Best 12 Apps like TikTok for Beginners, Pros, and Influencers
By Matt RedererUpdated on August 14, 2024
When TikTok (formerly known as Musical.ly) was released, it became all the rage among younger audiences. The app’s features – like filters, special effects, dialogues, and songs – gave its users the potential to show their talent and creativity to become household stars. But TikTok is not the only app in the market where users can create and share their short videos.
Pro Tip
If you are looking for a TikTok alternative because you’re done with it, you’ll want to check out our article on How to Delete your TikTok account to learn how to remove your data from the app.
In this article, we will be looking at 12 apps like TikTok that you can make use of as a platform for video editing and for building your social network. We’ll be covering a number of factors to help you choose the tool that’s best for you.
What is covered in this article
Let’s jump right into alternatives to TikTok that you can use to create awesome video content.
12 apps like TikTok for creating short & engaging videos
With no lack of video editing and sharing apps in the market, we have put together our top picks to help you decide the right platform for you. Have a look!
1. Instagram
Telling your story with a picture became popular when Instagram hit the market. Users could share photos of their vacations, food that they made, or just shopping trips with their friends without writing too many words to describe it. Instagram’s filters, stickers, Boomerang, and Time-Lapse features allow users to create short, funny videos.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
2. YouTube
YouTube began as a music and video-sharing platform where users could watch movies, share or listen to music, and teach or learn a new skill for free. Now, it’s the largest video-sharing platform in the entire world. Users are not limited by the duration of the videos or the number of videos they can upload or watch, and creativity on the platform has flourished.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
3. VivaVideo
Giving users the power to become movie makers with an easy editing tool, VivaVideo provides step-by-step tutorials. Users of VivaVideo have access to unlimited filters, special effects, and other features like slo-mo to make their videos. They can then share with their VivaVideo Community, as well as other social networks like TikTok and Facebook.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
4. Funimate
Funimate is a fun video editor app for creating awesome video clips, lip-sync videos, slow-motion videos, and more. Users can add cool effects, music, text, and emoji to their videos. Many TikTok users actually use Funimate to create their videos.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
5. Triller
Triller, like TikTok, is a social network for video content creators. However, its unique features allow the user to choose a song from Triller’s large library to use in their video. Users can also use their own sounds, singing along with the audio track and tapping on the Triller logo.
The app mashes all the takes and, within a few seconds, you have an impressive music video that you can share with your friends. If you don’t like the video that Triller has created, you can simply press re-edit and get an entirely new video. If there is one section or a particular take that you don’t like, you can delete it so that Triller doesn’t use it to create your final video.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
6. Snapchat
Snapchat initially appealed to a younger audience who enjoyed using the app as a super quick and fun way to share their photos with their friends. With the app opening up right into the camera, users could instantly click a picture and share it with their friends. One of the most unique features of the app is that the picture is automatically deleted once viewed, so the viewer can’t save the snap to watch later.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
7. Filmora
One of the most powerful mobile video-editing apps available on the market, Filmora allows users to make videos on the go. Users can record their voice, add music from Filmora’s library, and upload their video clip without being restricted by its length. Once the user has completed editing their movie, they can share it with their friends.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
8. Power Director
Power Director was originally a video editing program for Windows machines, and was later introduced as an app for Android devices. It has the capability for multiple-track video editing and slo-mo reverse, and has a stabilizer that can fix shaky videos.
Download It Now: Android
9. Likee
Likee, formerly known as Like Video, is a video editing tool and social media platform where users can create fun and engaging videos. Videos created and shared on Likee are public and can be viewed by all, although users have control over who can send them messages. Users can broadcast live videos and get a chance to interact with celebrities and talented artists around the world through their Likee page.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
10. Video Star
Video Star’s “Magic Touch” feature and filters is what attracts most TikTok content creators to edit their videos on this app. With a large selection of music and GIF stickers, Video Star is a super easy video editing tool. If you want to try your hand at amateur movie making, then Video Star could be your answer.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
11. Cheez
Cheez is a short-video-sharing platform where users can earn COS Tokens, an in-app currency. All they have to do is share their videos; watch, like, and comment on other videos; or just sign in every day. Cheez also has an easy-to-use video editing tool, live filters, dance-off challenges, and lip-sync music videos.
Download It Now: Android | iOS
12. Kwai
Kwai is a video sharing and editing community where users can cut, merge, or trim their videos. This lets users turn selfies into videos, create lip-sync videos, and add stickers and filters to their creations. With a global community of 700 million registered users, Kwai has an impressive monthly active user rate of 20 million.
TikTok alternatives comparison table: which app has what you want?
