Since a few years ago, TikTok has become very popular. Over 1.6 billion people around the world now use the short-form video app, which is pretty cool. About 1.1 billion people use TikTok every month. That’s huge! 

So, why don’t you build an app like Tiktok? The app that millions of people around the world will want to use. It became so popular that not only businesses but also startups started investing in similar ideas. 

If you can relate, you have come to the right place. After taking a closer look at what makes the video app TikTok so popular, read on to learn to build an app like Tiktok. 

So, let’s begin! 

 

What Is TikTok App?

Tiktok is basically a video-sharing application used to broadcast live video streams, add music & filters, record short video clips, and then share them on social networks. The initial idea of the Tiktok application is to combine music, video, and social network to increase reach and engagement but ended up calling out to be “TikTok Is A Hit-Maker For The Music Industry”. 

 

 

The model was based on video streaming app development with extended features of messaging app and music streaming app development. The ever-growing craze and popularity of Tiktok have enabled business owners to build an app like Tiktok that brings revenue and success in the coming time.

 

Future Predictions And Projections of TikTok

• Indonesia had almost 157.6 million users of TikTok as of July 2024, making it the country with the biggest TikTok following by a long shot. 
• TikTok is one of the most valuable media and entertainment brands in the world, with a brand value that has grown by an amazing 215% per year. 
• Nearly 23 million people follow the VoD giant, making it the second most famous brand on TikTok around the world.

 

 

• It was found in July 2024 that about 16% of app like Twitter’s users around the world were women between the ages of 18 and 24. 
• Around 252 million people around the world downloaded TikTok in the second quarter of 2024.

 

 

How Does A Tiktok App Work?

Before you build an app like Tiktok, you need to know its working process. So, let’s have a look at the step-by-step process of Tiktok app working process explained by a mobile app development services provider.  

 

 

1. Download and Install

You can get the TikTok app from the app store on your phone. After downloading the app, sign up for an account with your phone number, email address, or a social media account.

 

2. Explore the Feed

Visit the “For You” page after logging in. This is your personalized feed, which is full of short videos made by different people. Read through to find out about new things and trends.

 

3. Create and Share

Tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen to make your own TikTok. Pick a video or picture to upload. Make your video stand out by adding voice over, music, text, and effects. When you are done, tap “Post” to show your followers and everyone else on TikTok.

 

4. Interact with Others

You can tag, like, and share videos made by other people. If you follow accounts you like, their posts will show up more often in your feed.

 

5. Discover New Trends

People know TikTok for its challenges and trends that go viral. You can find trending challenges and popular hashtags on the “Discover” page. 

 

Steps To Build An App Like Tiktok

Are you looking to develop an app like Tiktok? Here are five important steps you need to take to build an app like Tiktok. Let’s have a look: 

 

 

1. Conduct Market Analysis

You should think about who will use your TikTok-like app before you make it. Do you want to build an app like Tiktok that only millennials will want? Or do you want to reach the growing number of late zoomers and generation H kids? But first you must validate your app idea with an IT consulting services provider. 

No matter what, try to figure out what the people you want to reach want and need. This will help you choose the appropriate business model and features that will enhance the UX of your video app like Tiktok.

At this stage, you should also look at your competitors. Find out how they make money, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and where their best apps like tiktok overlap. You can use this information to figure out to make your social media app follow market trends. 

 

2. Choose the Best Features

Right now, you should work on on demand app development solutions USP even better. What develop a social media app like Tiktok different from the others? What features are so necessary for your chinese app like Tiktok that people will not bother using it without them? 

By answering these questions, you will be able to pick a good business model and build an app like TikTok. They say to pick the sign-up pages, filters, and other basic features for your social media app if you can not think of any other features.

 

3. Create the UI/UX Design

Now that the business model and features have been agreed upon, it is time to make them happen. First, the hybrid mobile app development team makes a mind map to show the user’s path. You can also use the Tiktok app builder. 

It is a diagram with parts and how they connect to each other. In it, the Tiktok app development company shows how a person would go from opening a social media site to sending a friend a funny video.

The messaging app development team started working on the design of the social media app once the mind map was finished. They made wireframes of future Tiktok like app screens and finished design concepts. 

 

4. Begin TikTok-like App Development

The tech stack is what the tiktok app developers use to start to build an app like Tiktok. After a feature is finished, the testers do QA testing to look for bugs and other errors that were not expected. 

For your app to be successful, you need to make an MVP before releasing the full version. It lets you test your app and get useful feedback from people who use it. So, if you need to, you can make changes and make sure your apps similar to Tiktok works perfectly before you release it to the public.

If you want MVP app development solution like TikTok, you should pick the features that are most important to you. The MVP has just the right number of interesting features to make the app appealing to early adopters. 

