Twitter is in turmoil right now. If you’re looking for another similar network, here are five alternatives to seriously consider.
As you may already know, the past few days have been a turmoil on Twitter. If the idea of a social network led by Elon Musk makes you think about leaving the platform, here are a few alternatives that deserve your attention. Admittedly, there is currently no perfect Twitter clone, but these platforms can offer you something similar.
1 – Mastodon
Mastodon has been the most talked about social network since Elon Musk took over Twitter, perhaps because it offers the closest experience to Twitter. Look at the Explore page, it looks like the Twitter home page theme.
One of the attractive aspects of Mastodon is that it is decentralized. It consists of multiple servers (“instances”) managed by users. Therefore, you should choose a server to start with, or create your own if you wish.
Mastodon is more extensive in terms of topics, communities, moderation, funding, but also operates on a much smaller scale. If you’re willing to invest a little into it, Mastodon can give you the feeling of being back in the early days of Twitter.
2 – Tumblr
Believe it or not, Tumblr has been around since 2007, a year after Twitter was born. In the form of tweets, small posts, blog style, which can be texts, images, audio, video, conversations or quotes. Therefore, more flexibility than Twitter.
The community features are well thought out and can be followed, liked, commented and reposted. Your online experience will largely depend on the other Tumblrs you follow.
There are also search and tag features to navigate through all of this content, as well as various levels of control over the visibility of your posts. The network is free to use with no limits, but you can pay $5 a month to remove ads.
Many Tumblr users, especially artists, have switched to Twitter since the 2018 ban on adult content on Tumblr. But for now, the situation should return to normal soon.
3 – Reddit
Reddit is a very different structure, but at the same time it offers something very similar to what Twitter offers. You can comment on the news, discuss anything and everything, pass the time, etc.
If you’ve never been on Reddit, the platform has subreddits for every topic imaginable, and the experience on the site and in the apps is determined by the subreddits you follow. It’s a bit like the good old forums, but with a big modern twist.
You also have a profile page on Reddit, but it’s not a blogging platform like Twitter or Tumblr. It’s possible to subscribe, but the functionality is recent and the culture of the site isn’t really on that side.
You can use Reddit completely free of charge or pay $6 per month to remove the ads and enjoy some extra features.
4 – CounterSocial
CounterSocial describes itself as a “new generation social network”. Very similar to Twitter, with the same features but zero tolerance for trolls, bots and other malicious activities. There’s not even a place for advertising. The platform is funded by a $5 premium subscription that offers several additional services.
Among them is access to the Counter Realms virtual reality space, which is a large part of CounterSocial. You can create and explore your own virtual worlds in your browser, phone or headset.
If you’re looking for a TweetDeck-like experience with a metaverse twist, CounterSocial might be for you. That being said, you obviously won’t have the volume of content that Twitter has to offer.
5-cohost
Perhaps the perfect alternative to Twitter has yet to be created. Let’s take Cohost for example. The platform is still in its infancy, but it aims to replicate a lot of what Twitter has to offer: followers, shares, likes, comments, etc.
And with its growth, Cohost also seems to be very interested in moderating and filtering adult content. The service is also transparent about the number of users and the money it generates. You can use the platform for free or pay $5 for some additional services.
At the moment, the site interface is very simple, everything is easily accessible. It’s still pretty raw in some aspects, but it’s very promising, especially if Cohost uses the Twitter experience to avoid falling into the same traps.