It's been over two years since Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter, now X, and it's fair to say the site has changed a lot. From cosmetic tweaks to fundamental alterations to the platform (including the once iconic name of the site!), Twitter (X) is a far cry from the website it was in the pre-Musk era.

While Twitter (X) is said to still have around 245 million daily users, many people who once regularly visited the site no longer call it home. Be it complaints about the content suggested on For You timelines, bugs and glitches on the interface, or concerns about the site's ownership – Twitter (X)'s US userbase reportedly fell by a fifth between Musk's first full month in charge in November 2022 and February 2024.

Whatever your reason for fleeing the site may be, there are several viable alternatives – each of which can suit your specific needs. Twitter (X) has been a valuable platform to many for nearly 20 years now, and with so many new options, there is no reason why those fleeing the platform can't find something just as useful, or better.

Table of Contents:

• Best Alternative for Long-form Content: Substack
• Best Alternative for Photo and Video Sharing: Instagram Threads
• Best Alternative for Finding your Community: Bluesky
• Best Alternative for Networking: LinkedIn
• Best Alternative for Art & Design: Tumblr
• Best Alternative for Academics: Mastodon

Best Alternative for Long-form Content: Substack

For those who mainly used Twitter (X) for journalistic purposes and to post links to longer written content on third-party sites, Substack could be the alternative for you.

better-known offers writers and content creators the chance to promote subscription newsletters. Users are presented with a timeline compiled of creators they follow and those who come recommended by Substack, and are shown excerpts of newsletters with the option to click on the preview and read the whole piece.

The site is used by a range of creative minds - from chefs to sports analysts, agony aunts to political experts – and you can tailor your timeline to look exactly how you want it.

It's not all just newsletters, though. Beyond this, creators can also post small tweet-style microblog posts that do not contain external links. Substack has recently made things easy for video-first content creators too, allowing them to publish video content to the app directly. Previously, videos were presented in the Notes tab, which is separate from the main timeline – though videos now call the Home tab home.

This is great news for video makers as the Notes section of the site does not support paywalls, whereas posts that are directly uploaded to the site are monetized – meaning that Substack is now a viable option for video creators who wish to monetize their content online.

To embark on a Substack monetization journey, creators should:

• Navigate to the Publications section and select Create a publication
• Enable monetization by connecting to Substack's payment processor, Stripe,, and linking your bank account
• Visit the Payments page and select which type of subscription pricing you will offer (Monthly, Annual, or Founding - a higher-priced option for those who wish to offer additional support)
• Start posting newsletters or videos!

Best Alternative for Photo and Video Sharing: Instagram Threads

Threads is one of the better-known Twitter (X) alternatives because it is an offshoot of the social media behemoth that is Instagram.

One of the main benefits of Threads is that users are afforded the chance to post more written and media-based content. While Twitter (X) caps posts at 280 characters for users without paid subscriptions, Threads permits posts of up to 500 characters.

Given the fact it is a sister app of Instagram, Threads is better suited to dealing with high quality photo uploads. Threads posts can contain up to 10 photos or videos too, as opposed to just four multimedia samples per Twitter (X) post. Users can display these multimedia posts in a carousel format, enabling viewers to quickly swipe sideways through the collection.

The site supports all common aspect ratios and image quality, while also allowing users to post longer videos. While those who don't pay for Twitter (X) cannot exceed a 140-second video length limit, anybody using Threads can upload videos up to five minutes long.

Though Threads currently has a smaller user base than Twitter (X), with a reported 300 million monthly users as of December 2024 (compared to X's 570 million), the site is growing exponentially, having gained 200 million new users in 2024.

Eilish McColgan (@eilishmccolgan) on Threads

Not a bad morning commute! 😍🏃🏼‍♀️🚴‍♀️ Building up the mileage month by month. But with a very hectic week ahead of us, I’m missing the sunshine already... 🌞😪 Any guesses to where we are off to next?! ✈️📌 #ontheroadagain #everdaysasunday

Threads

Threads also appears to have made progress regarding brand building, having slowly begun opening the door to advertisers. While the platform was an ad-free space for the first 18 months of its existence, Meta announced in late January 2025 that it was beginning a gradual ad rollout that would eventually reach all users.

Best Alternative for Finding your Community: Bluesky

The best like-for-like Twitter (X) replacement when it comes to finding your people is Bluesky.

While Bluseky was previously something of a gated community, with users requiring an invite code to sign up, the platform opened its doors in February 2024 and extended registration to all. This move, combined with the mass exodus away from Twitter (x), has seen Bluesky's monthly user base rise by more than double, from 10 million in September 2024 to 27.44 million in January 2025.

The main benefit of Bluesky is that it is easy for users to socialise with members of their communities and fully customize their timelines – or content streams, as they are known on the site. This is because Bluesky has a decentralized structure, meaning that each user is running their own mini blog on a network that is made up of multiple smaller servers, as opposed to one centralized entity providing each user with an account on one large server.

This can be done in three ways:

Custom Feeds

Bluesky's Custom Feeds feature lets users tailor their experience by subscribing to algorithm-driven feeds based on specific topics, interests, or content preferences, rather than relying on a single, platform-controlled algorithm.

Users can select multiple Feeds and view them in separate timelines based on preference. This gives users more control over what they see, reducing reliance on recommendation systems that often prioritize engagement over relevance.

