-style features and interactivity has been appealing to many users.
RedNote (Xiaohongshu)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rednote-share-connect-love/id741292507
Users: 300 million (primarily in China)
Another possible TikTok replacement? Oh wait, this one is also owned by ByteDance. Xiaohongshu / RedNote saw a huge leap in users as the potential TikTok ban approached, becoming the no. 1 free app in the U.S. But when the ban was postponed, use plummeted. Still, RedNote could be worth keeping an eye on if TikTok disappears again.
Neptune
https://theneptuneapp.com/#follow-us
Users: None (yet)
How about a TikTok alternative that’s not actually owned by TikTok’s parent company? Say hello to Neptune. While the app hasn’t actually launched yet, some insiders are saying it could be the next big thing, thanks to a customizable algorithm and so-called ghost metrics, which don’t prioritize follower count. “Neptune isn’t just another social media platform,” the app claims. “It’s a bold reimagining of what social media can be.” In 2025, a reimagining may be just the ticket.
Tyler Wilcox
Tyler Wilcox : September 14, 2023
