Move over, TikTok: Why everyone's suddenly talking about UpScrolled

For creatives, keeping up with social media can feel like a Sisyphean task. Just when you think you've found the right place to show your work, the algorithm changes or the platform takes another step towards enshittification, and you're forced to look elsewhere. Which, with so many Twitter or TikTok replacements popping up right now, can feel like a full-time job.

Enter UpScrolled. The Palestinian-owned sort-form video app promises "no censorship, no billionaires, and no biased algorithms." And now that TikTok is being accused of censoring anti-Trump content in the US, UpScrolled is seeing a sudden surge in downloads.

"Other social platforms have, for better or worse, become essential to billions," reads the UpScrolled website. "They speak of free expression and global connection — but their actions tell a different story. Double standards, algorithmic bias, selective censorship, and profit over principle have betrayed the very ideals they claim to uphold. UpScrolled was founded as the answer to that gap."

"We believe a platform should serve people — all people — equally. No hidden agendas. No quiet silencing. No favoritism. A place where freedom of expression is protected, not manipulated, and where social responsibility isn’t an afterthought but the foundation."

At a glance, UpScrolled's UI looks remarkable simple to the likes of Instagram, complete with Likes, Stories and the standard content feed. But founder and CEO Issam Hijazi insists UpScrolled is different. He says the app is "more than just an alternative to Meta, X, or TikTok — it’s a reimagining of what social media should be: a space where creators, communities, and businesses thrive independently, with real control, transparency, and accountability.”

The app has experienced a surge of downloads lately, with it currently sitting at no. 2 in the Apple App Store's social media category.

So why the sudden popularity? According to TechCrunch, it coincides with TikTok's parent company ByteDance signing "a deal with a group of non-Chinese investors to form a majority American-owned joint venture to keep the social app operating in the U.S." Since then, TikTok has been accused of censoring content, with everyone from senators to celebrities including Billie Eillish accusing the platform of removing content critical of the county's immigration policies.

Time will tell if UpScrolled has staying power or will end up proving to be yet another BeReal – real today, gone tomorrow.