Factbox: The Twitter Alternative That Users Are Changing

Nov 7 (Reuters) – After taking Twitter Inc private for $44 billion, Elon Musk has begun making changes to the social media platform, which has upset some users, leaving them to explore alternatives.

Changes include Musk’s decision for user verification as well as his opinion on content moderation.

Here are some platforms that are alternatives to Twitter:

mastodon

Launched in 2016, Mastodon is an open source software for a decentralized social network, with many features that are similar to Twitter.

It’s free of ads, has a 500-character limit, as well as custom emoji.

Mastodon has more than a million monthly active users and has added nearly half a million users since October 27, Chief Executive Eugen Rochko said on Monday.

cohost

Cohost is an ad-free social media platform. Posts made on the platform fall into a timeline that runs vertically like Twitter.

The company said it will charge “a few bucks a month” and will soon offer tips and sell subscriptions.

truth social

Founded by former US President Donald Trump, Truth is a platform backed by social conservatives and was recently launched on Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) iOS and Android owned by Google.

Truth Social is only available to users in the United States.

Tribal Social

A self-described “grassroots social network”, it is available on Apple’s App Store and Android.

The platform allows users to target audiences to increase engagement on posts and says users can find experts on topics of discussion.

chat

The Nashville-based parlor, which has agreed to sell itself to the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, is popular among American conservatives.

Founded in 2018, Parlor’s pragmatic approach to content moderation has made it popular among users who disagree with Meta Platform Inc.’s policies. (meta.o) Facebook and Twitter.

Tumblr

Tumblr is a social media website launched in 2007 that allows users to post long-form blog-style content with media elements such as photos and GIFs.

It also allows users to chat with each other much like Twitter’s direct messaging function.

club house

The platform, which hosted live audio chat rooms, gained popularity at the peak of the pandemic.

The app allows users to chat with people from all over the world in what it calls “rooms”, where one can start an audio chat room and discuss topics of interest.

It does not follow an invite only system for users to access the platform.

Compiled by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Edited by Shaunak Dasgupta

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principals.