Top 10 social media platforms

A social media platform is a website or mobile application that allows users to create, share, and connect with other people online worldwide. These platforms enable communication, entertainment, and business promotions. These platforms are essential for disseminating information.

Popular social media platforms:

As of 2025, the social media platforms based on active users and popularity are:

Facebook
Youtube
Whatsapp
Instagram
Tiktok
WeChat
Telegram
Snapchat
X (formally Twitter)
LinkedIn

Facebook: Facebook is the largest social networking platform, allowing users to connect and share posts. It has over 3 billion monthly active users. The main features of the Facebook platform are News feed, Messenger, Facebook groups, Facebook marketplace, Reels, and Ads. Facebook is mainly used for personal connections and business marketing through ads, etc.

Connecting with friends. The primary use of Facebook has always been about connecting people. Facebook is a way to find and connect with friends and remain updated on their activities.
Creating communities. Facebook is used to create and organize communities of interest on just about any topic. It’s a platform that can enable like-minded individuals to come together, share ideas, discuss, and organize.
Engaging with customers. For businesses, Facebook can help with brand building and customer engagement. Having a Facebook presence enables businesses to share information about products and services to established and potential customers.
Searching for jobs. Facebook is often a way to look at the personal and professional lives of people and organizations to see if there is a cultural fit. Businesses also often list available jobs on the app.
Selling goods and services. Businesses can sell goods and services directly in the marketplace. They can also push consumers toward their products via advertisements.

Youtube: Youtube is a video-sharing platform owned by Google where users can upload, watch, and comment on videos. Over 2.5+ billion users. This platform is used for entertainment brand promotions and education. The main features of this platform are video uploads, live streaming, shorts, and subscriptions.YouTube ranks as the second largest search engine in the world after Google. Therefore, it will be challenging to stand out from the sea of online videos, but you can use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to your advantage.

Firstly, use keywords that represent your brand and your content. Secondly, use a relevant description and headline. As you upload videos to help YouTube know what your content is about. Additionally, encourage your viewers to comment, like, and share your content. YouTube likes videos with high engagement.

Whatsapp: WhatsApp is one of the best new social media platforms for marketing. Whatsapp is a messaging app that sends text, voice, and video messages as well as calls. The main features are End-to-end encryption, WhatsApp business, status updates, and groups. WhatsApp has 2+ billion users. This is a widely used messaging app for personal and business communication.

Users of WhatsApp can share their location in real-time over messages. They can also organize lists of contacts so that they can quickly send messages to lots of people in group chats through WhatsApp. Probably the best feature of WhatsApp is that it allows users to keep in touch with people living abroad. Without incurring the international charges associated with text messages.

Instagram: Instagram focuses on sharing photos, Reels, and videos. It has 2+ billion users. The main features of this platform are stories, Reels, Shopping, and influencer collaborations.

Instagram was launched on Oct. 6, 2010, when it was initially only available for iOS.The app reached one million registered users after just two months. Instagram works by allowing users to create and share posts, which can include photos, videos, and captions, to their profile and feed. Users can interact with others through likes, comments, direct messages, and by following other accounts.

TikTok: TikTok is a social media platform for creating, sharing, and discovering short videos. The app is used by young people as an outlet to express themselves through singing, dancing, comedy, and lip-syncing, and allows users to create videos and share them across a community. The main features of this platform are 15-second to 10-minute videos, Filters, Live streams, and Creator Fund. It has 1.5+ billion users.TikTok, released in September 2016, is a popular social media app that allows users to create, watch, and share short videos shot on mobile devices or webcams

WeChat: WeChat is a comprehensive messaging app developed by Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent. WeChat is a so-called super chat, which integrates a range of features. It has revolutionized how people connect, share, and conduct transactions. It has 1.3+ billion users. The main features of this app are Messaging, Mini Programs, Moments, and WeChat Pay.It is available in more than 200 countries and regions worldwide, in 17 languages.

Telegram: Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app known for its privacy and large group chats. The main features of this app are Secret chats, Channels, Bots, File sharing, and Groups with up to 200,000 members. It was originally launched for iOS on 14 August 2013 and Android on 20 October 2013. Telegram allows active users to communicate from any mobile device, desktop app, or browser-based client—quickly and efficiently. Experts say this application delivers messages faster than many other chat apps on the market today. It has 800+ million users.

Snapchat: Snapchat is a popular messaging app that lets users exchange pictures and videos (called snaps). That is meant to disappear after they’re viewed. It’s advertised as a “new type of camera”. Because the essential function is to take a picture or video, add filters, lenses, or other effects, and share them with friends. It has 750+ million users. The main features of this app are Snaps, Stories, Lenses, Spotlight, and Bitmoji. With Snap Streaks, two users have snapped back and forth within a 24-hours for three days in a row. Once you’ve established a streak, special emojis, and statistics display next to the streakers’ names to show you how long you’ve maintained a streak

X (formally Twitter): Twitter’s “X” is the new identity of the social network, introduced by Elon Musk. Who acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion. As the new “everything app.” On July 23, Twitter replaced the iconic blue bird logo with a stylized“X” logo and removed the Twitter name from its websites, apps, and headquarters. It has 600+ million users.

The main features of this app are Tweets, Threads, Spaces (audio rooms), Trending Topics, and Subscriptions.

LinkedIn: A professional networking site for career growth and business connections. It has 500+ million users. The main features of this app are Job postings, Articles, LinkedIn Learning, Company Pages, and Messaging. Despite the professional focus, LinkedIn is quite similar to social networking sites like Facebook. It’s based on principles like connecting to friends (or, in the case of LinkedIn, “connections,”), posting updates, sharing and liking content, and messaging other users.