The Top 10 Social Media Apps and Sites in 2024

Summary

• Facebook is still the top social network with 2.95 billion users, offering easy connectivity and a popular marketplace option.
• YouTube now includes short-form video content with YouTube Shorts, attracting 2.5 billion monthly users seeking a variety of video content.
• Instagram, known for captivating images, reaches a large audience, while offering Reels feature for videos similar to TikTok.

In 2024, social media is more dynamic than ever, and lines demarcating social platforms are blurring. We know established giants like Facebook and YouTube, evolving alongside rising stars like TikTok and Threads. This article explores the top 10 social media apps and sites ranked by monthly active users.

1 Facebook

Let's start with the obvious choices. For all its faults (and there are a lot of them), Facebook is still comfortably the most popular social network in the world.

With more than 2.95 billion users, it's the place to go if you want to easily connect with most of the people from your current or former life. Facebook Marketplace has also become one of the most popular ways to buy and sell items locally and is now more popular than Craigslist.

2 YouTube

If you want to learn how to do something, watch a documentary, or just giggle at pure entertainment, YouTube is the place to go. It rose to popularity thanks to its long-form video content library and easy, free access.

Previously, YouTube wouldn't have appeared on this list, but since it introduced short-form video content similar to TikTok, called YouTube Shorts, it now counts among the most active social media hubs available. A good chunk of its 2.5 billion monthly active users interact with Shorts.

3 Instagram

If you enjoy exploring captivating images and short, snappy video clips, then Instagram is undoubtedly the ideal social network for you. Surprisingly, a whopping 57% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 30 have an account on Instagram.

Perhaps unfairly, the network has developed a reputation for being superficial and full of selfies. If you dig past the junk, you can find stunning photography, incredible artwork, and plenty more. Instagram also has Reels, which are videos produced by Instagram users in a video feed — similar to YouTube Shorts and TikTok.

4 TikTok

Compared to older apps like Twitter and Facebook, TikTok is a fresh-faced social media app. It was created to fill the space that Vine left behind after its shutdown, but it has long since superseded it.

There's clearly significant demand for short-form video; TikTok is one of the most downloaded apps in both the App Store and Google Play Store. While it's a fun app, there are some TikTok security risks to be aware of.

5 Snapchat

Snapchat is almost exclusively a young person's hangout. The site revolves around sharing self-destructing images and videos, though there's also a messaging tool and lots of gamification features.

You can use the different types of filters available and even make your own Snapchat filter if you are feeling creative!

6 X (Formerly Twitter)

X is another network that has received a considerable amount of negative coverage. However, if you want breaking news, instant reactions, and access to your favorite sports stars, celebrities, and journalists, X is an unrivaled resource.

You can even save videos from X (if you find some good ones!). This platform has also increased its character limit to 25,000 for X Premium subscribers.

7 Pinterest

Pinterest is another of the best social media apps. It is best described as an image bookmarking site (though it also supports GIFs and videos). You can add images to your public or private boards, follow other users and boards, and comment on pins.

The site is excellent if you're looking for inspiration for a DIY project, or you need something to spark a creative idea in your head.

8 Reddit

Billed as the front page of the internet, Reddit is part discussion forum, part content submission site. Users can upvote and downvote posts to help influence what is popular at any given moment.

The site is divided into communities called subreddits. They cover almost every subject matter you can think of. If you have a niche hobby, Reddit is a great place to find like-minded people.

For a good insight into Reddit, check out our list of the funniest subreddits guaranteed to make you laugh.

9 LinkedIn

LinkedIn provides social networking for professionals. As the site has grown, it's become one of the best ways to build your CV, find a new job, and network within your professional circles. If you want to boost your visibility further and make use of some advanced LinkedIn features, you have the option to subscribe to LinkedIn Premium as well.

The platform also has LinkedIn Learning courses for professional development, which can help you enhance your career.

10 Threads

In July 2023, there was a big buzz as Meta unveiled its exciting new social media platform, Threads. Since its launch, Threads has experienced unprecedented growth, becoming the fastest-growing platform in the history of social media, boasting over 100 million accounts one week after launch.

Threads operates in a similar fashion to X, which means you can create and share threads consisting of text, links, photos, or any combination of these elements. Furthermore, you can engage with others by replying to posts and reacting to content, just like you would on Instagram. You can easily access Threads using your existing Instagram account.