User Lists

Bluesky's "User Lists" allow users to organize accounts into custom groups, making it easier to follow specific communities, interests, or conversations without relying solely on the main timeline.

Lists are stored separately from your timeline, meaning you can view specific groups of people whenever you feel like it, without being subjected to them every time you visit your main content stream.

Starter Packs

Bluesky's "Starter Packs" are curated sets of users and custom feeds that help newcomers quickly find relevant content and communities when joining the platform.

Instead of starting with an empty feed, users can choose a Starter Pack based on their interests, making onboarding smoother and engagement more immediate. For those looking to switch from Twitter (X), this feature reduces the friction of rebuilding a network, making it easier to dive into meaningful conversations without relying on recommendation algorithms.

Users can sit back and let Bluesky choose their Starter Pack for them, or they can do the legwork themselves, by choosing seven or more accounts and any Feeds you may wish to add. Posts from these accounts and Feeds will then be shown in a timeline accessible via the Starter Pack tab.

Bluesky has also recently introduced Flashes – an app specifically designed for uploading media. This means users can now choose between a text-based platform and a media oriented space, without having to register separate accounts for both.

Flashes users can post up to four pieces of media at once, with videos capped at one minute in length, two minutes shorter than the video limit on the main Bluesky site.

Best Alternative for Networking: LinkedIn

Anyone who once used Twitter (X) for networking purposes but now wishes to vacate the site should take their business to LinkedIn – the ever growing social media platform aimed at professionals.

There are no less than 67 million companies registered on LinkedIn, and the site claims to host a frightening 1+ billion users – marking the site as the primary online networking platform.

While Twitter (X) may help users to individuals operating in a similar field, LinkedIn takes this one step further, allowing you to directly connect with and interact/converse with other professionals. Companies, organizations, and individual users can upload written posts and media highlighting work achievements and updates, thus boosting profile engagement through subsequent reactions and comments.

There is also a separate Job tab on which users can find and apply for new opportunities. Posts can be sorted through filters such as Full or Part Time, Remote, Hybrid, or On-Site, and LinkedIn can provide job alerts suited to the type of role you are searching for.

The platform has also expanded its video capabilities, having inserted a vertical video tab to encourage users to use the site as if it were TikTok, YouTube or Reels.

While Twitter (X) videos are only 120 seconds long for nonsubscribers, LinkedIn users can upload videos 15 minutes in length.

The best practices for uploading video content to the site depend on whether your videos are short or long-form and the type of professional audience you wish to reach, though LinkedIn supports media uploads in essentially all aspect ratios and formats.

Best Alternative for Art & Design: Tumblr

Yep, Tumblr is still alive – and it has a strong core of users, many of whom may have once called Twitter home.

Though its user statistics fluctuate, the site reportedly saw 191.1 million visitors in March 2024 and currently plays host to 612 million blogs. The platform has a 50/50 gender split, with 72.3% of its visitors accessing Tumblr through mobile.

Tumblr has always had more of an aesthetic feel to it than other social media sites — the timeline is a collage of images, GIFs, videos, and text posts. That sort of interface lends itself well to sharing original and curated creative content. If you're not into that, though, Tumblr gives you the ability to filter your timeline by topics you're interested in.

As can be seen below, the suggested topics tend to be creative, with Tumblr automatically suggesting tags such as 'decor', 'manga', and 'interiors'.

The migration from Twitter (X) to Tumblr needn't be difficult, as the Tags function helps users to direct their posts towards specific communities.

Users can add multiple tags to each posts, meaning their content will appear under that tag. Tumblr users can follow one another, as well as following specific tags – allowing one to generate a timeline fine tuned to their taste.

Those looking to maximise their post engagement may be interested in Tumblr's 'Blaze' feature.

After publishing a post, you'll see the Blaze button as an option. Users are asked whether their campaign goal is to boost engagement, followers, or sales. Tumblr sets its Blaze prices at a minimum of $10 to reach 2,500 people and a maximum rate of $150 to reach 50,000.

Best Alternative for Academics: Mastodon

Those in academia may well be aware of Mastodon, a more formal, community-based take on Twitter (X) that remains a cult favorite among a select group of users after hitting something of a peak in 2023.

While the basic posting (called "Toots") and scrolling functionality are similar to Twitter, much of what makes Mastodon different also contributes to the learning curve for getting comfortable on the platform. If you're used to Discord or other chat servers, you might have a leg up getting to know this platform.

Mastodon currently sits at just shy of one million daily users, down from a peak of over 2.6 million in November 2023. Mastodon made no secret of their dislike for Musk, and marks his takeover of Twitter (X) as a pivotal turning point in the uptick of their user statistics:

What makes it a good alternative is the way Mastodon focuses on niche communities. Like Bluesky, it is not one big centralised platform. Instead, Mastodon is a decentralized collection of many, many different servers, each catering to a specific community or interest.

If you loved Twitter (X) because of the tight-knit community of artists, writers, engineers, or fellow fans you tapped into, Mastodon might be the right fit for you.

One specific community that appears to have taken to the site is academics. Of all the groups who felt aggrieved by Musk's ownership in the early days of his Twitter takeover, those involved in academia appeared to be some of the passionate in their distrust of the entrepreneur – citing a rise in false information and a lack of connection with intended audiences as some of the reasons why scholars were migrating en masse.

Though the momentum of the Mastodon migration dropped off somewhat, the site remains occupied by various servers promoting healthy academic debate, research, and discussion.