Let’s be honest: there’s no perfect replacement for Twitter, but if you’ve quit using it for some reason (and I can think of many), there are plenty of social apps worth using instead of constantly checking your timeline.
Twitter’s current situation – advertisers leaving, Nazis logging back in – gives us an opportunity to ask ourselves what we really want from a social network.
Social apps don’t have to be used just because they’re there and super attractive. Users, especially ad-supported services, need to get something out of their interactions. Whether that’s growing a following for a startup or connecting with people in a community of interest, social media should serve a function, not just take up time from your day.
Luckily, you have choices. Decentralized projects offer different experiences that aren’t subject to the whims of corporations, and less traditional social platforms might offer an entirely different set of interactions and experiences. But that’s okay. Twitter wasn’t perfect. While it was, and you could argue still is, essential for real-time event and news gathering, its most engaged users didn’t necessarily enjoy spending time there.
Here are some options to consider:
thread
Threads by Meta has established itself as one of the most popular and most practical Twitter alternative apps. Though the app was a bit lacking when it first launched in July 2023, Threads has slowly and steadily added requested features, such as trending lists and a desktop version.
One advantage Threads has over Twitter is its integration with Instagram: you can log in with your Instagram credentials, and the app knows who you’re already connected with, making it easy to find people to follow. Plus, you can cross-post to Threads from Instagram and Facebook.
Another advantage Threads has over Twitter is the platform’s integration with fediverse, a collection of social networks that run the ActivityPub protocol.
Threads is a great alternative to Twitter in almost every respect, though some may find it lags behind in news, sports, and pop culture events. It’s also worth noting that Meta stays away from politics.
It’s important to note that while Threads offers a basic Twitter-like experience, it doesn’t include features like long-form video, direct messaging, or live audio rooms.
Mastodon
Mastodon is one of the most talked about places for Twitter users to escape to, and for good reason.
The service is designed to decentralize authority and moderation decisions, eliminating concerns that a single person could set platform-wide rules on a whim.
Mastodon is a lot like Twitter, in that users can share real-time thoughts on their accounts and reshare other users’ posts, but that’s where the similarities end. Unlike traditional social networks, Mastodon is an open-source option, which means that instead of all users being in one big basket with one set of rules, you have to choose a server (a smaller basket) to join.
If you get bored or don’t like the moderation decisions, you can migrate elsewhere – you can still follow and interact with users on other servers, so the choice isn’t too daunting, but that decentralized spirit adds color to the whole experience.
As well as choosing your server, you can also choose which app you use to access the service on mobile. Mastodon is open source, which gives you more choice in every aspect, but the downside is that the extra steps can be annoying for those looking for an easier sign-up process.
That being said, if you’re tired of the sarcasm and abuse on Twitter, Mastodon is a lot calmer right now, and if this sounds even a little interesting to you, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Blue Sky
Bluesky is a fast-growing alternative to Twitter, developed in parallel with Twitter and spearheaded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Like Mastodon, Bluesky is focused on being a decentralized social network – giving people the tools they need to form their own communities.
Bluesky is ultimately a decentralized version of Twitter. The service allows users to post text and images, reply and repost, and send messages to users. However, unlike Twitter, Bluesky allows users to set up their own servers and choose their own algorithms if they wish. Bluesky also allows users to subscribe to independent moderation services, so they can decide how much content they want moderated.
New users have access to the app’s “Starter Pack” feature, which upon creating an account immediately creates a curated list of people to follow and a custom feed to find interesting content.
Like Threads, the app had very basic functionality when it first launched to the public in February, but Bluesky has since rolled out much-requested features, including native support for video and DMs.
discord
Discord doesn’t work exactly like Twitter, but hear me out: Discord is one of the best social apps out there.
The app was originally created to give gamers a better way to chat, but has since expanded far beyond its original vision. Like Mastodon, Discord doesn’t offer a giant “public square,” but servers based on topics or interests that anyone can join and interact with. Discord offers regular text chat within server-based channels, as well as seamless voice chat and other experiences like streaming your game to friends or queuing up YouTube videos together. Some of the most popular servers have hundreds of thousands of members, but you can also curate just one for your friends and family.
Through servers, Discord offers similar federation benefits as Mastodon, but without the open source element that scares some people off during onboarding. And Discord isn’t going away anytime soon: it’s a mature company with a vibrant user base and a sustainable business built around paid subscriptions. That kind of stability means a lot for social apps that have historically tended to disappear overnight.
The downside is that Discord is focused more on chat than on posts. The app’s Slack-like interface updates in real time, so on busy Discords, or those with hundreds of active members, it’s easy to lose track of conversations. It’s something to be aware of, as the company is aware of that and is actively building tools to enable asynchronous interactions.
Tumbler
While it may not be seen as an alternative to Twitter, there are some similarities between the two platforms that make it a contender worth keeping an eye on.
Tumblr is more of a microblogging site than a traditional social network, but like Twitter, it has a feed that shows posts from users you follow. On Tumblr, you can post content including images, GIFs, videos, and more. You can leave notes on posts that are similar to comments. You can also “like,” share, and repost content on the platform. Tumblr has a trending topics section like Twitter, and a chat feature that is similar to Twitter’s direct messages.
Tumblr is more flexible than Twitter and easier to set up and use. Tumblr is free to use, but you can choose an ad-free experience and additional features for $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year. Tumblr has survived despite changing owners multiple times, and it looks likely to continue to do so in the future, making it an ideal alternative to Twitter. Tumblr also has its own humorous and chaotic culture, which is a big part of its unique charm.