In the days following TikTok’s U.S. ownership shakeup, a noticeable slice of users has started looking for other places to post, scroll, and connect. One name suddenly popping up in those conversations is UpScrolled, a fast-rising social app that pitches itself as politically impartial and focused on open expression.
That message appears to be resonating. UpScrolled has climbed to No. 12 overall in Apple’s App Store and reached No. 2 in the Social Networking category, a sign that the app is breaking out beyond niche curiosity and into mainstream attention.
A familiar social feed with photos, videos, and text
UpScrolled is designed to feel instantly recognizable to anyone who’s spent time on major social platforms. It combines the basics people expect: the ability to publish photos, videos, and text posts, browse and discover new content, and communicate through direct messages. In other words, it aims to offer a full social network experience instead of a single-feature replacement.
The bigger pitch, though, isn’t just the feature set. It’s the promise of what UpScrolled says it won’t do: push political agendas or quietly reduce reach for certain accounts and topics.
Built around “control, transparency, and accountability”
UpScrolled was founded last year by Issam Hijazi, a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian technologist. The app’s stated goal is to provide a space where people can freely express thoughts, share moments, and connect—while avoiding “hidden algorithms or outside agendas,” according to its website.
Hijazi describes UpScrolled as more than a substitute for existing platforms, framing it as a rethinking of social media where creators, communities, and businesses can operate more independently, with clearer control, transparency, and accountability.
Downloads spike as TikTok questions spread
UpScrolled is available on iOS and Android, and it’s currently dealing with the kind of growing pains that come with sudden attention: a wave of new users hitting the servers faster than the team expected. The company acknowledged the strain publicly, saying the rapid influx caused systems to max out and that it’s working to scale quickly.
The numbers reflect just how sharp the increase has been. Data from Appfigures shows the app was downloaded about 41,000 times between Thursday (the day TikTok’s latest deal was finalized) and Saturday. That short burst represents nearly one-third of UpScrolled’s lifetime installs. Since Thursday, the app has averaged around 14,000 downloads per day, a reported 2,850% jump in daily downloads.
Overall, UpScrolled has reached roughly 140,000 total downloads so far, with about 75,000 installs coming from the United States.
Why some TikTok users are looking elsewhere
The migration interest is tied to the uncertainty and debate surrounding TikTok’s new U.S. ownership structure. TikTok announced it signed a deal with a group of non-Chinese investors to create a majority American-owned joint venture to keep the platform operating in the U.S. ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, will hold less than 20% of the new entity. Three managing investors—Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based investment company MGX—will each hold a 15% stake.
For some users, the investor lineup triggered concerns about potential political influence. After the takeover news, criticism spread online that TikTok might be censoring certain political content. Among those voicing concerns were high-profile figures including Senator Chris Murphy and singer Billie Eilish, who suggested posts criticizing ICE were being suppressed or limited. Others claimed they couldn’t search for information about protests in Minneapolis following the killing of Alex Pretti by border patrol agents.
TikTok, however, pointed to a data center outage, saying the disruption was affecting app functionality and could explain the issues people were seeing.
Privacy policy update adds fuel to the backlash
At the same time, additional concern grew after TikTok released an updated privacy policy that permits GPS tracking, among other changes. That update helped accelerate calls from some users to delete the app and try alternatives.
This is where UpScrolled’s positioning has been especially effective. The platform has attracted attention partly because it promises not to shadowban users and to give “every post a fair chance to be seen,” a direct appeal to creators and communities who worry their reach could be quietly limited elsewhere.
UpScrolled isn’t the only alternative surging
UpScrolled may be one of the standout gainers, but it’s not alone. Another TikTok alternative, Skylight, which is built on open-source technology, reports that it has surpassed 380,000 sign-ups and continues to grow.
For users who feel uncertain about TikTok’s direction—whether due to ownership concerns, content reach worries, or privacy changes—the broader trend is clear: interest in TikTok alternatives is accelerating, and UpScrolled is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about options.
