If you’re looking for the TikTok alternative that comes closest to the original, the Likee app is for you. Here too, the focus is on easy editing of own videos. These are especially the few 2,000 filters and effects which should appeal to the youngest target group. Once created, the videos are published in the personal profile and in the leaderboards. Users can message each other, livestream and distribute gifts.
The more interactions a user generates, the higher he rises in the rankings and the more this unlocks additional functions. Gifts, however, must be purchased through in-app purchases, which can quickly turn into a money trap for young and inexperienced users.
Privacy advocates also criticize the fact that in-app registration requires a Facebook account or mobile phone number as well as full access to contacts, camera and location. In order to protect young users, it is possible to limit the use of Likee for those under 16 to only viewing videos, without them being able to upload their own creations, nor receive or send messages and gifts. , which removes all the basic sharing principle of the TikTok application and its alternatives.
Despite all the criticism, Singapore’s video app first gained followers in Russia and India, then in the United States. The figure of 500 million active users is advanced, with many more downloads on Google Play and Apple Store. In Europe, the number of users is (still) significantly lower, but Likee is one of the main alternatives to TikTok.
