Arguably the hottest digital marketing channel presently, TikTok is where digital entertainment is at. TikTok’s addictive interface is based on its highly personalized ‘For You’ algorithm, which makes it easy for people to grow in certain niches.
According to a 2020 report by Sensor Tower, TikTok was downloaded over 20 billion times worldwide and has over a billion, active monthly users.
The amount of content consumed on this app – according to wallaroomedia.com, TikTok users open the app around 8 times a day and spend approximately 1.5 hours on it on a daily basis – definitely leaves room for questions on its longevity and potential competition. There are many apps that are fighting for the limelight. Here is a list of competitors that could potentially outrun TikTok’s trending capacity or give it a run for its money…
- Cheez
A video creation app that’s similar to TikTok in its workings, Cheez enables users to record themselves doing a number of things including dancing, doing stunts, and performing a variety of things. What probably sets it apart are the contests that the app offers as a form of motivation to create content. It is a great place for anyone who loves to dance.
Pro: The app has an advanced DanceOff feature where users can start dance battles with other accounts.
Con: The app is not very child-friendly, and a few parents have raised concerns about the kind of language kids are sometimes exposed to.
- Triller
Triller trumps Cheez for its child-friendly approach – it is harder to find sexualized content on this video editing phone app. Triller also allows non-users to access almost all of its features including video creation and post-processing. You can record, edit, and share your videos instantly and also connect with a whole community of enthusiastic video creators just like you. Triller has also recently released a new platform called Metaverz where its users can gather together and watch sports events and live music. You can also interact with other fans and famous artists. According to reports, Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart, Marshmello, Alicia Keys, and many other celebrities are using Triller.
Pro: Triller allows users to link their accounts to other social media accounts like Snapchat and Instagram. Users can also link to their SoundCloud account, allowing them to share tracks on this app. The audio editing and remixing feature are quite entertaining.
Con: Triller’s user interface is quite cluttered as compared to TikTok – something that can make for an annoying viewing experience – can often make the viewing experience disruptive. The app, unlike TikTok, does not filter content, which means its users have a random array of content to view.
Rating: Android – 4.2, iOS – 4.5
- Firework
Firework is a short video creation app where users can post 30-second videos. It is a little different from conventional video apps like TikTok, wherein there is no follow-for-follow or like-for-like option here. There isn’t much pressure to grow numbers or become super popular but rather a focus on growing one’s content. It has more or less all the traditional video editing tools including crop, trim, background music, and so on. Firework also has weekly video challenges that offer really interesting rewards where one has the chance to win cash prizes too.
Pro: a unique feature of the app is Firework Reveal. With this feature, after uploading a video, you can select the Reveal option which will then make it possible to watch it in both landscape and portrait mode, revealing different portions of the screen as it is rotated.
Con: there is no way for users to interact with other user accounts other than reposting their videos or sending DMs.
Rating: Android – 4.1, iOS – 3.7
- Dubsmash
Dubsmash is a short-form video app that is more focused on fun lip-sync videos. Users can post and even save Dubsmash videos to their camera rolls. It has a news feed section and even a ‘friends’ section where you can watch videos of those you follow. Dubsmash lost its popularity along the way but pretty quickly built it back. Unlike Tiktok, which buys users, Dubsmash has never spent a single dollar on user acquisition or influencer marketing. According to TechCrunch, Dubsmash proves how compelling short-form videos are to teens since the market can sustain a number of similar apps.
Pro: It is easy to use, which is one of the main reasons why people really love the app. With its user-friendly interface, it is extremely easy to create lip-syncing videos within literal seconds and edit them to make the most fun videos.
Con: The downside to capturing, editing, and creating instant videos is the effect that it has on your device’s battery life. Dubsmash has been noted to drain your battery much faster than normal and you might have to carry around a portable charger if you plan on using the app a lot.
- Funimate
Funimate is another extremely “fun” video app that helps you create advanced videos with ease. The app allows its users to create very pro videos with the advanced features that it offers. You can add stickers, music, custom animations, transitions, slow-motion effects, backgrounds, and much more. You can also collaborate with your friends and choose from a huge library of sounds and music.
Pro: the app supports intro-outro animations and the AI Effects option also allows users to change the background of videos.
Con: the downside is that the app is only available in English and requires about 36MB of free space for easy downloading.
Rating: 4.1 on Microsoft
While TikTok is one of the biggest and most famous short-form video and social media apps today, that does not mean there are no other video apps that can keep you entertained and creatively engaged.
Each app that we’ve talked about has at least one unique feature that helps it to stand out and trump TikTok. To name a few, Triller has much stronger ties with Hip Hop and the music industry at large, Cheez is much safer for children, Firework allows you to combine videos from both your front and rear-facing phone cameras, Funimate’s video editing system is much more intricate and so on.
The bottom line is that if TikTok falters one day, there are many apps that can easily fill that void.
