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A Guide to Choosing the Right Twitter Alternative for You
We are watching in real-time what many perceive as the downfall of Twitter. Users are critiquing Twitter for a variety of reasons. But first, let’s go back to the beginning. A former employee for Twitter named what we’re all thinking: at its conception, Twitter was meant to be a place for “genuine public discourse.” Everything could be discussed – originally in 140 characters or less. From politics and current affairs to entertainment and movies, everything was discussed, dissected, and debated on Twitter. Users were able to get information from reliable sources, thanks to Twitter’s policy of blue checkmark verification users, moderation policies, and a trust and safety team.
When Elon Musk took over Twitter at the end of 2022, he dismantled these policies. Musk fired the trust and safety team within the first weeks of the takeover. He changed the blue checkmark from a symbol to be earned by trusted journalists and public figures so that it instead could be purchased by any user. Twitter has also been suspending users who criticize Musk, including journalists from CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. For these reasons and more, many users see X/Twitter as becoming a “dangerous” and “uncontrollable” space. Many users miss the old Twitter and find themselves wondering where they can find a safe for a reliable Twitter alternative.
Take it back to where it all began and rehash how and why Elon Musk bought Twitter here.
Bluesky
Many companies have stepped up to the task of creating a reliable and popular Twitter alternative. Bluesky is a Twitter-like app championed by the former Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey. On the join page, Bluesky aims to be “the last social account you’ll ever need to create.”
Bluesky has now reached 33 million users, with influencers, creators, and politicians heading over in droves and chiming in with their takes on Bluesky vs. Twitter. The first user to reach 1 million followers was United States Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Mark Hamill, of Star Wars fame, called himself a “Twitter Quitter.” Hugely, the site reported over 1 million users joining the platform the day after the US presidential election. The platform is growing at a rate of 1 user per second.
Bluesky’s biggest strengths are its customizable feeds based on users, keywords, and hashtags. This makes your timeline feel a lot like Twitter. In fact, Bluesky is the closest one-to-one replica of Twitter on this list of Twitter alternatives.
Read more about the Rivaling Creator Platforms and the Bluesky vs Twitter Debate here.
Mastadon
Mastadon is a Twitter alternative that allows up to 500 characters per post. It is an app that some people consider an “open source” version of Twitter. At the end of 2024, Mastodon had over 10 million registered users. When making a Mastadon account, you’ll choose a server to host your account. Users can host servers for different subjects, ideas, or even groups of people, such as hosting a server for technologists or a server for artists. Mastodon is a part of the fediverse, so its users can cross-post and access content across fediverse platforms while still operating from Mastadon.
Via joinmastadon.org
For those interested in the server-dwelling experience Mastadon provides, this Twitter alternative may be right for you. However, users should note that it has less secure direct messaging than other platforms, as admins of servers can see direct messaging from users within the server. This may be a concern for some.
Take a look at How Reddit Became The Most Civilized Place on the Internet to Discuss News.
Threads
If you already have Instagram and/or Facebook, then you definitely have a Threads account! All you will need to do is download the Threads app and log in with your Instagram or Facebook account. Threads then connects you to your same community of Instagram or Facebook users. With a 500-character limit, Threads is the perfect Twitter alternative for users who don’t necessarily want to build a new community from scratch.
In early 2024, Meta announced Threads’ new step towards adopting open standards by becoming interoperable with the fediverse. This means that replies from other fediverse users, such as Mastadon, can be seen by Threads users.
Image via Meta
Substack
Long-form written content is booming on Substack. For authors, writers, academics, and other thought leaders, Substack is the best place to read and write essays on all topics. But, Substack is not just for essays alone. The “Notes” feature on Substack allows users to see messages from writers they follow. The interface itself looks a lot like Twitter, with the same options such as replies, restacks/retweets, so many see this as a viable Twitter alternative. From promoting articles to sharing random thoughts reminiscent of Tweets, Substack offers a lot when it comes to finding thought-provoking writers in the creator economy.
LinkedIn offers itself up as a great Twitter alternative for industry professionals. No longer just about making and maintaining professional connections – LinkedIn also offers a chance for professionals to share their thoughts about their or other industries, the job market and more. The interface is like a cross between Twitter and Facebook, with the option to share images, links, videos, or just text.
Reddit has been around for a while now, and for good reason. Redditors can subscribe to various subreddits based on their interests. These subreddits cover nearly every topic you can think of, such as politics, technology, science, and more. The site sports a democratic process of content curation, where users can upvote or downvote articles and posts based on accuracy and relevancy. Reddit has also made it a point to fact-check and verify its news, to combat misinformation. Advanced moderation tools are utilized for fact-checking and content moderation.
Reddit is the perfect Twitter alternative for those interested in joining the niche communities of subreddits. For users looking to join or foster a community, Reddit is the perfect platform.
In Conclusion
Although X/Twitter is not going away anytime soon, (unlike TikTok, which already made it out of the other side of one brief ban) users are dissatisfied with the changes coming to Twitter. Various platforms offer themselves up as valid Twitter alternatives. Whether you’re looking for niche communities on Mastadon or Reddit, or looking for the wide reach of Bluesky or Threads, one of these Twitter alternatives is surely right for you.
