How to Create an App Like TikTok: Features, Estimation, Tech Stack

Wondering how to properly create an app like TikTok? This video-sharing digital solution has become a new trend among entertainment applications these days. It has 1.58 billion users from all over the world each month. And they spend hours on TikTok watching videos and creating their own content.

The stunning success of TikTok led to many requests from entrepreneurs and startupers like how to make an app like TikTok and the cost to create a TikTok-like app.

In our article, you can find a ready-made estimation, basic and additional features as well as a tech stack for developing a TikTok app.

TikTok has inspired a lot of entrepreneurs to explore how to create a social media website. It's a video sharing platform that lets users create and share videos online. It enables TikTok users to upload videos and film content. After that, the videos can be edited as the application provides many editing effects, filters, and more.

Additionally, TikTok is a perfect platform for showing talents and sharing knowledge with a broad audience. It can convert a video into a live wallpaper. Users can save these videos in the settings. The platform has become popular in a short time.

TikTok has revealed all the details about creating For You and Suggestions fields. Let’s single out the details essential for your future mobile app development.

How does TikTok create For You page? The system analyzes several factors like user interactions, video information, device and account settings. Based on this information, TikTok recommends individual content for each user.

Of course, there are more ways to make personalized TikTok algorithms work for you. Before using the app, users need to choose the categories they’re interested in. If the user doesn’t select categories, TikTok shows the most popular videos. Also, users can tell TikTok that they don’t like this video. For this, they need to long-press on a video and tap ‘Not Interested’.

Let's delve deeper into the impact of these personalization tactics by looking at some quick stats. Here's a glimpse into TikTok's user base, demographics, and engagement metrics:

• According to Business of Apps 2024 data, TikTok has been downloaded more than 2 billion times on the App Store and Google Play.
• While TikTok is used by teenagers, the average age of its users is between 16 and 24. Linearity states that 53.4% of them are female and 46.6% are male.
• Users tend to spend an average of 52 minutes daily on the TikTok.
• TikTok Newsroom claims that TikTok is available in 175 countries.

These impressive user numbers and engagement metrics paint a clear picture: TikTok has captured a global audience. Now, let's delve into how to create an app like TikTok and monetize it.

TikTok uses several revenue streams to earn money. We'll reveal them for your inspiration to make a social media app like TikTok, showing you how this platform turned short-form videos into a massive business opportunity.

Advertising is TikTok's primary revenue stream, accounting for a significant portion of its overall earnings. The platform offers various advertising solutions for businesses to reach their target audience, including:

• In-feed ads. These ads appear seamlessly within the user's For You Page (FYP), blending in with organic content. Businesses can target these ads based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
• TopView ads. These ads take over the entire screen when a user opens the app, providing high-impact exposure for brands.
• Branded hashtag challenges. TikTok collaborates with brands to create branded hashtag challenges, encouraging users to create and share videos related to a specific theme or product.
• Branded effects. Brands can create custom AR filters and effects that users can incorporate into their videos, increasing brand awareness and engagement.

Many social media platforms, including TikTok, have successfully implemented in-app purchase systems. These systems allow users to buy virtual items, like gifts for creators during live streams. These gifts are displayed prominently, providing creators with a revenue stream and encouraging them to produce engaging content that keeps users coming back for more. This concept can be a valuable consideration when you build an app like TikTok, where fostering a creator economy can be crucial for user engagement and platform growth.

It may be time-consuming and expensive to develop a TikTok clone. However, the MVP version of the app (the solution with only core features like given below) allows getting feedback from your target audience and deciding what features to develop further. Additionally, finding an answer on how to build a Minimum Viable Product, you have more chances to get investments. A working product makes stakeholders trust you.

Empower users to personalize their profiles and express themselves creatively. This can include allowing them to change profile pictures, usernames, add bios, link to external profiles, and choose from a variety of profile layouts or color themes. The more customization options you offer, the more users feel connected to their virtual space within the app.

How to make a TikTok like app successful? Thanks to the upload video feature, users will be able to seamlessly record, edit, and share videos within the app. Consider allowing uploads from the device's gallery or directly capturing them within the app. Integrate basic editing tools like trimming, adding filters and effects, and music overlays to enhance user creativity and encourage video creation.

Users should have capabilities to edit the video on the app. There can be some basic options like flipping, speeding up the video, and more. However, it’s also possible to add an opportunity to turn on ‘beauty’ mode. It makes the users’ skin more smooth.

Filters & effects are essential to attract and engage users in a TikTok-like app. This feature lets users express themselves creatively by transforming the look and feel of their videos. Consider offering a diverse range of filters, from subtle color adjustments to artistic effects, alongside trendy and interactive effects that encourage user participation and challenges.This will keep users coming back to explore new creative possibilities.

This core feature allows users to express appreciation for videos through "hearts" (similar to likes on other platforms). They can also engage in deeper conversations by leaving comments directly on the video. Additionally, users can revisit videos they've hearted by accessing a dedicated "Liked Videos" tab within their profile, making it easy to rediscover content they enjoyed.

