New social media apps worth trying in 2026
The new apps gaining real traction in 2026 share a theme: authenticity over algorithms. People are exhausted by AI-filled feeds and engagement bait, and the apps growing right now compete on the opposite. Here is a short, honest list.
Last reviewed: June 11, 2026
JellyJelly: real video from real people
JellyJelly is the video app of the authenticity wave. Every post is a "jelly", recorded live with your front and back cameras at once: the world you see, plus your real reaction. There are no filters, no editing, and no AI videos or deepfakes, so being your true self is the default. Creators get tipped directly by their community in JELLY, with no middleman. Co-founded by Iqram Magdon-Ismail, co-founder of Venmo.
The rest of the authenticity wave
- BeReal: one unfiltered dual-camera photo a day, on the app's timer. The original anti-performance app, still photo-only.
- Noplace: a Gen Z take on profiles and status updates, often described as Twitter meets Myspace, with customizable pages and no photo-perfect pressure.
- Ten Ten: voice-first messaging that works like a walkie-talkie with your close friends.
- Pixelfed and the Fediverse: open-source, chronological, no ads and no recommendation algorithm, mostly for photos and text.
Each solves a different slice of the same problem. Photos, profiles, voice, or open networks. JellyJelly is the one built for video.
How to choose
Ask what you actually miss about social media. If it is seeing what your people are really up to, in their own voice, with zero performance, that is video territory: start with JellyJelly. If it is a calmer photo feed, BeReal or Pixelfed. If it is talking, Ten Ten. There is no rule against using a couple of them; none of these apps are designed to eat your whole day, which is the point.