Business.com aims to help business owners make informed decisions to support and grow their companies. We research and recommend products and services suitable for various business types, investing thousands of hours each year in this process.
As a business, we need to generate revenue to sustain our content. We have financial relationships with some companies we cover, earning commissions when readers purchase from our partners or share information about their needs. These relationships do not dictate our advice and recommendations. Our editorial team independently evaluates and recommends products and services based on their research and expertise. Learn more about our process and partners here.
What Are TikTok Alternatives for My Business?
TikTok's future has seemed tenuous. Learn about alternatives for your business's video-based social networking.
Table of Contents
TikTok content creators, users and advertisers were dealt a blow at the end of 2024 and in early 2025: The popular short-video social media platform was banned in the United States and removed from Apple’s and Google’s app stores. While the app’s service was restored for current users, TikTok’s future remains uncertain as the government seeks a U.S. company to acquire part or all of it.
We’ll highlight 10 TikTok alternatives businesses can focus on for video content in case the platform disappears — and share more about its current challenges and future outlook.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a popular short-form video social media platform on which content creators express themselves through dance, music, comedy and more. It’s highly popular with Gen Zers and millennials in the U.S. and worldwide.
According to Statista, 28.7 percent of TikTok users are women between the ages of 18 and 35, while 37.3 percent are men in the same age group. Overall, the platform boasts 1.59 billion monthly active users globally.
Advertisers, brands and marketers use TikTok to reach specific audiences through sponsored content and various advertising formats.
What TikTok alternatives can brands use?
Georgi Petrov advised businesses to consider exploring TikTok alternatives amid data privacy concerns, potential government restrictions and the platform’s unpredictable algorithm changes.
“While TikTok remains a powerhouse for engagement, relying solely on one platform is risky,” cautioned Petrov, CMO and content creator at AIG MARKETER. “Brands that diversify can future-proof their social strategy.”
Here are some TikTok alternatives to consider for your business.
Instagram Reels
Using Instagram for business is already a great way to connect with your audience, as the platform boasts over 2 billion active monthly users. In 2020, Meta-owned Instagram introduced its short-form video feature, Reels, which increased the benefits to companies with an Instagram business account. Creating Reels is a great way to engage more deeply with your followers. As a bonus, Instagram is integrated with Facebook, so audiences on both platforms can see your Reels.
Ronak Kothari, owner of Ronkot Design, emphasized the similarities between Reels and TikTok and shared how Reels may be even more effective. “Instagram Reels provides a similar short-form video experience as TikTok but with a stronger engagement rate and integration with Facebook’s advertising ecosystem,” Kothari explained. “This allows for more precise ad targeting, which we’ve leveraged successfully for our clients.”
Both TikTok and Instagram Reels users can access a sound library, filters and stickers, while creators can upload prerecorded videos. However, the platforms have a few notable differences:
- Video times: Reels are limited to three minutes, whereas TikTok videos can be as long as 10 minutes when recorded in the app. However, this distinction likely won’t impact businesses using the platform, since the optimal length for TikTok videos is 21 to 34 seconds.
- Audio library: A bigger distinction is that TikTok includes an extensive audio library, while Reels has limited audio options due to copyright concerns.
- Trendsetting: TikTok is often the platform where original trends emerge, with Instagram Reels typically reflecting those trends after the fact.
- Audience: Instagram and TikTok have similar audiences. But, TikTok generally skews younger, while Instagram is most popular among millennials and older Gen Zers.
- Views and engagement: According to Rival IQ, view counts on these platforms are similar, but engagement is higher on TikTok. If a full TikTok ban occurs
YouTube Shorts
YouTube is the venerable leader in video content marketing strategies. The platform has 2.5 billion monthly active users, second only to Facebook in size.
YouTube introduced its short-form video feature, Shorts, in 2020. Similar to TikTok’s Stitch feature, YouTube Shorts allows creators to film alongside existing YouTube videos. Like TikTok, Shorts creators can livestream video. Additionally, creators can use audio and effects from trending Shorts.
