Sharing life stories and day-to-day status is a hobby for many people whether they’re famous or not. Everyone once in a while likes to share something.
With the advancement of technology, experts have the ability to create more and better social sharing apps.
Currently, there are many of them and users from around the world log in every day to share a video, photo, post or something else.
But as with everything else, not all are equally popular. There are some apps with more users than others.
In this short write-up, we’ll discuss a few facts about the top five social sharing apps. If you’re also curious about the tools, look no further.
What is Social Sharing App?
A social sharing app is an app that enables you to perform multiple tasks such as sharing videos, images, status and posts, and liking and commenting on others’ posts.
Some examples include Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, Tumblr, PingFM, Pinterest, Snapchat, WeChat and Instagram.
There are many more but these are the most popular,
What Are The 5 Top Social Media Apps?
Out of the many social media apps, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X or Twitter and YouTube. Snapchat and WhatsApp are also popular but they’re primarily messaging apps.
WeChat also has a huge number of users but out of the 1.2 billion regular users, 1 billion are from China.
Top 5 Social Sharing Apps For Android
So, what makes Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter the most popular social sharing apps for Android?
That’s what we’re going to find out today in this section. Here are a few facts about each app.
01. Facebook
Facebook is today the biggest social media network and social sharing app owned by Meta Platforms.
It was launched in 2004 by Harvard students Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Huges, Eduardo Saverin and Andrew McCollum.
The five founders developed the app as there wasn’t a good platform for fellow students for social sharing and making connections. Initially, it was named TheFacebook and was limited only to Harvard students.
But it became Facebook in 2005 and the founders also allowed students from other schools to create accounts.
According to statistics, there are 2.09 billion daily and 3.05 billion monthly active users (MAU) globally. It means that of all the social media users in the world, 62.24% people use Facebook.
Features
Facebook has many features and they’re easy to navigate. This is one of the main reasons for its popularity.
The following are some of the main features of the giant social sharing app.
- Media sharing
- Messaging
- News feed
- Audio and video calling
- Live streaming
- Gaming
- Privacy settings
Pros & Cons
Like any other app, Facebook has both pros and cons as mentioned below.
Pros
- Information source
- Connectivity
- Free and fast communication with anyone
- A good business platform
Cons
- Spread of misinformation
- Time-consuming
- Privacy concerns
02. YouTube
Launched in 2005, YouTube is another popular social sharing app which was launched in 2005 by three former employees of PayPal, Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim and Steve Chan.
Google owns YouTube and the platform has over 14 billion videos till now.
YouTube has over 368 million daily and 2.5 billion monthly active users (MAU) and the video content upload rate per minute is 500.
This social sharing app also has many features that are easy to use and enable users the best experience.
Features
Here are some of the primary features of YouTube.
- Media sharing
- Live streaming
- Subtitles/Closed captions
- Privacy settings
Pros & Cons
YouTube also has some pros and cons as mentioned below.
Pros
- Free accessibility to all
- Information source
- High-quality videos
- Great for promoting business
Cons
- Privacy concerns
- Inappropriate content
- Loads of ads
- Bullying
03. Instagram
Instagram is also a Meta Platforms owned company and one of the top social sharing apps.
It was first launched in 2010, especially for iOS but with the increase in popularity, an Android version made an appearance on the scene in 2012.
Ordinary people and celebrities both use Instagram extensively.
The social media network has over 500 million daily and 2.4 monthly active users making it one of the top five social sharing apps.
Instagram also offers many easy-to-use features and that’s what attracts users.
Features
The following are some of the main features of Instagram.
- Media sharing
- Audio and video calling
- Editing options
- Direct messaging
- Live streaming
- Privacy settings
Pros & Cons
Though popular, Instagram has both pros and cons as you can see below
Pros
- Great for sharing stories
- Better privacy options
- Easy to reach new audiences and customers
Cons
- Bullying
- Addictive
- Extreme comparison
04. TikTok
TikTok is a Chinese app created by Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance and was launched in 2016.
It’s newer than most social sharing apps but has garnered a huge number of users in a short while. Users can do a number of tasks on the App.
TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide and is a top five social sharing app. It also has multiple features that make Instagram a convenient app.
Features
Here are some key features of TikTok
- Media sharing
- Content editing and filter options
- Live streaming
- Messaging
- Privacy settings
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Reach more audience
- Promote business
- Keep up with the latest craze in any field
Cons
- Addictive
- Extremely competitive
- Inappropriate content
05. X Formerly Twitter
X or Twitter (former name) was launched in 2006 and was created by Evan Williams, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Noah Glass.
Twitter recently changed hands and X Corp acquired it in 2022. Elon Musk, the new owner rebranded Twitter as “X” in 2023.
It’s one of the most popular social sharing apps with many celebrities and ordinary people having an account.
Its numbers recently saw a dip but are expected to increase in the coming days. Twitter also has many
If you go by numbers, X or Twitter has a considerably lower number of users.
Approximately, there are around 237.8 million daily and 335.7 million monthly active users. But it has many features and is a popular social sharing app.
Features
Some main features of Twitter include
- Tweets
- Media sharing
- Messaging
- Live streaming
- Privacy options
Pros & Cons
Some pros and cons of X or Twitter include the following
Pros
- Highly interactive
- Good for promoting business
- Get the latest news fast
Cons
- Character limit
- Misinformation and hate speech
- Bullying
Comparison of Social Sharing Apps For Android
Here is a table with some facts of the top five social sharing apps.
| Features | YouTube | TikTok | X or Twitter | ||
| Active Users | 3.05 billion (MAU) | 2.5 billion (MAU) | 2.4 billion (MAU) | 1 billion (MAU) | 335.7 million (MAU) |
| Privacy Options | Customizable privacy settings for everything | Customizable privacy settings for uploads | Customizable privacy settings for everything | Customizable privacy settings for stories | Customizable privacy settings for posts |
| Media Sharing Options | Photos, videos, links, status updates | Photos, videos, links, status updates | Photos, videos, links, status updates | Photos, videos, links, status updates | Photos, videos, links, status updates |
| Messaging Features | Messenger | Only via email or social media | Direct messaging | Direct messaging | Direct messaging |
| Live Streaming | Available | Available | Available | Available | Available |
Which Social Media Platform is The Best?
Facebook has the most dynamic users among all other social media platforms. With over 3.05 monthly active users, it’s way ahead of other apps.
Facebook offers many features and it’s easy to use. It allows users to connect with friends and loved ones and do a lot of stuff so it isn’t surprising to see that it’s so popular.
Final Thoughts
So, these are the top five social sharing apps according to number of users. Many others are there which we mentioned a few but they are less popular.
Besides, an app like WeChat has more than a billion users but the majority are based in China so we didn’t include that on the top five list.
WhatsApp has more followers than Twitter, TikTok and Instagram but it’s a messaging app so we didn’t include it.
These apps keep people worldwide connected and everyone with a device is able to obtain the latest news and information in a few seconds.
