Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and LinkedIn have dominated the Indian social networking market for quite some time now. Most people prefer these applications over others. While there are some apps like Tik Tok that blow up the market every once in a while, most of the time, the above-mentioned apps are the most used. However, this does not mean that there are no other social media sites available in India. In fact, there are many great applications available on IOS and Android that are slowly but steadily climbing the charts. Additionally, people are also shifting towards application made by and for Indians. This has become one of the most trending ideas for showing support to small businesses and startups.
Here are ten of our favorite social media sites that are just as good as the rest, some ever better. Take a look, maybe you will find a new app to switch to!
Trell
Trell is a technology driven and community based social media platform that enables lifestyle content via video-based content in vernacular languages. You can imagine it as a video based ‘Pinterest’ in India. Interestingly, Trell actually started as an Instagram account that was based in Mumbai and posted about all the latest events going on in the city. In only 4 months, it went viral. Today, it has over 1.6 million lifestyle-based content on the application. It is also a great social media app for up and coming vloggers and influencers. They can endorse brands, create makeup tutorials, travel vlogs and so much more.
Helo
Helo is simply a social media platform that allows a user to create profiles, make friends, follow their favorite pages and so on. However, it is a vernacular platform and showcases content in 13 or more Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and others. What gives this app an edge over others is that hash tagging and local language search is very easy on this one. While it is getting recognition in India, it has become really popular among Indian communities living in Canada, US, Singapore and more.
Vero
If you spend hours scrolling on Instagram and stalking your favorite celebs, you will love Vero. It is the social media equivalent of Instagram. You can share anything that interests you on this platform. It is currently one of the best apps for artists to release their work and share it with others. Unlike Instagram, there is no algorithm governing Vero. It displays no ads and is one of the most organic sites in the market. It is a promising app with a user base of over 3 million.
Kik
Kik is a cross-platform instant messaging mobile app similar to Snapchat or Messenger by Facebook. A user can make individual friends as well as groups. What makes it different than other messaging apps is the fact that it does not require a user’s phone number to register to the app. All they need is a username and they are good to go. It is one of the top ten apps amongst teenagers in US. They like the privacy that comes with the app. It is gaining a momentum in the Indian market as well.
Hike Messenger
Also known as Hike Sticker Chat, Hike Messenger is a cross-platform IM application that was launched in December 2012. Unlike other apps, Hike can also work offline through SMSing. Initially, the app created a lot of buzz around it with its sticker system. It lacks a differentiation factor, but it makes it up with its stability and amazing features.
Houseparty
No one really sends an SMS to anyone anymore. Almost everyone with an internet connection has shifted to WhatsApp for personal as well as professional contact. Fundamentally, Houseparty is a messaging app quite similar to WhatsApp. However, there are many different features on Houseparty that makes it more personal and fun. It is a live video chat application that allows 8 users to hop on a video chat at once and play games with each other-live. The best part is, no one has to be invited to a video chat. Users can just go online and join in any live group video chat with people they are already connected to. Since 2016, after being rebranded from Meerkat to Houseparty, the app is growing rapidly from 1 million users in 2016 to 20 million users in 2018.
Roposo
Roposo is an instant messaging, video sharing and social media platform that was initially released in November 2014. While it was not seeing much growth the last couple of years, after the ban on Tik Tok, there was a huge spike of users after June 2020. You can create photo and video content related to any topic like fashion, food, fashion and more. currently, it has almost 85 million users who are expressing themselves with homemade content.
Clip
If you look at a social media platform that took up everyone by the storm was definitely Snapchat. One day no one knew about Snapchat and the next, everybody was on it. It brought something new to the market with face recognition filters and more. Clip is a similar Indian social media app. However, instead of being general, it is a vernacular based content platform just like Trell and Helo. It is more trending in the rural areas of the country as well as those who like regional based content.
ShareChat
ShareChat is also an Indian social media application that was founded in 2015. Currently it has over 130 million users that are active monthly. This makes it one of the most successful Indian social media platforms. In 2018, it was the sixth most trending social media app on Google play. You can message, tag, share and connect with known and unknown users in 15 different languages.
Bumble
While most people recognize the name Bumble as an online dating platform, people forget that it is a friends networking site as well as a professional networking site. You can find friends, dates and even connect with people from similar professions and increase your network. It is a 3 in 1 deal that most people do not take advantage of. The best feature of Bumble is that women have to make the first move to start any connection. Till now, Bumble has over 4 million users. More than 32% of the women use the dating as well as the ‘BFF’ and ‘Bizz’ modes.