YouTube Shorts also benefits from YouTube’s robust analytics and features. For example, creators can build a YouTube channel to showcase their work and build a YouTube community to encourage brand loyalty. Companies can also take advantage of keyword optimization, eye-catching titles, thumbnails and cross-promotion with long-form videos on YouTube.
However, Shorts lacks TikTok’s in-app editing features, making it somewhat more challenging for creators to make polished videos. It also has a more limited sound library.
According to Peter Lewis, chief marketing officer of Strategic Pete, YouTube Shorts is a safe bet for brands that love the aesthetic of TikTok but require more longevity. “YouTube is owned by Google, has decades of longevity and prefers long-term content strategies,” Lewis explained. “Unlike TikTok, Shorts benefits from YouTube’s search economy, so videos can become discoverable over time.”
YouTube Shorts has roughly 175 million monthly active users in the U.S., compared to TikTok’s nearly 1.6 billion monthly active users. Still, it’s a viable and worthwhile video platform to explore for your brand’s long-term video content strategy.
Triller
Triller isn’t as well known as some other TikTok alternatives, but the platform is setting itself up as the next video content giant. Founded in 2014, American-owned Triller is a fast-growing video app with a format very similar to TikTok. This is no surprise, since Sean Kim, Triller’s CEO, is a former TikTok executive.
With celebrity investors such as Snoop Dogg, Marshmello and The Chainsmokers, Triller has focused mainly on distributing content from entertainment and music creators. However, given TikTok’s current uncertainty, Triller has pivoted to attract those fleeing the platform. In fact, Triller set up a website, SaveMyTikToks.com, that allows TikTok creators to easily migrate their content; over half a million videos were uploaded in the first week.
Triller claims to have over 450 million users and 2.2 million content creators. It is also part of a larger business that includes Amplify.AI and Julius, which connects Triller’s influencers to over 25,000 brands. Also included is Fangage, an online engagement tool that lets creators reach fans and monetize content.
RedNote
RedNote is another Chinese-owned platform, making it potentially vulnerable to a ban in the U.S., similar to TikTok. Nevertheless, many U.S.-based TikTok users have switched to RedNote.
However, the platforms are quite different. RedNote boasts high-quality images and videos with text in a magazine-like format — making it more similar to Instagram than TikTok. RedNote is also more focused on product reviews and lifestyle than quick, entertaining videos.
In terms of demographics, RedNote’s audience is primarily (nearly 80 percent) women from mostly urban areas who are interested in shopping — making it comparable to Pinterest for advertisers. Because of its shopping focus, RedNote has integrated e-commerce features and business account functionality. RedNote has approximately 300 million users, but the majority are in China; as of January 2025, it had 3.4 million U.S. daily active users.
Substack
Substack is another platform seeking to benefit from TikTok’s uncertainty. Founded in San Francisco in 2017 as a way for those who write email newsletters to monetize content from their email marketing lists, Substack is now pivoting to cater to video content creators.
Substack focuses on paid subscriptions rather than algorithms and has more than 5 million paid subscriptions across over 50,000 content creators. Some of these creators have already posted audio and video content to further engage their subscribers. Previously, creators on the platform could only post videos in Notes, a feature available to all users for free; now, they can post videos behind the paywall.
Clapper
Clapper focuses on short-form videos. Like TikTok, it has built-in editing tools, livestreaming video functionality and an original music library. Content creators can create up to 10 group chats to connect with different subcommunities, and content can be seen immediately without needing to reach a minimum follower threshold.
Similar to TikTok’s gift function, followers can tip creators. Creators can also charge a monthly subscription with Clapper Fam. However, there are no ads on the platform, making it of limited use to businesses.
Lemon8
Lemon8, like TikTok, is owned by ByteDance, so it is also at risk of being banned in the future. It was created as a Chinese alternative to Instagram; it boasts a similar focus on visually appealing photos and videos of travel, fashion, makeup and other lifestyle topics.
Lemon8’s audience is primarily young women, and it has about 1 million active users. There is no clear way for creators to monetize their content. Plus, the platform doesn’t have ads, which is why it hasn’t been particularly successful with either creators or businesses so far.
