The possibility of a U.S. ban on TikTok has led to a surge in development within the open social web community. Several new applications are being built that could potentially serve as a TikTok replacement for users who prefer the open-source, decentralized social network Bluesky and the technology that powers it, the AT Protocol.

Although the TikTok ban is currently on pause after President Trump gave parent company ByteDance a 75-day extension to negotiate a deal, the fact that the government was able to take down TikTok in the first place has users worried about its future. Meanwhile, creators and small businesses are stressed over how the loss of TikTok could affect their income.

Building a “TikTok for Bluesky”

One solution emerging to address the problem is Bluesky, a decentralized, open-source social network where users can choose their own server and algorithm and adjust their experience accordingly.

A screenshot of a user’s feed on Bluesky, which resembles a TikTok feed, has been shared online. The image shows a curated feed with various videos and content.

BlueSky Reels

BlueSky Reels is another project that aims to create a TikTok replacement. Developed by Craig Merry, the app will support video-only content and basic user interactions. Over time, support for other personal data servers besides Bluesky’s own could be included.

The app’s content will come from Bluesky itself, with the goal of adding more features that Bluesky does not have.

According to Merry, the main goal of the app is to create an easy way for people to create curated feeds with content that can be moderated directly, similar to moderation in Reddit.

The app is set to launch in beta on iOS, Android, and the web in the near future.