If you are following the trend, you have already signed up with Threads, Meta’s new rival to Twitter.
However, it is a relatively new app that has yet to test the water. In the meantime, let us check out some excellent threads alternatives.
Continue reading to explore how these social networking sites fare against Meta’s Threads.
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What Is Meta’s Threads?
Did you know over 30 million users have signed up for Meta’s Threads within two days of its release?
The new social networking app by the technology giant Meta (the parent company of Facebook Inc.) is making waves lately as the stark competitor to Twitter, which allows networking, sharing, and responding to posts.
Released on July 7, 2023, Threads was built by the Instagram team and primarily allows sharing text updates and joining public conversations.
Talking about the UI or interface, the app looks pretty neat and minimal, similar to Twitter or Instagram’s UI, which is a bonus.
Are Threads Limited As a Novel App?
However, this novel app has much to achieve, as many users complain about momentary glitches with sending or retrieving posts.
Moreover, the user must sign-up with Instagram to access Threads for now.
It will be a big letdown for users without an active Insta account, as many have left the platform for good or are unwilling to sign up altogether.
Nonetheless, this companion app to Instagram is assumed to bring significant changes to its platform in the coming days, allowing users to do more than they could on Twitter.
According to Meta’s official website, the team is working toward making Threads compatible with open, interoperable social networks, which could shape the future of the internet.
What Makes Threads Special?
Although it’s too early to say anything, Threads hold the potential to become a giant social networking site.
Here are a few takeaways about Threads and what it holds in the future.
- Direct Messaging: Similar to Instagram, Threads facilitates private and direct messaging between users, close friends, and groups, allowing sending of text messages, photos, videos, and other media content.
- Lengthy Text and Media: Threads allow composing text status up to 500 characters in length and uploading video spanning 5 minutes, a massive upgrade from Twitter and similar apps.
- Interoperable Network: Threads will become interoperable with other applications that support the ActivityPub (open social networking protocol established by the World Wide Web Consortium), such as Mastodon and WordPress.
- Camera-Centric Interface: like Instagram, Threads allow a camera-centric interface that makes capturing and sharing photos and videos directly from the app’s camera interface quick and convenient.
- Close Friends List Integration: Threads will imbibe Instagram’s Close Friends feature, allowing users to create a dedicated close-friend list and provide a separate space for interaction.
- Filter out Negativity: To enable positive conversations, users can add hidden words to filter out replies to their threats.
Top 4 Threads’ Alternatives In 2024
As previously mentioned, Threads is relatively new to be considered a robust app with all the required features.
Here are a few Threads alternatives that you can consider.
1. Twitter
Instead of saying Twitter is an alternative to Threads, we can say Threads is Twitter’s alternative.
To start with, Twitter has a substantial user base, multiple app interoperability, and advanced features.
As of the latest data, Twitter has about 353.9 million users and is available in over 200 countries and territories.
- Twitter is your safe bet if you want to start a trend using a hashtag, need exposure to your post, or need resharing.
- Twitter expanded the tweet length limit to 280 characters. The brevity in messaging makes it appealing, where 500 million tweets are sent or shared daily.
- It features a “Trending Topics” section that displays popular and widely discussed hashtags, keywords, or topics at a given time.
However, it is not free of limitations compared to Threads. The character limit is one of the drawbacks, along with the recently unveiled pricing to retain the blue tick.
Twitter has faced challenges with spam accounts, bots, and spreading misinformation, which Threads is yet free of.
2. Bluesky
Bluesky is a social networking platform created by Jack Dorsey, one of the founders of Twitter, in 2019 and launched to the public (limited) in 2021.
Although still in the beta phase, Bluesky has already amassed hundreds of thousands of users.
Unlike Twitter or Threads, the goal is to create an open and decentralized social media protocol, allowing interoperability among different platforms.
For now, you would need an invite to join Bluesky, which is best achieved by asking users on Twitter or Reddit.
Regarding features, the Bluesky timeline is called the “skyline,” and tweets are called “skeets.” You can post skeet as long as 300 characters.
However, it lacks many features endemic to Twitter, such as trending topics or Threads’ close-friend/group messaging.
Such projects’ implications and potential outcomes can vary.
Hence, it may take time before a fully functional and widely adopted protocol is realized.
3. Reddit
Almost everyone knows about Reddit, a widespread social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion platform.
Did you know Reddit has approximately 430 million monthly active users, making it one of the top-used apps?
Moreover, it gives users a higher level of anonymity, allowing creating accounts without even using a real name or an email.
Unlike Twitter or Threads, users can create “Subreddits,” individual communities with like-minded users: a user can share links, start a discussion, and share, comment, or even vote the content for popularity.
Additionally, subreddit creators can make the community private and invite-only to keep their conversation private and away from scrutiny.
Here is why you should consider Reddit over Threads.
- Voting System: An upvote and downvote system allows users to rate and prioritize content.
- Karma: A karma system assigns points to users based on the upvote they receive for their posts and comments.
- Ask Me Anything (AMA): AMA sessions are a popular feature on Reddit, where individuals can participate in Q&A sessions.
- Reddit Gold and Awards: Users can award posts and comments with virtual items called “awards” to show appreciation or recognition.
4. Mastodon
Mastodon is another name in the list of Threads’ alternatives.
Although not entirely a social networking app like Twitter or Thread, it offers similar social conversing features.
Mastodon operates using a series of small servers, each with a maximum of 250,000 users, allowing users to join and create their independent servers, known as “instances.”
It is the same as picking the subreddit when joining Reddit. You pick a particular server to start with.
Did you know Eugen Rochko launched Mastodon in 2016 to respond to concerns about centralized social media platforms, aiming to provide a decentralized and community-driven alternative?
Here is why you should consider Mastodon.
- Privacy and Moderation Control: Mastodon offers more control over privacy settings, where users can decide whether their posts are public or limited to their followers.
- Content Warnings: Users can add content warnings to their posts, providing a brief description or trigger warning for potentially sensitive or explicit content.
- No Algorithmic Timeline: It uses a chronological timeline, ensuring that posts appear in the order they were posted, unlike Facebook or Twitter.
The Bottom line
The Threads alternatives could be a great way to find your preferred social networking experience.
Some other alternatives you can consider may include Discord, Hive, Substack, and Spoutible.
However, you may find a unique experience with each application, which may or may not resemble Threads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Threads Without An Instagram account?
No, Meta’s Threads requires an Instagram account to function. It enhances the close friends’ experience within the Instagram ecosystem.
Is Threads available for both iOS and Android?
Threads is available for iOS and Android devices, but access through a web browser is not yet available.
How Does Threads Differ From The Regular Instagram App?
The Threads is focused on close friends’ interactions, while the regular Instagram app caters to a broader audience.
It provides a more streamlined experience for communicating and sharing.
