I’ve downloaded a lot of apps this year.
There are two reasons I am fast to download any new social-media app. First, like many people, I am bored of the platforms I’ve been on for over a decade and I’ve even stopped posting on some — period. I wrote an entire story about this phenomenon earlier this year with my colleague Amanda Perelli. Second, it so happens my job requires that I am up to date on the latest social-media startups.
Luckily for me, 2023 was full of new social-media apps. The headlining apps of the year include Instagram’s Twitter-killer Threads, ByteDance’s Lemon8, and Lapse, one of the latest buzzy photo-sharing apps to grab the top spot on charts.
Beyond those bigger names, I’ve downloaded more than two dozen new social-media platforms. If it weren’t for my iPhone about to max out its storage capacity, I’d probably download even more.
One app, Retro, has more or less replaced Instagram for me as my primary platform for posting photos. Founded by two former Instagram employees, Retro lets me upload photos and videos that are sorted by week. The app launched its own Spotify Wrapped-esque feature that lets users recap their 2023 uploads — which you can then share to apps like Instagram or TikTok. You can even mail a postcard with photos posted to Retro without leaving the app.
Another social-media platform that caught me by surprise was Landing, which launched in 2021 as a collaging website and released its mobile app this year. Having been an avid Polyvore user in my teens, when I finally learned how to utilize Landing’s tools, I was sucked in and found myself returning to the feed and coming up with new collage ideas.
There are several recurring themes throughout these apps, too. Many of them advertise themselves as the antithesis of big-tech platforms like Instagram or Twitter — with slogans like Retro’s “feel good social” or Lapse’s “friends not followers.” New ways of creating content are also popping up, like Landing’s collages or ID by Amo’s interactive, infinite feed that lets users drop photos, drawings, or links onto their friends’ pages. And, almost every app is talking about “community.”
Many of these apps have had luck raising venture capital this year, despite a tougher market. ID by Amo, for instance, raised a $18 million seed round this year ahead of its launch (its parent company, Amo, was founded by the former team behind social-mapping app Zenly, which was acquired and later shut down by Snapchat).
As you head into the new year, and perhaps itch to switch up your roster of social-media platforms, I’ve narrowed in on a handful of apps that have either been recommended to me by other startup founders or that I’ve discovered in the wild online.
Here are 13 of the best new social-media apps I’ve downloaded this year (sorted alphabetically):
Alex Mitchell is your go-to expert for all things mobile. With a passion for the latest smartphones, apps, and mobile innovations, Alex provides in-depth reviews, insightful analyses, and breaking news about the ever-evolving world of mobile technology. Stay connected with Alex to navigate the fast-paced realm of mobile devices.
