TikTok Alternatives People Are Actually Using

With TikTok’s ups and downs lately, a lot of people have been asking: “So where does everyone go now?” There isn’t one perfect replacement yet, but there are several places where communities and creators are spending their time these days.

UpScrolled

UpScrolled has been getting a lot of buzz recently. It’s climbed high on app stores, sometimes hitting top spots in social rankings. A bunch of users are trying it because it feels different from the unpredictable recommendation feed on TikTok, and you’ll see talk about its more transparent feed logic being a selling point for some. It’s early days, but people are definitely giving it a look.

Skylight

Skylight is another app that keeps coming up in conversations and on community forums. It’s built on the AT Protocol, which means you can log in with Bluesky credentials and keep some continuity if you already use Bluesky. People mention that there are still rough edges and bugs, but for some it’s one of the closest things out there to the familiar vertical video scroll.

RedNote

RedNote (sometimes known by its original name Xiaohongshu) shows up when people talk about alternatives too. It’s not a TikTok clone in the strictest sense, because its layout and vibe can feel closer to a mix of Pinterest and lifestyle video, but a number of people who left TikTok have been using it for short clips and discovery.

Honorary Mentions

Plenty of users also still turn to the big players that aren’t technically ‘new apps’ but fill part of the short video itch. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are huge simply because so many people are already on those apps and they support short, scrollable clips in a familiar way. If you’re already in those ecosystems, they’re hard to avoid.

Then there’s the older or less hyped stuff that still has people talking, like Likee and Clapper. Likee has been around for a long time as a short-form video app with lots of built‑in effects and creative tools. Clapper markets itself as a TikTok‑style space but with its own twist on community and content discovery.

Some folks mention Loops, which is open‑source and tied into the ‘fediverse’ idea. It’s early and not packed with creators yet, but people interested in decentralized social tech like it because it’s trying to avoid the big centralized algorithm model altogether.

And then there are the everyday fallback options people end up on even if they aren’t exact TikTok substitutes: Snapchat’s Spotlight for quick clips, and even legacy platforms like Facebook Reels or Pinterest video in some use cases. They’re not taking over, but they fill part of the gap for people who don’t want to leave short video behind.

Bottom line? No single app has replaced TikTok in the way lots of people hoped, but a bunch of different places are getting attention depending on what someone values, whether it’s community, discovery, creativity tools, or just something to scroll through. What matters most right now is where people are actually spending time and what feels familiar enough to stick with.