Once you have gotten their feedback and made the tiktok desktop app better, add the last few features and release the full version of your product. 

 

5. Launch and Maintain the App

You can now get the social media app from the App Store and the Google Play Market. Now you can get feedback from your first users and make changes to the social media platform based on what they say. Beyond this point, a feedback loop forms. 

With each cycle, your social network app development gets better for current users and more appealing to people who might want to use it. Additionally, you need to regularly update and maintain the app that works like TikTok by adding new features.  

 

 

Must-Have Features of Social Media Apps Like Tiktok

Tiktok video app offers its users amazing social media functionalities, including re-sharing content, sending likes, etc. Besides basic functionalities, the app also has additional features for an impeccable user experience. So, let’s see what you can include while you build an app like Tiktok.

 

1. Video Creation & Editing

Like Snapchat, a video-sharing app like Tiktok enables users to edit their videos using multiple tools, including applying effects, changing eye color, lip-synching, etc. To make video creating and editing more fun, Tiktok offers stickers, animations, masks, and slow-motion effects.

So, you shouldn’t miss incorporating such features while working on social media app development. Due to the high demand for these shot video creations, the demand to build an app like Tiktok is also in high. 

 

2. Profile Management

This video streaming app development feature enables users to customize their Tiktok profile while changing usernames, bio, profile pictures, and more. Incorporating a customization feature is a must to grab the users’ attention and keep them satisfied.

 

3. Live Streaming

This feature is majorly available for premium Tiktok users. Video creators can make live streams and receive virtual goods from their fans using it. This amazing feature has also raised the demand for mobile app development like Tiktok.

 

4. Add Music

While creating Tiktok, users can add any music of their choice using this feature. You can also search for trending songs and make a video to get viral. It is another great feature that is increasing the demand to build an app like Tiktok. It makes Video making more fun.

 

5. Filters & Effects

As per the research, 80% of mobile app users apply filters and effects while using any application, so Tiktok also has such a feature. While using this feature, users can create amazing videos and find the app more interesting to use. As a result, this increases your application’s worth and makes it outshine competitors.

 

6. Send Hearts, Comment, & Share Video

Like social media apps like Instagram, Tiktok also has a feature of sending a heart on the Video, commenting on it, and sharing it with other users on the application. The users can also look at the liked posts on the specific tab. This feature is essential to increase the engagement of your video-sharing app development project. So, do not forget to include it in your app.

 

7. Push Notifications

Keeping the users informed about in-app activities is essential to ensure the application’s engagement and user satisfaction. For that, the push notification feature comes in handy as it keeps on updating the app users about ongoing activities. So, whenever you develop an app like Tiktok, don’t forget to incorporate this feature.

This is the list of some basic social networking app development features that you shouldn’t miss including at any cost. You can also try some advanced or additional features to add some uniqueness to your social media app, like Tiktok. But, the more features you will include, the higher the cost will be.

 

Best Social Media Apps Like TikTok

Here are the best app like Snapchat or Tiktok that you must take into consideration for your video making apps like Tiktok. 

 

 

Top Apps Like Tiktok	Available Platform	Downloads	Ratings
Clapper	Android | iOS	1M+	4.4
Snapchat	Android | iOS	100M+	4.1
Huddles	Android | iOS	1M+	3.0
YouTube Shorts	Android | iOS	100M+	4.5
Lemon8	Android | iOS	10M+	4.8

 

How Much Does It Cost To Build An App Like Tiktok?

TikTok app development costs are also based on a number of factors. At each stage of the development cycle, these costs are added on. Basically, the cost to build an app like Tiktok may generally depends on your project requirements.

It can cost you between $10,000-$25,000. Let’s take a look at the below table of tiktok social media app development cost. 

 

App Complexity	Cost Estimation
Simple Tiktok-like App	$10000-$15000
Medium Tiktok-like App	$15000-$20000
Complex Tiktok-like App	$25000+

 

Besides, you can calculate the cost to develop an app like Tiktok by using the below formula: 

Total Tiktok App Development Cost = Developer’s Hourly Rate * Development Time

Now that you know the cost to build an app like tiktok for adults, it is time to contact a social media app development company. They provide an exact cost estimation according to your budget.

 

 

Why Is It Important To Fix A Budget For Your Project?

You should set a budget before you invest now that you build an app like Tiktok. Making a budget can help you understand how everything fits together and help you take the right steps to create a social media app like tiktok for adults. Therefore, before you start working on growing your business, remember the following: 

 

 

1. Helps Identify the Actual Needs

You can think about what users want when you set a budget to create a mobile app like TikTok. This way, you can give them what they need right now. That way, it will be simple for you to figure out what features your app needs and pick the right ones. 

