The Best Alternatives to X (Twitter)
Many people are looking for somewhere other than X, formerly Twitter, to post, follow news and build an audience. Here is an overview of the alternatives and who each one suits.
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For years, Twitter was one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. Since it was rebranded as X, many users have been looking for an alternative. Fortunately, there are plenty of platforms that offer features which make them good substitutes, depending on what you used Twitter for.
These platforms range from decentralised networks like Mastodon to familiar names like LinkedIn and Reddit. By the end of this guide, you'll have a better idea of which platform is right for you, whether you want an online community, a place to follow news or just a way to keep up with friends.
What Makes a Good Twitter Alternative?
Alternative social networks make it easy to connect with others, and many offer features X does not. Some give you more control over your data and what you see, some are built around longer posts, and some focus on specific communities or formats like audio, video or newsletters. Before you switch, think about what you need: real-time news, conversation, professional networking or a place to publish. The best alternative depends on the features you want and how much control you want over your content.
1. Threads
Threads is Meta's text-based conversation app, launched in 2023 and linked to Instagram. You can sign up using your Instagram account, which made it easy for many people to bring their existing network with them. Its format will feel familiar to anyone who used Twitter: short text posts, replies, reposts and quotes, plus photos and videos. It is a good choice if you want a mainstream audience and already use Instagram.
2. Bluesky
Bluesky began as a project inside Twitter and became an independent company. Its look and feel are closely modelled on classic Twitter, with short posts, replies, reposts and likes. It is built on an open protocol, and users can choose custom feeds and moderation tools to shape what they see. It is a strong option if you want a Twitter-like experience with more control over your timeline.
3. Mastodon
Mastodon is a decentralised alternative to Twitter that gives users more control over their community and data. Instead of one company running everything, Mastodon is made up of independent servers (called instances), each with its own rules and moderators. You join a server that suits your interests and can still follow and talk to people on other servers. Many servers enforce codes of conduct that ban harassment and hate speech, which helps keep conversations healthy. There are no ads and no engagement-driven algorithm: your home timeline shows posts in chronological order.
4. Reddit
Reddit is a great place to find quality content tailored to your interests. It is organised into communities called subreddits, covering everything from hobbies and entertainment to news and business. Users post, comment and vote, and votes push posts up or down. Most content can be read without an account, but you need to register to comment, vote or create a subreddit. Sorting options such as Hot, New, Top and Rising help you find popular or fresh posts. Reddit is an efficient way to find relevant discussion while being part of small communities within each subreddit.
5. Discord
Discord was launched in 2015 as a chat platform for gamers. It has since grown to host all kinds of communities and offers text channels, voice chat, video calls, live streaming and screen sharing, along with file sharing and integrations with services such as Spotify and Twitch. It is a good fit if what you valued on Twitter was a sense of community and real-time conversation with people who share your interests.
6. TikTok
TikTok is a great platform for both watching and creating content. Its fun, playful approach and endless feed of videos across every genre make it easy to enjoy, and anyone can create their own videos, so the community keeps growing and diversifying. Many people now use TikTok to follow news, trends and commentary, which makes it a possible replacement for some of what Twitter used to provide.
7. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform with a full set of social features: a news feed, posts, articles, videos, newsletters and live events. LinkedIn Learning offers courses to build job skills, and the platform hosts job listings. If you mainly used Twitter for industry news and professional networking, LinkedIn is often the most practical alternative.
8. Substack
Substack is a platform for writers and creators. You can publish a newsletter, blog or podcast on any topic, from finance and food to comics and local news. A big advantage is that your posts go straight to your subscribers' inboxes, so they don't get lost in a timeline. It's free to start, and you can earn money from paid subscriptions. Substack Notes adds a short-form feed that will feel familiar to Twitter users.
9. Truth Social
Truth Social is a social media platform launched in 2022 by Trump Media & Technology Group. It is aimed mainly at a politically conservative audience and is used heavily for political commentary. Its format, with short posts and reposts, is similar to Twitter's, but its audience is much narrower than mainstream platforms.
10. Plurk
Plurk has been around since 2008 and remains especially popular in Taiwan. It has a character limit for posts and displays them on a distinctive horizontal timeline. You can share media, react with emoticons and earn "karma" by engaging with the site, which unlocks more emoticons. Private messaging and group chats round out the experience.
11. Amino
Amino suits people who want more moderation and personalisation in their conversations. It is made up of interest-based communities where like-minded people gather, and community moderators use polls, quizzes and other interactive content to keep things active. Users can join many communities with different profiles, so the experience is tailored to each group.
12. Mobilizon
If you used Twitter to organise or promote events, Mobilizon is worth a look. It is a free, open-source platform for creating and sharing events and groups, developed by the French non-profit Framasoft. Like Mastodon, it is decentralised and privacy-focused, without ads or data harvesting.
13. Clubhouse
Clubhouse became famous for live audio chat rooms, where people could drop in to listen or speak about topics they care about. Its popularity has fallen from its early peak, but it can still suit people who prefer live conversation to text posts.
A Note on Defunct Alternatives
Several apps that were once recommended as Twitter alternatives or Twitter clients no longer work or have shut down, including third-party clients such as Tweetbot and Fenix (affected by Twitter's 2023 API changes) and newer networks such as Post News and Cohost. If you see them in older lists, look elsewhere.
Conclusion
There are many alternatives to X for writing, sharing and interacting with people, whether you want a Twitter-like feed (Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon), communities (Reddit, Discord, Amino), professional networking (LinkedIn) or a place to publish (Substack). Many people use more than one. Whether you leave X entirely is up to you, but exploring these alternatives may help you find a better way to connect with the world.
