Clubhouse alternatives for Android and iOS
No time right now?
Clubhouse is everywhere right now. There are other, less exclusive apps that offer similar functions. We have summarized them for you.
With all the hype about Clubhouse, Android users in particular are currently being left out, even if a corresponding variant of the drop-in audio chat is being worked on. But there are also reasons for iOS users to look for a suitable alternative. Whether it is about data protection concerns, the exclusivity of Clubhouse is rejected or you are simply looking for a social audio app with a slightly different focus: The following Clubhouse alternatives sometimes appeal to other user groups and have their own strengths and strengths Weaknesses.
But if you are looking for a suitable audio app to network and exchange ideas with friends or like-minded people, you should pay close attention to this list.
Contents
Twitter Spaces
No sooner did Clubhouse really take off in Germany than Twitter announced that it wanted to incorporate similar functions into its own service: the so-called “Spaces“. Coincidence? Difficult to say, definitely another step by the messenger service to integrate additional voice functions on its platform. However, these measures have so far only been moderately successful, as shown by the maximum mediocre popularity of the audio tweets introduced in 2020.
While on some places It is already speculated whether Spaces will end soon for Clubhouse, so we must first wait to see when the function will be available to other users and how they will react to it. In the meantime, the established social media group is putting a lot of pressure on Clubhouse. Because the clubhouse clone reaches Android before the original.
Focus:
- Twitter users who also want to exchange verbal information on certain topics
Availability:
- currently still in the beta phase
- accessible to beta testers on iOS and Android
stereo
Stereo is a live broadcasting app that offered similar functions even before Clubhouse. Users can search the platform for conversations that might interest them. These are often led by experts or celebrities on specific topics. As a user, you have the choice of listening to the conversations similar to a live podcast, participating in them via instant voice messages or even being appointed as a guest speaker. Unlike a clubhouse, stereo understands itself according to their own statements as a holistic platform for creating podcasts. Conversations held here find their way accordingly in many cases to the relevant podcast providers such as Spotify or iTunes.
Focus:
- Live podcasts that are also published for listening
- Greater proximity to popular public figures
- Bringing different users together for online discussions
Availability:
- Apps available for iOS and Android
cappuccino
“A daily personal audio show featuring your friends”: This is how the cappuccino team describes its app on the own website. But how exactly does cappuccino work? The app relies on group chats, such as those known from WhatsApp or the various alternatives, but only via audio. The contributions of the individual members of a group are summarized in an audio file and can thus be played in one piece. For example, users can easily receive a status update on what is currently going on in their circle of friends or their family environment.
Focus:
- Hear and record messages from friends for them
Availability:
- Apps available for iOS and Android
Dive
Dive is actually a little out of place on this list. Because here too, only those who have previously received an invitation from another registered user can join. You could say that the audio app Dive wants to be the German clubhouse. The user interface is actually very similar to that of Clubhouse. In contrast to the American service, Dive does not flirt with wanting to dissolve its exclusivity at some point. The app should be a platform on which founders can exchange ideas and network. After more and more questions about data protection came up at Clubhouse recently, the team behind Dive promised to pay special attention to this topic.
Focus:
- Exchange between founders
- Networking of professionals from the startup scene
Availability:
- Apps available for iOS and Android
- only for “invited guests”
Discord
From the niche to the mainstream: That describes the last few years at Discord quite well. Proof of this can also be found in the user and sales figures. Within five years, the app had it on over 100 million monthly users brought, with the corona pandemic apparently again providing an additional boost. This makes Discord the big player on this list, so to speak.
The advantage of Discord: The service is accessible from a wide variety of devices and operating systems and can even be started directly in the browser without downloading. Here you can meet up with friends to chat (voice or text) or exchange ideas in groups on various topics. Users can decide whether they want to set up their own server with just a few clicks or join an existing one. Files can also be sent back and forth.
While Discord was initially popular in the gaming scene, the app now appeals to a very broad and diverse target group. Online semesters during the corona crisis also brought numerous students around the world to network and organize themselves at Discord. However, the platform has had problems with right-wing extremist user groups in the past.
Focus:
- Exchange via voice chat with friends or like-minded people
- Working, studying, playing or discussing together
- Gaming
- Less business-heavy than a clubhouse
Availability:
- free for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Linux
- can also be used in the browser without downloading
Telephone calls are particularly common among young people perceived uncomfortably. Nevertheless, it was not just since the spread of WhatsApp voice messages that it became clear that verbal communication will by no means completely disappear. Audio books and podcasts are also experiencing a boom. The need for other human voices, be it those of friends and family members, those of the dearest podcasters or those of strangers in a lively online discussion, cannot be dismissed out of hand.
After we have used our cell phones less and less to talk to other people in recent years, the circle could now come full circle again thanks to new audio chats and voice apps, as they did MIT Technology Review formulated. Growing numbers of users for a wide variety of apps seem to confirm this trend – at least for the moment. The apps listed here could therefore belong to a large part of the future of social networks.