Fanbase
Fanbase allows creators to broadcast live and post videos, images, audio, and fixed stories. They can monetize their content with subscriptions (from $2.99 to $99.99) or the platform’s “Love” system (every “Love” is worth one cent). Notably, Fanbase is Black-owned and oriented toward Black and other minority creators who may have felt that TikTok’s algorithms suppressed their content.
As a result of the TikTok ban, Fanbase’s user base grew 22 percent in January 2025 to more than 589,000 monthly active users. Most users are in the U.S., with a concentration in the Southeast and among Black Americans.
Likee
Likee, based in Singapore, is another short-form video app that allows users to edit videos in the app. Like TikTok, it is focused on enabling users to create and share music and funny videos for entertainment. Likee has AI- and AR-based technology for video-editing effects, but its music library is limited.
Currently, Likee has about 35 million monthly active users, most of whom are Gen Zers and millennials. The vast majority of the app’s users are outside the U.S.
Likee does offer ads, making it a viable alternative to TikTok for U.S. businesses — if it can grow its U.S. user base.
Snapchat Spotlight
Snapchat has more than 90 million U.S. users, most of whom are under 24. Users already on Snapchat can access the Snapchat Spotlight feature in a tab, so they don’t need to download new software. While Snapchat Spotlight is a short-form video feature, it has limited editing capabilities.
Within Spotlight, Challenges and cash rewards incentivize content creators and allow them to monetize their creations. However, its algorithm is not as robust as TikTok’s, meaning it can take some time for users to discover content that resonates with them.
Why was TikTok banned?
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It has been under a ban due to concerns that the platform is improperly invasive of users’ privacy and has extensive access to users’ location, biometric information and contacts. It has also been accused of being used by the Chinese communist government to sow political and racial division among American users — in addition to boosting content that views the Chinese regime positively and suppressing content that reflects negatively on the Chinese government.
Who will be impacted if a TikTok ban is made permanent?
A TikTok ban could have severe economic consequences for U.S. businesses. According to TikTok’s 2024 Economic Impact Report, 7.5 million U.S. small businesses use TikTok to reach customers, driving $15 billion in revenue. These businesses stand to lose tens of millions if the platform is shut down. Fifty-two percent of businesses that advertise on the platform say it’s critical to their competitiveness and success. TikTok also notes that nearly 5 million jobs benefited from the platform — jobs that will go away with the platform.
Additionally, TikTok’s Emergency Application for Injunction Pending Supreme Court Review from December 2024 notes that about 2 million TikTok content creators could lose $300 million in revenue if TikTok were to be permanently shut down.
A ban would not delete the TikTok app from the devices of current users who have already downloaded it. However, it would disappear from app stores (again), so new users couldn’t access it. It also means existing U.S. users wouldn’t receive app updates, so the app would grow increasingly unusable over time. U.S.-based internet providers would not be able to host TikTok, leading to slower performance. In time, TikTok’s users would migrate to other platforms.
What is TikTok’s status now?
As a result of ongoing concerns, Congress overwhelmingly passed a law in 2024 with bipartisan support banning TikTok in the U.S. unless it was sold to a U.S. company. TikTok then sued the U.S. government, but the ban was upheld by the Supreme Court. In January 2025, TikTok was officially removed from U.S. app stores and briefly went offline before its service was temporarily restored for existing users.
At the time of this writing, President Trump signed an executive order delaying TikTok’s ban until at least half of the company could be sold to a U.S. company. Possible buyers include Oracle, Microsoft, Walmart and several groups of American investors.
Natalia Lavrenenko, marketing manager for Rathly, noted that TikTok has been a powerful source of user-generated content (UGC) for brands. However, relying on it alone has become risky due to numerous factors, including instability and algorithm shifts.
“Brands saw firsthand how sudden bans, algorithm shifts and ad restrictions can throw everything off,” Lavrenenko explained. “A few months ago, a client’s entire campaign stalled overnight when their videos stopped getting traction for no clear reason. No warning, no appeal, just gone.”
Lavrenenko emphasized the importance of brands diversifying their social media advertising efforts to safeguard and improve their social media presence. “TikTok’s organic reach is great — until it isn’t,” Lavrenenko cautioned. “Brands that rely too much on one platform risk losing everything when the rules change.”