Breaking Away from Big Tech: Exploring New Social Apps for Gen Z

For years, our social media experiences have been dominated by giants like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Google (YouTube), Snapchat, TikTok, and X. But a growing number of startups are challenging these tech behemoths with new, often smaller and more personal social networking apps designed for Gen Z and younger users.

1. Retro: A Private Photo-Sharing App

Retro is a thoughtfully designed photo-sharing app focused on building private connections with friends. Created by two former Instagram team members, Nathan Sharp and Ryan Olson, the app offers simple ways to share photos with people who matter most in your life.

• Simple sharing options
• Weekly photo highlights
• Album creation
• Search-based friend finding
• Privacy controls for your profile

Retro: iOS/Android

2. Cosmos: A Space for Inspiration

Cosmos is a unique app that serves as a space for inspiration, allowing users to search by color, keyword, or image to shape their profile based on personal taste.

• Color and image-based searches
• Follow friends and tastemakers
• Collaborative collection building
• Elevated compared to Pinterest
• Shopping integration for matching styles

Cosmos: iOS/Android

3. Indigo: A Unified Decentralized Social Network

Indigo offers a single app experience that allows users to participate in both Mastodon and Bluesky networks at once, providing a unified timeline and cross-posting capabilities.

• Unified timeline for both services
• Cross-posting to Mastodon and Bluesky
• Custom feed access
• Tons of personalization tools
• Pioneered by Ben McCarthy and Aaron Vegh

Indigo: iOS only

4. Corner: Social Mapping for the Next Generation

Corner is a social app that combines elements of Google Maps with community-driven lists, allowing users to curate and discover unique places based on interests like local eateries or live jazz spots.

• 125,000+ user community
• List creation for various categories
• Personalized map view
• Gen Z vibe with a future twist
• Local and international exploration

Corner: iOS only

5. Divine: The Vine Reboot for Video Creators

If you’re missing the days of Vine, Divine offers a modern solution with over 500,000 videos from original Vine creators and a platform for users to make their own six-second clips.

• Over 500,000 videos
• Early Vine creator returnees like Lele Pons and JimmyHere
• Pioneered by Evan Henshaw-Plath
• Financial backing from Twitter’s Jack Dorsey nonprofit
• Diverse content categories

Divine: iOS/Android/Web

6. Mesh: An Address Book with a Social Twist

Mash is more than just an address book; it tracks updates from your network on LinkedIn or X, allowing for personalized outreach and reconnection based on configured cadence.

• LinkedIn and X bio tracking
• Reconnect with contacts automatically
• Personal CRM-like tools
• Detailed profile setup
• Pioneered by Automattic’s acquisition of Clay

Mash: iOS/Desktop/Web

7. Fable: A Book Club Community App

Fable is a book club community app that recently got an upgrade, now offering a bundled service with Everand for digital reading subscriptions and personalized recommendations.

• Bundled service with Everand
• 1.5 million ebooks and audiobooks access
• Ratings and reviews sync to Fable
• Join virtual book clubs
• Competitive alternatives like Bookshelf and Reading Journey

Fable: iOS/Android

8. Locket: Direct Friends on Your Home Screen

Locket is one of the pioneers in putting friends directly on your iPhone’s home screen with a live widget that updates as they upload new photos or messages.

• Live photo and message updates
• Lightweight chat option
• Weekly photo dumps
• Favorite artist following

Locket: iOS/Android

9. Airbuds: A Musical Social Network

Airbuds is a social network where users share what they’re streaming with friends, offering features like emojis and stickers for reactions, music quizzes, and discovering compatible tastes.

• Music sharing with friends
• Emoji and sticker reactions
• Message friends directly
• Profile setup with favorite bands
• Musical activities like quizzes and roasts

Airbuds: iOS/Android

10. The Mall: A Social Shopping Experience

The Mall is a newly launched app that turns online shopping into a social experience, offering a universal feed for following updates and new releases from favorite brands.

• Universal brand feed
• Personalized recommendations based on tastes and style
• Friend profiles for inspiration
• Fashion-focused but expandable to other categories
• Waitlist for iOS release

The Mall: iOS (waitlist)

11. Shelf: Organizing Your Digital Life

Shelf is a social app that organizes your taste in music, movies, TV shows, books, and other things, helping you learn more about yourself while also offering a private network for friends.

• Digital life organization
• Personalized recaps and trend breakdowns
• Social discovery through friends’ shelves
• Private by default
• No clout-based focus

Shelf: iOS