So Twitter is now X, apparently as part of owner Elon Musk's plan to create an 'everything app' something along the lines of WeChat. For now, the only change is that the Twitter bird logo has been replaced by a bizarre, presumably temporary crowdsourced X logo. But the latest turn in Musk's chaotic takeover of the platform is likely to see even more people leaving Twitter (sorry, I mean X).
X doesn't really work as a verb, so if you can't bring yourself to 'X' instead of tweet, this latest move might be the final straw after the Twitter blue tick debacle and controversies over falling standards in moderation. But chances are you still need a platform on which to share ideas, discuss your work and connect with other creatives. If that's the case, we have you covered: below, we review 7 Twitter alternatives that could serve creatives leaving the platform.
If you need to upgrade your phone for the optimum social media experience, see our pick of the best camera phones. In the meantime, here's our pick of the best social media platforms for creatives.
The best Twitter alternatives
01. Threads
The most obvious Twitter alternative is Instagram's new app Threads. Launched just weeks before the Twitter rebrand as X, it feels very much like a stripped-down Twitter and works in a similar way. You can post Threads of up to 500 characters, and you can include media in your posts and use tags and hashtags.
Threads functions in a stand-alone app but you need an Instagram account to use it, and you can also enter the app from a tab within Instagram. This integration gave the new platform a head start, leading to 100 million sign-ups in its first week. Of course, many of these sign-ups will be Instagram users creating an account merely out of curiosity to see what Threads looks like and how it works, probably including many people who didn't use Twitter. The number of users actively posting is likely to be much lower, so it remains to be seen whether it will catch on.
That said, Threads has a lot going for it. Lots of big brands were quick to create accounts, and the integration into Instagram, means it's not necessary to open another app. Its simplicity and ease of use is another plus, although Meta has a tendency to bloat its apps adding more functions over time, so Threads may not retain its simple UI forever.
02. TikTok
- Sign up to TikTok
If you haven't already heard, TikTok has taken over the internet. TikTok is responsible for many trends that filter down to the likes of Twitter and Instagram. With over a billion users, the app is swarming with creatives, and because of its unique algorithm, there's a chance you could even have your work go viral.
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Many artists use the platform to take part in creative trends (you can catch up on some of the best over on our guide of the best TikTok trends for creatives), share their work and even create videos outlining their creative process. Whether you're a graphic designer, potter, calligrapher, photographer, musician or videographer, you'll fit right in over on TikTok.
03. Instagram
- Sign up to Instagram
The likelihood is you've already signed up to Instagram (it's 2023 after all), but if you haven't, Instagram is a visual-oriented social media platform now owned by Facebook-owner Meta. Launched in 2010, it now has some 1.3 billion users and allows images and videos to be posted either to a personal feed or as Stories, which last 24 hours.
It's a far more visual alternative to Twitter, meaning that it's a great platform for artists to share their work. Even if you choose not to share your work on the Gram, there are many accounts to follow that can help inspire your projects (why not start with the Creative Bloq Instagram?). The downside is that today there are a lot more adverts than there used to be and creatives report that it's become more difficult to gain organic reach.
We've written several guides on how to navigate your way around the app, like how to edit videos for Instagram, how to use Instagram Reels, how to download Instagram photos and how to change your Instagram font.
04. Counter Social
- Sign up to Counter Social
Counter Social is the no-nonsense alternative to Twitter. The platform follows a similar format in the sense that you can share 500-character posts, but the app has no ads, bots, internet trolls and a "zero tolerance to hostile nations" according to the site. In fact, Counter Social actually crashed due to high demand, so it's safe to say that already the platform is proving to be pretty popular.
The platform has many interesting features like Counter Share, Emergency Radio Traffic meaning that you can tap into radio frequencies, and CoSocial conferencing where users can have private conferences online (much like Zoom).
But for the creatives, the feature that will probably come most in handy (aside from the app's ability to share media), is the COSO groups. The COSO groups are communities you can join or build based on your tastes and preferences. This is a great place for creatives to network and share work, opportunities and even hacks.
05. Substack
- Sign up to Substack
Substack is a little more tailored platform that will best suit creative writers. According to the Substack website, the platform "Makes it simple to start a publication that makes money from subscriptions". On the surface, Substack is an email newsletter platform, but actually, it's so much more than that with its option for users to blog and podcast too.
Substack offers loads of tips, support and guidance for both writers and readers. It specifically targets bloggers, podcasters, finance writers, food writers, comic creators and local news writers on its website, meaning that whatever you want to talk about, Substack has your back.
The nice thing about Substack is that because it's a newsletter platform, the work you create will go straight to your followers via email, meaning that it won't get lost in the curfuffle of a timeline (like on Twitter). Not to mention the fact that it's a free platform that also has the potential to pay you for your creativity via your subscribers – what a bonus?
06. Mastodon
- Sign up to Mastodon
Mastodon is probably the alternative to Twitter that is most similar. It follows the same format of 'micro-blogging', but it has adaptable policies called 'Mastadon Instances'. When you first sign up to the platform, you're asked several questions about what you would care about appearing on your feed (NSFW, spam, links to illegal content etc). And depending on your answers, you can then join an 'Instance' that is specifically tailored to your content preferences.
With each server having its own moderator and rules, it means that you can be sure that your feed is made completely for you. So if you're a creative looking to share your projects and network, then make sure you make your way over to some of the more creative instances.
07. Vero
Vero is billed more as an Instagram alternative than a Twitter alternative, but it's another interesting option for creatives, particularly photographers and videographers. With the tagline 'true social', its appeal is its rejection of ads and algorithms – two factors that have been making it more difficult for creatives to gain organic reach on Instagram as users' feeds are increasingly saturated with irrelevant or sponsored content. It also says its aim is to create a genuine community and not to be "addictive" like other social media platforms.
Vero looks great and it has a strong emphasis on visual content, hence its popularity with photographers. There's more flexibility for the size of images you can upload and images look much better than on Instagram. It might initially feel difficult to find content you're interested in because there's no feed as such, and you can't follow hashtags. However, you can follow users and you can search for hashtags.
The search page highlights featured photographers and you can pitch stories to be featured. You can also make recommendation posts for music, films, books, video games and more. Vero continues to say that founding members will have free lifelong membership but that it may at some point introduce a charge for new members. It doesn't provide numbers on users, but it's been estimated that there are between 3 and 5 million, making it a relatively small community.
08. Pinterest
- Sign up for Pinterest
Finally, another potential Twitter alternative to consider is Pinterest. It works in a very different way to most other social media platforms, since posts are based on existing URLs, pulling in content posted elsewhere on the internet. The idea is to replicate the idea of a pin board where you can save ideas for inspiration.
The most common use of Pinterest among creatives is for saving ideas for future reference rather than for engaging in conversations or sharing work, but the ability to create boards means that you can use it to share your work, and the platform has a range of analytics tools for businesses.
For more tips on how to use social media as a creative, see our guides to how to sell on Instagram and the best places to sell art online.
