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TikTok was once a strange new app that Zoomers couldn’t get enough of. Now it’s being debated at the highest levels of government. Unfortunately, that very thing has put it in danger of being banned unless it’s divested.
If that happens, here are 9 TikTok alternatives to help you deal with Tok withdrawal.
Snapchat Spotlight
Spotlight is the way to go if you’re in the market for entertaining but simple video content. Instead of just vomiting out everything, Spotlight keeps things light and humorous. Parents looking to keep their kids from news or politics will find the feed refreshingly devoid of those topics.
The truth is the app hasn’t been great at attracting older users and, consequently the comments section of the app isn’t as entertaining or diverse as one might get on Instagram or YouTube.
Zigazoo
Zigazoo markets itself as an app “For Parents By Parents” that “understands the concerns” a parent might have over their kids’ access to social media. Zigazoo says it’s designed with “expertise in child development and education.”
Users browse through videos or make their own based on educational prompts, and like TikTok you can use filters, effects, and sounds. It’s considered safer than most apps because it lacks a comments feature and boasts stricter moderation. If you’re looking for something with a bit more peace of mind for your children, this one might be for you.
Fanbase
Fanbase is a combination of several popular apps with a subscription-based service. The app is free but if you want access to a subscriber’s exclusive content you have to pay $4.99 a month.
The app has a feature called “Flickz” which is essentially a TikTok lite. There’s a discovery feed and a “for you” feed, and the app was created to amplify Black voices and creators. The app is also ad-free and claims it will never shadowban users or suppress content.
When you’re thinking TikTok clones, Reddit probably isn’t anywhere in the conversation. However, the app has a very entertaining and robust video feed with lots of viral video content and as always, that healthy Reddit content section.
The main difference is that these videos aren’t coming directly from the people who created, rather reposted videos that are part of the ongoing viral conversation. Despite it not being as hyper focused in terms of content, it’s a good way to get that daily video fix.
YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts are one of the closest things to TikTok around, and that’s by design. This one runs pretty smoothly, because it’s tethered to one of the most successful social media ventures of all time. In fact, one could say that TikTok wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for YouTube paving the way.
YouTube Shorts also has access to YouTube’s huge library of music, while TikTok is struggling due to an ongoing fight with Universal Music Group over royalties.
Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels were introduced in 2020 purportedly to create short videos on the platform, but it’s pretty much just a TikTok clone in a different skin. It’s also probably the most popular clone out there and it often mirrors TikTok’s content.
One thing that’s clear when using Reels, however, is that the Instagram Reels don’t quite have the elegance of TikTok ones in terms of curation, so the videos you get aren’t going to give you that same sense of satisfaction you get from TikTok, which can give you something you didn’t even know you wanted.
Triller
Triller has been around since 2015 but in the wake of the TikTok ban it’s positioning itself as a promising alternative should that ban ever come to fruition. It has a proprietary video editing software that makes for easy sharing, there are a lot of musicians on the platform and it boasts one of the best AI music sync technologies, allowing for the ease of making your own music videos.
By offering something different, Triller could certainly become the next big app, especially since it recently completed a merge with AGBA worth a reported $4 billion.
Likee
Likee was launched in 2017 and quickly became very popular. It’s based in Singapore and is actually pushing technology forward in terms of video creation and editing. It uses 4D editing, allowing for changes to things like background, hair color and face shape, and it bakes AR technology into the editing software. It also has a healthy live-streaming component that works very well.
There are also some questions about its safety toward kids. Just something to be aware of.
Lemon8
Lemon8 comes from TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, so at least it has that going for it. Think of it as a Pinterest meets Instagram type of app, with the ability to do microblogging and Instagram-like aesthetics posts. There’s a ton of customization and the ability to stretch out a long post like the Tumblr period of the Internet.