Best alternative sites like Twitter

It’s going to be a messy breakup, but here are the best alternative sites like Twitter.

As Elon Musk gives users yet another reason to ditch Twitter in favour of an alternate platform. The Legacy-verified ‘blue ticks’ and a temporary limit on the number of tweets users can read per day is just one too many nails in the coffin. The frustration with Musk and Twitter now seems to have reached new heights, as Twitter alternatives like Bluesky have reported record high traffic following Musk’s announcement of temporarily limiting Twitter posts.

With Meta reportedly considering a new decentralized social network, not dissimilar to Twitter, now, unfortunately, looks like the right time to start scouting out the best Twitter alternatives.

Best Twitter alternatives

Bluesky

Why join Bluesky? Well, the platform shares a lot of similarities with Twitter, and not just because Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s former CEO is involved. The site has significantly grown its user base since its inception in 2021. Things are the same, but different. The equivalent of a ‘Tweet’ is colloquially called a ‘Skeet’, with a similar style homefeed showing the users you follow, plus a search tab for finding new users and content. It’s still missing some basic features like DMs, though you can expect to get these features to come soon enough. Overall, we reckon the Bluesky has the closest interface to Twitter we’ve seen so far.

As Twitter continues to slide downhill, Bluesky has published a moderation manifesto that details information for a “shared public comms” which is worth reading if you’re considering joining the platform. They’ve placed a particular emphasis around social media needing to be a friendly space, while balancing the tendency of over-policing. The main issue, for now, is that Bluesky is invite-only.

Mastodon

Mastodon is another decentralized platform that could offer a good alternative for those wanting to escape Elon’s antics. Instead of Tweets you get Toots, and these include text, images, videos and other media. Toots also allow up to 500 characters compared to Twitter’s 140. As a decentralized network, Mastodon is not controlled by a single company, but maintained by a network of independent servers, just like Bluesky. The main difference between Mastodon and Twitter is the former is more of a platform for nuanced conversations with users with similar interests. Twitter, meanwhile is infinitely more chaotic.

Similarly to Bluesky, Mastodon also relies on individual servers called ‘Instances’ run by individual users or groups who control what kind of content they want to allow on their server. While we don’t think Mastodon quite has the same user-friendly interface as Twitter or Bluesky, some will like the lack of sponsored content and ads on their Mastodun feeds. Like Bluesky, there’s been an influx of users to the platform as Twitter continues to go downhill.

Hive Social

Thirdly we have Hive Social as an alternative to Twitter. The main difference from Twitter is its limitless post length which changes up the feel quite a bit. However, like Twitter, you can follow users and repost messages, all without a timeline algorithm which means every user in your timeline is shown fairly, without the risk of a shadowban. Android users will scoff that the app is only in its beta version, with no desktop version either. However, this is obviously only temporary. Hive is also introducing group chats, threads and Hivestream (Hive’s version of livesteam).

Overall, Hive is an infinitely more wholesome and friendly version of Twitter. You can even add a song for users to listen to when they listen to your platform. There’s the option of including your pronouns in your bio which is another welcome feature. As Twitter continues to degrade, we expect Hive to grow its user base as one of the top Twitter alternatives available.

Instagram Threads

Instagram Threads, set to be released on July 6th, will be a strong alternative to Twitter. The official description of the app suggests it will be a space where communities can discuss everything from trends to news. Similarly to Twitter and Instagram, you can build a following to share ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.

Make sure to stay updated with this page for more news on Instagram threads.

Final word

Even though Musk’s character limit is allegedly ‘temporary’, it’s part of a wider pattern of Twitter’s demise. These Twitter alternatives only look like they’re going to get stronger, so it’ll be worth keeping an eye on them in the coming months.