Backups for TikTok Bans: 6 Similar Apps for Your Daily Need of Fun

A bill that could ban TikTok in the US was signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday. With the passing of the bill, the famous Chinese app and the US government have been in a fight for years. Concerns that TikTok could be used to spy on Americans and spread false information led US lawmakers to question TikTok CEO Shou Chew in March 2023 and January 2024. These claims against Chew are false, and he has spoken out against the new law, calling it “a ban on… [users’] voice.”

Nearly 150 million Americans use TikTok every day. If you’re one of them, you may be asking when the ban will start and where else you can watch short videos. Don’t worry—TikTok isn’t going away anytime soon. If it does get banned, it won’t start until at least January 2025. 

Here are some other apps that let you make short videos while you wait.

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Reels from Instagram

Instagram has a video tool called “Reels” that lets you record, edit, and share video clips right in the app. The length of the clips must be three to ninety seconds. Make sure you have the most recent version of the Instagram app on your phone or tablet before you start. To find Reels, open the camera by swiping right and then tap on it. (Here is our full Reels guide.)

You should know how to use Reels if you’ve used Vine or TikTok. On the left side of the screen, you can find a lot of filters, songs, timed text, and other effects. 

It’s also easy to swap and post to your Instagram page or story. You can also save a Reel as a draft and come back to it later to work on it. 

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Reels on Facebook

Like Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels lets people post short video clips that are up to 90 seconds long. As Meta owns both Facebook and Instagram, you can share Reels you post on Facebook to Instagram instantly, and the same goes for Instagram to Facebook. You can get the Facebook app for both iOS and Android. 

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Shorts on YouTube

YouTube has a video tool called YouTube Shorts that works like TikTok. Shorts lets people make short, interesting movies that are no longer than 60 seconds long. YouTube also lets you edit multiple video clips at once and lets you record without using your hands by giving you speed controls, a timer, and countdown choices. You can get the YouTube app for both iOS and Android.

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Spotlight on Snapchat

Since it came out in 2020, Snapchat’s Spotlight feature, which lets you watch short videos like on TikTok, has become more popular. Last month, Snapchat said that the total amount of time users spent watching Spotlight material rose by more than 125% compared to the same time last year. One more reason for artists to use their platform is that if their Spotlight content gets enough views, they can get prizes every month called Snap Crystals, which can be exchanged for cash. 

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Triller

Rival to Triller A TikTok app When Trump family members, including the former president, joined early on in the TikTok talks, Triller started to get more attention. Like TikTok, Triller lets you mix music and videos. Users can pick a song from the app’s library or upload their own, record or post a video, edit it, and then share it on different social media sites. The app also lets you work together with friends.

 

Triller also has a vlog feature that lets you edit your videos in a documentary-style B-roll way and a Make a Music Video feature that lets you post videos without adding sound.

 

The app is social, like TikTok, with a Community feed and a Following feed. Triller’s Wallet method can make you money if you get a lot of people to use it. Triller’s in-app cash is Gold, which fans can give to each other. If you get enough Gold, you can trade it in for Gems, which can be traded for real money. 

 

You can get Triller on both iOS and Android.