TikTok has suffered security and privacy concerns while it has come under the glare of government scrutiny. In fact, there’s reason to doubt whether it will continue to be a viable service.
The good news is that it isn’t the only short-form social media video platform out there. Here are the eight best alternative apps you can use instead so you don’t get caught up in the drama.
Best for Original Content: Snapchat
Snapchat is another platform that was doing the video thing long before TikTok had its moment. The app lets you create short videos, though they’re designed to disappear after a short time, so they don’t have the same staying power or impact as a TikTok video, but it does offer significantly more privacy. Snapchat allows you to add text, doodles, and gifs to your video creations.
Videos up to 60 seconds.
Can edit with text and doodles.
Can watch Snap Originals.
Can’t edit multiple clips.
In addition to making your own Snaps, the app has a Discover page for watching other people’s videos and Snap Originals, which are premium videos created expressly for Snapchat users. While not exactly TikTok fare, they include unscripted shows, docuseries, and even serialized dramas and comedies.
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Most Powerful Video Editor: Funimate
Funimate would be a little more fun if it didn’t lean so hard into trying to monetize you. When you install the app you get the option to customize the ad experience, and many of the app’s core features are behind a paywall. In fact, you’re offered the opportunity to upgrade to the Pro version frequently, and you need to watch ads to use certain features.
Powerful video editor.
Filters and effects.
Built-in templates.
Heavy-handed ads and in-app purchases.
If you can put all that aside, Funimate is a great short-form video creator, as evidenced by many of the sophisticated-looking creator-community videos you can browse within the app.
Indeed, when you try to create a video, you find that you can just start recording, or choose from a slew of templates to make your video distinctive. Yes, many of them look like effects from a video yearbook, but they add a splash of excitement to what might otherwise be an ordinary lip-synch video. You can select from Funimate’s music library or your own songs, and it’s one of the few apps that has its own surprisingly powerful video editor, if you choose to use it.
Alternative with the Largest User Base: Instagram Reels
Instagram is no newcomer to the social media world, and users have been able to post videos for years. You have the option to post live videos, add video to an Instagram Story, and now there’s a new feature called Instagram Reels.
Same effects available in Stories.
Can string together clips.
Augmented reality creates excellent effects.
Finding Reels is challenging.
Reels lets you record and edit video montages up to 60 seconds long made from a single video or a series of clips. You can add a soundtrack from a library of options and add a suite of visual effects.
Finding Instagram Reels in the first place is a challenge, and unless you use it all the time, you’ll probably forget it’s there. Once you find it, though, it works roughly the same as TikTok and it’s a good alternative since it shares the same effects and editing tools as Instagram Stories. In addition, you can explore Reel’s augmented reality tools that combine graphics with video.
Best for Celebrity Content: Triller
Triller is popular and growing fast, thanks in part to a number of celebrities, both musicians and comedians, who call it home. There’s an enormous number of celebs here, including Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart, Cardi B, and a boxing match featuring Mike Tyson. Between the big names and enormous community of creators, there’s no shortage of content.
Lots of celebrity content.
Super easy video creation.
Select music or use your own.
Limited editing and effects.
That might be because the app is so easy to use. It distinguishes between music videos and social videos, and you choose which kind you’re making right at the outset.
From there, social videos can include video clips from your camera roll and filters, but no other effects, text or stickers. To make a music video, you select a track from Triller’s generous library or a song from your phone. It’s fast, easy, and fun.
From the Creators of Vine: Huddles
Remember Byte? Huddles is brought to you by the folks behind that once-popular video app that made six-second videos, and it has a simple almost-TikTok-like interface for creating short looping videos.
Lot of community content.
Easy to create and post.
Solid music library.
No video editing or filters.
You can import videos you’ve already made or record within the app, which has a super-helpful fuel gauge at the top of the screen that fills in spurts as you record your clips. You can add text and music, but you can’t edit a clip once it’s recorded, nor does it offer anything in the way of filters.
Huddles has what appears to be a thriving community, and you can subscribe to a huge variety of video channels with themes like comedy, Minecraft, K-pop, and, well, many more.
An Alternative That Covers All the Bases: Likee
If you’re looking for something that covers all the bases, Likee is a good choice. It makes it easy to record short, TikTok-like videos, but you can also go live and do Facebook Live-style long-form video.
TikTok like interface.
Magic Music filter helps edit clip to music.
Excellent community and lots of videos.
Too many notifications.
You get a slew of editing and filter options, soft focus and beauty enhancements, as well as a countdown timer for hands-free recording. One of the nicest features in Likee, though, is the app’s emphasis on music. Not only is there a solid library to choose from, but the music filters can edit your clip in response to the music’s beat and tempo.
The app has a thriving community and a lot of content to browse, so whether you’re creating or consuming, there’s something here for you.
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