New Social Media Apps to Try (November 2026)

Bored of the same four apps? Here are the new and newer social media apps worth trying in November 2026, what each one is actually for, and how to tell if one will stick.

How to tell if a new app will stick

• Your friends are on it. Social apps live or die by who else is there.
• There’s a reason to open it every day. A daily game, a streak or a list beats “just another feed.”
• It does something the big apps don’t. If it’s a copy of TikTok, you already have TikTok.

The list

1. portal.app: your friends pick you

Every day you get 4 picks to vote friends for positive superlatives like “best laugh” or “most likely to go viral by accident.” They find out they got picked, never who. Your page has an answering machine for messages, anonymous questions and 15-second video messages, and everything in the feed is shot live, with no uploads and no AI. Best for: high schoolers, friend groups and creators who want to be early. What’s in 2.0.

2. Locket

Photos from close friends land right on your home screen as a widget. Best for: your inner circle.

3. Lemon8

A lifestyle app with photo carousels and how-to posts. Best for: fits, food, routines and aesthetic content.

4. Bluesky and Threads

Text-first apps if you want conversation instead of video. Best for: following news, sports and creators you already like.

5. Fizz (college)

An anonymous campus feed for college students. Best for: college campuses, not high school.

Which one should you try first?

If you want something your whole school plays together, start with portal.app. If you just want to see your best friends’ day, try Locket. If you want to post aesthetic how-tos, try Lemon8.

We update this list every month.

About portal.app

portal.app is a free iPhone app where your friends pick you. You get 4 picks a day to vote friends for positive superlatives like “best laugh” or “most likely to be famous.” They find out they got picked. Never who. You also get your own page with an answering machine, a camera-only feed with no uploads and no AI, and lists for your school, city, state and the USA. See what’s new in 2.0.

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