Is Hive the next Twitter? Or Mastodon? Or Post?
As reported by TechCrunch, the app has experienced a major influx of new users since Elon Musk took over Twitter a few weeks ago and fired over half of the company. According to data from Sensor Tower and Hive itself, it appears that the platform has crossed over a million users.
The app, according to its founder Kassandra Pop, has been getting a ton of attention as an alternative to Twitter for those who are thinking of leaving the platform due to Musk’s new direction for the social media service. Data analytics firm Sensor Tower found that the app has been growing in popularity in both the United States and internationally.
According to data from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower, around 214,000 of Hive’s total 733,000 lifetime installs across iOS and Android arrived over the last 30 days alone. Of note, Hive seems to have gained the attention of those outside the U.S. — its non-U.S. installs account for around 86% of Hive’s total downloads, Sensor Tower said.
The analytics firm found that, over the weekend, over 140,000 people downloaded the app in the United States alone causing it to crack the top twenty on the App Store.
Sensor Tower’s data indicates Hive gained around 144,000 new installs over the past few days (Friday, Nov. 18 through Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022). 22,000 of those installs were from the U.S. alone, it says. During this time, the app also jumped from the No. 338 overall iPhone app on the U.S. App Store to become the No. 17 app today. In the U.K. it’s No. 17 and it’s No 24 in Canada.
Pop said that the meteoric rise of the app has been “a lot for [the team] to process and they’re focusing on the product itself.” While the app has risen in popularity, so has scrutiny about potential privacy concerns due to its small team and vague terms and policies.
We understand Hive is run by a team of three, including Pop and two other developers, whose full names the founder won’t provide to the press. Users are raising concerns about Hive’s security, given this situation, and noting the app has some odd quirks — like non-unique usernames which could lead to impersonation, for example. Others have pointed to vague’s terms and privacy policy, lack of 2FA and the inexperienced team as reasons to be cautious.
With the rise of Hive, Mastodon, and Post, we seem to be in the golden age of Twitter alternatives.