In the following table, we will be drawing out a feature comparison of TikTok with other apps that are similar in function so that as a user, you can gauge which app is the one you want to use:
App | Best Feature | In-App Purchases | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
 | More than 100 fun filters, large library of songs & dialogues from movies & TV shows. | Users can purchase a minimum of 100 TikTok coins for $1.39 to gift to other users for their content. | App is not available in China. |
 | Users can share their photos & videos on their profile as "stories", which stay on their profile for 24 hours. | Business pages on Instagram can make their products purchasable through their posts; users can simply tap on them to add them to their cart. | Maximum video length is 60 seconds. |
 | There is no restriction on the time limit of a video that a user can watch or share, and users can continue watching a video from where they left off. | Users can buy movies, TV shows, etc. on YouTube. | Videos must adhere to the YouTube Community Guidelines. |
 | WhatsApp Video Downloader, which lets the user download a compressed version of a video from WhatsApp that can be shared. | Users can subscribe to the Unlimited version where they have access to special effects, stickers, filters, animated tools that they may not have been able to use in the free version of the app. | Mobile data is needed to unlock some editing features. |
 | Users can create their own filters. | Users can subscribe to Funimate Pro for $2.99/week or purchase premium video, sticker, or action effects packs. | App is available only in English. |
 | Users only have to shoot a few takes for the app to render and create a professional-looking video. | Users can buy in-app currency called Gold that they can send as a gift to other users. | Only videos under 60 seconds can be saved. |
 | Friendship Profiles capture any message, image, or video exchanged with a friend. | Users can purchase Geofilters specific to where they are by city, neighborhood, or even store. | Users cannot save videos that they have already seen; they are automatically deleted. |
 | No limit on the length of the video for editing. | Users can purchase special filters, transitions, and effects. | N/A |
 | Multiple-track video editing, and video stabilizer that can fix shaky videos. | Users can purchase special filters, transitions, and effects. | App is only for PC and Android. |
 | Makeup and Microsurgery features, which let users put on exquisite makeup in seconds. | Users can buy the in-app currency that they can send as a gift to other users. | All videos uploaded on Likee are public. |
 | Easy editing, and ability to instantly upload a video to YouTube. | Users can buy monthly, quarterly and yearly subscriptions, as well as effects and sticker packs. | Users cannot download a song or audio clip from Video Star to use in their video. |
 | Users can earn rewards (COS tokens) by watching, liking and commenting on videos. | N/A | App is only for iOS. |
 | Users can create 3D emojis. | Users can purchase an in-app currency called Diamonds that they can use to send gifts, buy effects, filters, etc. | N/A |
4 important things to know about video-sharing apps
Image Credit: Softwaretestingnews.co.uk
While video-sharing apps like TikTok can be fun, it is easy to get carried away with them. That’s why it’s important to check the type of content that is shared on these apps, as it can sometimes be simple to get lured into watching content that is not age-appropriate.
Let us look at the 4 most important things to know about video-sharing apps before downloading them:
1. They’re addictive, so be mindful of how much time you spend on them
Whether it’s TikTok or any other video-sharing app, it’s difficult to stop with just watching one video. You may cringe while watching some of the videos, but it doesn’t stop you from watching more and more of them. Because of the little attention that the videos demand, they’re over before you know it and you move on to the next one!
TikTok’s Digital Wellbeing feature lets users set a limit on the time that they spend on the app. Once they cross that limit, they have to enter a passcode to continue browsing. This is ideally for monitoring your personal use, as well as how frequently your children are using these apps.
2. Monitor your privacy settings
You should always know who is able to see your content. Don’t engage in conversation with strangers who may make you feel uncomfortable, such as by asking you to share private information.
Pro Tip
With every app update or change in regulations, apps may have to make changes to their Privacy Settings. It is important that, from time to time, users keep checking to see if anything has changed.
3. Double-check the content you want to share before posting
Once you hit the Share/Post/Upload button on the app, all it takes is for your content to be shared by a few other people to be up on the Internet forever for people to see. Even if you delete your account, your video can live on through other people’s accounts. Make sure you don’t post offensive, lewd, or inappropriate content that could backfire or be misused at some point. It may lead to trolling, harassment, or other unpleasant behavior towards you.
4. Always restrict users from downloading your content
Whether you are on an app for fun or are a professional content creator, make sure you disable users from downloading your content on their devices. Your content is your intellectual property and you don’t want others to be sharing, misusing, or gaining from it.
We hope you found this article useful to evaluate alternatives to TikTok and have fun responsibly while using video-sharing apps. As you can see there are plenty of apps like TikTok which offer unique solutions when it comes to editing pictures and videos or just creating fun and engaging content for professional video content creators.
Looking to get more followers on Instagram? Check out our post on the 32 Pro Tips to Get More (Real) Instagram Followers in 2019. If you really want to up your Insta game, you’ll want to learn how to live stream on Instagram as well.