 

2. Aids in Market Research

As soon as you decide how much you can spend, you need to do a lot of market research to find out what the going rates are. 

 

3. You Need the MVP

The bare minimum product is what will get you into meetings with investors. You need a budget to figured out how much and how long an MVP will take. 

 

4. Need to Save for Marketing

It is not possible to know for sure that your work and costs will end when the app is done. There are still some steps to take to build an app like TikTok. You need to market the app and get it to the right people. That is the real problem. How well a social media app does is not really affected by social media app development cost in the first place. What matters is how much it costs to keep up with. 

 

Tech Stack to Develop an App Like TikTok

While considering the cost to build an app like Tiktok or specifically social media apps, then be sure to consider the technology stack the company is using. Here’s the tech stack that maximum companies use while developing mobile applications. Tech Stack to Develop An App Like TikTok

 

Frontend	React Native
Backend	Python, JAVA, C#, PHP, Erlang
Database	Postgres, Schemaless on top of MySQL
Cloud	Google Cloud Storage, Azure, AWS
Media Server Configuration	Google Cloud Storage, Azure, AWS
Video/Audio Transcoding	Amazon, Elastic Transcoder, FFMPEG

 

How To Monetize Your Social Media App Like Tiktok?

Now that you have developed the social media app like Tiktok for adults, it is time to make some money from it. But how? Obviously, the monetization methods. So, let’s have a look at the below monetization methods: 

 

 

1. Sponsored Content

It could be very profitable for your business to work with brands to provide sponsored content. This can be done by adding branded content or product placements to user-generated videos or making partnerships with only one brand. TikTok’s success with working with influencers shows how well this strategy works because it aligns content with brand goals and keeps Tiktok USA app users interested.

 

2. Subscription Models

By using a subscription model, you can give users access to extra features or an experience without ads in exchange for a recurring fee. Creators with a “TikTok Pro” account can get analytics and extra tools.

This could be turned into a subscription-based service. This entertainment app development method guarantees a steady flow of income and gives users who are willing to pay for better features something of value. 

 

3. In-app Purchases

With in-app purchases, users can buy virtual goods, premium features, or improvements right inside the app. When you invest in video streaming app development like TikTok, it lets users buy different kinds of virtual gifts for each other support their favourite creators. If users like these extras, this model can make a lot of money, creating a steady stream of income. 

 

4. Ad Revenue

Ads are a big part of how social media applications for businesses like TikTok make money. You can use different types of ads, such as:  

 

• Banner Ads

Ads that are small and often rectangular that show up at the top or bottom of the screen.

 

• Interstitial Ads

Ads that take up the whole screen and show up between videos or during transitions.

 

• Native Ads

There should be ads that are less annoying and fit right in with the app’s content.

 

• Video Ads

People watch short video ads before they can get to the content. Targeted ads and partnerships with brands can help you make the most money from ads and make sure that users see relevant ads from Tiktoc clone app development solution. 

 

 

Conclusion

Since social media app development is gaining immense popularity, businesses can use this opportunity to build an app like Tiktok and generate more revenue and profit. For that, all the points mentioned above would be of great help to businesses worldwide.

If you plan to outsource your project, it is advisable to get in touch with a well-known and reputed mobile app development company with a team of dedicated developers. It will ensure you get a perfect video streaming app like Tiktok that brings more success in less time.

 

FAQs

 

Q1. How Long Does It Take To Develop An App Like Tiktok?

The time to build an app like Tiktok can vary depending on multipl factors like app complexity, features, tech stack etc. Generally, it can take around 2-6 months to create a social media app. 

 

Q2. How Much Does It Cost To Build An App Like Tiktok?

The cost to make an app like Tiktok will be between $10000-$25000. But it can falutute on the basis of your project requirements. So, it is advisable to consult with a Tiktok app development company about the actual cost.      

 

Q3. What Are the Benefits of Tiktok App Development?

The benefits of Tiktok clone application development are mentioned below: 

• Boost user engagement 
• Global reach 
• Enhanced the revenue 
• Cost-effective solution   

 

Q4. How To Build An App Like Tiktok?

To create an app like Tiktok, you must follow the below steps: 

• Conduct market research     
• Know your competitor apps like tiktok
• Create a feature lists 
• Design a UI/UX 
• Build a video sharing app like TikTok 
• Test the app
• Final launch

 

Q5. How To Make Money From a Social Media App?

• In-app purchase
• Freemium model 
• Subscription model 
• In-app advertisement

 

Q6. How Much Does It Cost To Build an App Like Instagram?

The cost to build an app like Instagram can be between $10000–$30000 or more depending on the complexity of your app.