As the clock winds down toward TikTok's potential ban, we've compiled a list of the most realistic alternative short-form platforms for both creators and viewers.
The countdown to the TikTok ban continues
It's 2025 and TikTok's fate in the United States is still undecided. The Biden administration had told the company in April 2024 that it would need to divest its ownership within nine months, or the app would face a ban.
The deadline, set for January 19, is rapidly approaching. And, should the ban hold up, millions of TikTok creators and viewers are going to be left in the lurch.
That's why we've taken the time to compile a list of the most viable alternatives to TikTok.
If you're in the US, chances are you're probably at least aware of Instagram, if not already an avid user. Established in 2010, Instagram is one of the larger social media platforms and boasts over 2.4 billion active users worldwide -- that's about one-fourth of the world's active internet users.
In 2020, Instagram launched a feature called Instagram Reels, the platform's take on short-form video. Many established TikTok content creators already cross-post to Instagram, so the switch could prove to be relatively easy.
For creators looking to move to Instagram, it's worth noting a couple of differences in video length. If you're recording content directly from the Instagram app, videos are limited to 90 seconds long. If you choose to upload content from your phone, you can go as long as 15 minutes.
TikTok, for comparison, allows users to record up to 10 minutes worth of content to post directly from the TikTok app. Uploaded content, however, can be up to 60 minutes in length.
Like TikTok, Instagram also allows you to share content that disappears after 24 hours to your stories. You can also "go live" on Instagram to interact with viewers in real time.
YouTube
Like Instagram, YouTube launched its own short-form section in 2021. YouTube Shorts are short, vertically-oriented videos you watch on your phone, just like TikTok.
Currently, YouTube Shorts are limited to 3 minutes in length. Additionally, YouTube's content rules are much stricter than other platforms. Shorts between one minute and three minutes in length are subjected to the same Content ID system as full-length YouTube videos -- so you'll want to limit or exclude any copyrighted content.
Twitch
Twitchdefinitely isn't a one-to-one swap for TikTok, but it is still worth mentioning here. If you're someone who enjoys watching live content online, it's hard to beat Twitch.
And sure, while most of Twitch's content is centered around gaming, there's a growing base of users that provide alternative content. You'll be able to find lifestyle, arts and crafts, cooking content, and more on Twitch.
Snapchat
Snapchatboasts 443 million active users worldwide daily, which means there's hardly a shortage of content to watch on the platform. In fact, the platform is so popular that TikTok and Instagram have both added in the 24-hour time limit for their "Stories" features.
However, Snapchat's target audience tends to skew younger, with most users falling between 18 and 24. This makes the platform somewhat less appealing to those who are older than the target demographic.
Snapchat does have a TikTok or Reels-like feature, dubbed "Snapchat Spotlights." However, according to Snapchat's terms of service, the company is ending the rewards program that allowed users to be paid revenue for spotlight snaps that did especially well. This will make it a far less likely alternative as creators are unlikely to move to platforms where revenue isn't guaranteed.
The Spotlight Rewards program will terminate on January 31, 2025.
Lemon8
As it turns out, even TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has a TikTok alternative. Lemon8 isn't a one-to-one recreation of TikTok. Instead, it seems to take inspiration from TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest.
However, Lemon8 describes itself as being "powered by TikTok." Because of this, and because it's owned by ByteDance, it leads us to believe it would likely become the subject of a future ban, should it gain enough popularity.
RedNote
It's worth mentioning that there is currently a mass exodus from TikTok to RedNote. RedNote is a social networking app that hails from China, where it is called Xiaohongshu. RedNote was launched in China in 2013, and according to Financial Times, is worth over $17 billion.
The app functions somewhere between Pinterest and TikTok, and many people refer to RedNote as a Chinese version of Instagram. Like many social media platforms, RedNote focuses on short-form content.
RedNote is primarily in Chinese, so it's not the easiest to use if you don't speak -- or read -- Chinese. Like Lemon8, one also wonders if RedNote would suffer the same fate as TikTok, should it arise as a viable alternative.