The best Twitter alternatives worth checking out

We’ll be straight with you. There’s no 1:1 Twitter replacement, but there are plenty of social apps that might be worth substituting into your obsessive timeline-checking routines if you’re done with Twitter for whatever reason (we can think of plenty).

Twitter’s current situation — advertisers leaving, Nazis logging back on — presents an opportunity to check in with ourselves about what we really want out of a social network.

We don’t just have to use social apps because they’re there, and they’re really sticky. Users should get something out of the exchange, particularly on ad-supported services. Whether that means building a following for your fledgling business or connecting with people in communities you care about, social media should serve a function — not just drain away the hours in the day.

Happily, there are options. Decentralized projects offer different experiences that are less beholden to corporate whims, while less traditional social platforms might serve up a totally different set of interactions and experiences. But that’s OK. Twitter wasn’t perfect, and while it was and arguably still is pretty essential for real-time events and news-gathering, its most engaged users didn’t always enjoy spending time there.

Here are some options to consider.

Threads

Meta’s Threads has cemented itself as one of the most popular and viable Twitter alternatives out there. Although the app was a bit scarce when it first launched in July 2023, Threads has slowly but surely been adding requested features, such as trending lists and a desktop version.

One advantage that Threads has over Twitter is its integration with Instagram. You can log in with your Instagram credentials, and it’s easy to find people to follow because the app knows who you’re already connected with. Plus, you can cross-post from Instagram and Facebook to Threads.

Another advantage that Threads has over Twitter is the platform’s integration with the fediverse, which is a collection of social networks running the ActivityPub protocol.

While Threads is a great Twitter alternative in almost all aspects, some may find that it lags behind on news, sports, and pop culture events. It’s worth noting that Meta has also distanced itself and its platforms from politics.

It’s worth noting that while Threads offers a basic Twitter-like experience, it doesn’t include features such as long video, direct messages, or live audio rooms.

Mastodon

Mastodon is one of the most-discussed homes for fleeing Twitter users — and with good reason.

The service is designed in a way that decentralizes power and moderation decisions, obviating the concerns about one person setting platform-wide rules based on a whim.

Mastodon works a lot like Twitter, allowing users to share real-time thoughts to an account and reshare posts by others. But that’s mostly where the similarities end. Unlike traditional social networks, Mastodon is an open source option, which means that rather than all users being in one big basket with one set of rules, you’ll need to select a server (smaller basket) to join.

If you get sick of it or disagree with those moderation decisions, you can migrate elsewhere. You can still follow and interact with people on other servers so you don’t need to agonize too much over that choice, but that decentralized ethos colors the whole experience.

Like a choice of server, you’ll also have a choice of which app to use on mobile. Mastodon’s open source nature means you’ve got more choice all around, but the downside is that the extra steps might be off-putting to people who want a more straightforward sign-up process.

That said, if you’re tired of the cynicism and harassment on Twitter, the vibe on Mastodon is pretty chill right now. If any of this sounds interesting, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Bluesky

Bluesky is a fast-growing alternative to Twitter and was developed in parallel with Twitter and spearheaded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Like Mastodon, Bluesky is all about the decentralized social network — that is, giving people the tools they need to form their own communities.

Bluesky is ultimately a decentralized version of Twitter. The service lets you post text and images, reply and repost, and message users. However, unlike Twitter, Bluesky lets you set up your own server if you want and pick your own algorithm. Bluesky also lets you decide how much or little you want your content moderated, as it lets you subscribe to independent moderation services.

New users get access to the app’s “Starter Pack” feature, which creates a curated list of people and custom feeds to follow in order to find interesting content as soon as you create an account.

Like Threads, the app was pretty bare bones when it first launched to the public in February, but Bluesky has since rolled out many requested features, such as native support for videos and DMs.

Discord

Discord doesn’t really work like Twitter at all, but hear us out: It’s one of the best social apps around.

The app was originally created to give gamers a better way to chat, but since then it has expanded well beyond that initial vision. Like Mastodon, Discord doesn’t offer a giant “public square,” instead offering topic and interest-based servers that anyone can join and hang out in. Discord offers regular text chat within its server-based channels, as well as seamless voice chat and some other experiences, like streaming a game to friends or queueing up YouTube videos together. Some of the most popular servers have hundreds of thousands of members, but you could also just curate one for friends or family.

Through servers, Discord offers some of the same federation benefits as Mastodon without the open source stuff that spooks some people during onboarding. And Discord isn’t going anywhere anytime soon: It’s a mature company with a thriving user base and a sustainable business built around paid subscriptions. That kind of stability goes a long way for social apps, which historically are prone to fizzling out and vanishing overnight.

The downside is that Discord is more about chatting than posting. The app’s Slack-like interface refreshes in real time and in a busy Discord, or even one with a few hundred active members, it’s easy to lose track of conversations fast. The company knows that and is actively building more tools that enable asynchronous interactions, so that’s something to watch out for.

Tumblr

Although you may not see it as an alternative to Twitter, there are some similarities between the two platforms that make it a notable contender.

Even though Tumblr teeters more toward a microblogging site than a traditional social network, it features a feed that displays posts from people you follow in a similar way to Twitter. Tumblr lets you post content with images, GIFs, videos, and more. You can leave notes on a post, which are similar to comments. You can also like, share, and repost content on the platform. Tumblr also has a trending topics section like Twitter, and it has a chat feature that’s similar to direct messages on Twitter.

Tumblr offers more flexibility than Twitter, while being easy to set up and use. You can use Tumblr for free or opt for an ad-free experience with additional features for $4.99 per month or $39.99 a year. Given Tumblr’s ability to stay alive despite its fair share of changing ownership, we don’t think it’s going anywhere, which makes it an ideal alternative to Twitter. It’s also a place with its own unique humor and a chaotic culture that’s a massive part of Tumblr’s unique appeal.