Before the TikTok Ban: Here Are the Best Alternatives Right Now

With the increasing likelihood of popular video app TikTok being banned, it’s probably a good time to look at the best TikTok alternatives so you can continue to get your short-form video fix no matter what. Though these types of apps are all pretty similar—and in some cases, a little too similar—there are still a few features you should be in the know about as you search for your TikTok replacement.

For the most part, these apps work similarly to TikTok, with a “For Your Page” style feed for random videos and those from the people you follow, as well as a way to like, comment on, search for, share, and create videos.

You should also expect similar types of tools for shooting and editing videos, including a way to search for popular audio, apply filters, add text, and control other aspects. However, each app will have a slightly different way of doing things and may even have additional features (like shortened video time limits), so you might want to consider downloading a few and trying each of them out until you find one that’s a good fit.

The Sure Bet: Byte

Byte (Free) is a short-video app from the makers of Vine (R.I.P. Vine), and it’s by far the most solid TikTok alternative. Although Byte looks a little different from TikTok, it actually shares many of the same features. On your feed, you can toggle between videos from the users you’re following and those on the “Your Mix” page, and you can like, comment, and share videos. There are also other tabs for searching and exploring content and channels, checking your activity, and viewing and editing your profile.

Clicking on a user from the feed or search tab takes you to their page where you can see all of their other videos, profile information, and rebytes (which are like retweets), but not the videos they liked. As of yet, Byte also isn’t showing how many followers a user has when you view their page.

Making a Byte is easy, though you can only record videos up to 15 seconds, which is much shorter than TikTok’s 60-second limit. Just tap the circle icon in the middle of the toolbar, and either set a countdown timer to start recording or insert clips from your library. Once you have your video, then you can edit it with text, music, and filters, and hit publish. Overall, the app has incredibly similar functionality to TikTok and is fun to use.

10-Second Limits: Dubsmash

Dubsmash (Free) is a good TikTok-style app if you’re looking to recapture the super-short video feel of Vine, as it has a succinct 10-second limit. The app makes it easy to watch community videos or create some of your own. Videos on this app are called Dubs, and you can record one long Dub with live audio, or “smash” clips together with prerecorded audio and create a Dub that way. The interface looks similar to TikTok, but the major difference is that when you tap a video, it only mutes or unmutes the audio—it doesn’t pause it.

The social video sharing app has five tabs: Feed, where you can watch trending looped videos or those from users you’re following; Explore, where you can see recommended channels and videos or search for people, hashtags, and sounds; Create, where you’ll make your Dubs; Activity, where you’ll see notifications from users you follow, page suggestions, and access your messages; and Profile, where you can see your videos, views, and followers, or edit your profile info. With its classic super-short video lengths and fascinating Explore page, Dubsmash is another solid TikTok alternative if you love shorter videos.

Lots of Celebs: Triller

Triller (Free) is another social video app, though (at least so far) it seems to be more music- and dance-centric than TikTok. There are three options for your feed page: Following, where you can watch videos posted by users you follow; Music, with videos focusing on DIY music videos and dancing; and Social, which has more vlog-style content. These filters make it easy to narrow down the type of content you want to watch. Triller also has an extensive search page where you can look for users or browse through trending and recommended videos and users. And one of the coolest features of Triller? Lots of celebs are on it and you can follow all of them, from DJ Khaled and J Balvin to Post Malone and Alicia Keys.

There is a direct message feature, in which you can chat with other users, along with a detailed activity page, where you can track activity on your posts and see what the users you follow are posting and liking. On your profile page, you can view your followers and pages you follow, and edit your information (including whether or not you want your account to be private). You also have control over video resolution, anti-banding settings, video delay, and whether or not you want a selfie mirror.

Posting a video on Triller requires you to choose whether you want to post a music video or vlog. The app makes it easy to shoot or upload videos and has powerful AI editing tools and over 100 filters you can use to make your videos pop. You can change song duration, add music and filters, change the speed, and even edit multiple clips together, or press Shuffle and let Triller auto-edit videos for you.

Oh, and two last details to know about Triller—videos are muted by default, so there are no surprises when you first open the app, and videos automatically roll to the next one instead of looping, like they do on TikTok. Triller boasts celebrity power, amazing content filters, and can do the heavy lifting when it comes to editing content, making it an all-around powerhouse of a TikTok alternative.

Instagram Integrated: Instagram Reels

For those who love using Instagram, Instagram Reels (Free) will probably be the best TikTok alternative for you. The social media titan Instagram just announced its own short-form video social network that it’ll be rolling out in early August, and you won’t even need to download a separate app to use it.

Within Instagram, you’ll be able to shoot, edit, and post videos up to 15 seconds long. There will be a countdown timer before your recording starts, and you’ll have auxiliary tools for adjusting video speed as well as adding your own music or remixing audio from other videos. Unlike other TikTok competitors (at least at this point), there is not a separate tab or dedicated feed page for these videos, and they’ll likely be integrated as a feature of Instagram Stories or IGTV. Because the app isn’t out quite yet, though, updates could be rolled out to improve how this will work.

Creative and Fun Editing Tools: Funimate

Not to sound cheesy, but this app does a great job of putting the Fun in Funimate (Free) with its extensive and creative editing options. There are so many of these options, in fact, that you could easily spend more time exploring, playing with, and applying effects than watching other people’s videos. However, it’s worth noting that many of them, including the insane touch magic effects, are locked behind the Funimate PRO monthly subscription upgrade, which costs $9.99 per month. This is a lot to ask, as other TikTok alternatives offer plenty of editing options for free. But if editing is where your passion lies, the subscription is definitely worth the price.

You have the option to pull video clips directly from your phone’s library or shoot new video in the moment, and you can choose audio either from Funimate’s library or off your device (including other videos you’ve saved). The app also lets you add text and adjust the speed of your video, as well as trim, merge, cut, and crop clips. There are also real-time visual effects, colors, animations, filters, emojis, stickers, and other details you can apply to specific parts of your vid just by pressing down on them.

For its feed page, Funimate offers tons of content filters, like Featured, Lit, and Tutorials. While watching a looping video, you can like or share it, see how many times it’s been viewed, or tap on the user’s icon to look at their page, where you can see their followers, view, and likes. Despite Funimate’s stingy subscription upgrade, having such extensive editing options and feed page filters makes for a fun and immersive social video site experience.