To gain more users, you can offer sharing options. It stands for the ability to share their publications on other social media like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Additionally, TikTok offers to connect the user’s profile to other social networks.

To keep users posted, it’s necessary to add a push notification function. You need to inform the users about comments on their videos, likes, or any other updates. Usually, notifications are implemented via Google Cloud Messaging (Android) or Apple Push Notification Service (iOS).

Admin panel offers multiple functions like user management (e.g. edit, delete, or block users). Additionally, it can assist in counting posts of a particular user, providing data about new users, etc.

It’s enough to have only basic features when you make an app like TikTok. However, the more users you gain, the more advanced and unique functions your application should have. There are some TikTok advanced features below that you can implement if you start TikTok similar app development.

• Video preview before registration. TikTok allows looking through some popular videos before signing up. As a result, new users can look through the content. However, to comment or like, it’s necessary to sign up.
• Location-based content. This feature allows locating the device. According to this data, the app offers content posted by other users with the same location. Additionally, users can add their current whereabouts to the video.
• Real-time analytics. This function provides an opportunity to see the live viewers and broadcasters on the graph. Additionally, it offers data about the number of comments and hearts.
• AR filters. Some augmented reality filters can change the hair or eye color, add objects over the head (e.g. dog’s ears, flowers), and more.

This technology becomes more and more popular these days. So, it’s a good idea to integrate this technology into your application. By the way, we’ve developed an amazing AR library. If you are curious, you can check our GitHub profile to study our ARFaceDetection.

To structure up your creation strategy, let’s dive into the must-have steps you should consider before starting the full-fledged development process.

While working on TikTok app development, it is vital to cooperate with specialists from social media app development company with a high level of expertise in social network engineering, particularly those with experience in understanding TikTok usage. This expertise can help avoid project task delays and a lack of essential knowledge critical to a successful app. Without a deep understanding of how users interact with and engage on TikTok, you risk developing features that miss the mark or building an app structure that doesn't cater to user behavior. This can lead to budget overruns and a list of unwanted consequences.

However, if you research and find an IT vendor with experience in your business domain, the chances of such inconveniences are low. Also, experienced experts are well-equipped with problem-solving skills and will likely find the most convenient solutions. So that, you’ll be able to pass all the following activities with the vendor easier and more effectively.

For a smooth and successful TikTok app development and launch, it’s crucial to define your niche market share and demand clearly. Let’s see what exactly should form your strategy.

Determination of your target audience

First, define who is most likely going to be interested in your product. This process tightly engages the analysis of the data of the existing user base. Using surveys, you can define their primary needs, interests, and behavioral patterns.

Also, it may be helpful to find out your average user's actual needs and pain points. Knowing this, you can solve the most widespread problems, improving users' loyalty and retention.

Monetization model choice

It’s time to think about how exactly you’ll benefit from your TikTok-like app. There are multiple monetization models, and several of them are implemented into TikTok functionality.

• In-app purchases. TikTok allows its users to support live streamers by purchasing internal app coins.
• Advertising. This monetization model has many variations of in-app advertisement.
• Cost Per Click (CPC), Cost Per Mile (CPM), and Cost Per Action (CPA) are common advertising models used in mobile apps.

Another type of in-app monetization is fundraising. It’s an effective method in the first stage of a project. It implies attracting investments to support the app's development and growth. TikTok, like many other successful apps, also utilizes fundraising as one of its premium earning models.

As in any pre-planning process, TikTok-like app development requires deciding on the correct resource management. But, sure enough, unpredictable conditions happen. However, if you have a strict and systematized financial strategy, it will be much easier to avoid pitfalls and can positively influence risk minimization.

A well-chosen visual concept can ensure users' attraction to your product. The more simple yet functional and convenient your app’s design will be after UI/UX design services rendering, the more users would like to return to your solution. The primary aspect of a robust design is fast and easy access to information the user seeks to reach.

Developing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) – a TikTok-like app version with basic features with the vendor's app developers is a great way to speed up the time-to-market process and reduce costs. This method allows you to test the product and receive feedback, ensuring its usability.

MVP helps to focus on the essential functionality, not investing in unnecessary features. Also, a fast launch lets you get users’ feedback and gather valuable insights for further improvements. Nevertheless, MVP is a powerful tool for attracting investors, as they can see the product idea's potential to meet market demands.

During the release phase, software engineers place the final product in public digital marketplaces (AppStore, Google Play) after you understand how to publish the app to app stores. The team also handles all necessary project materials and files. Then, you decide on the release date and agree on ongoing app maintenance and support check-up frequency.

Congratulations! The TikTok app development has finished and your software has already been uploaded to digital marketplaces. However, you still have the important task of generating excitement and spreading awareness among your target audience. Consider leveraging TikTok usage to create fun and engaging videos that showcase your app's features and benefits. This can be a great way to reach a broad audience and drive downloads.

There are several ways to make it work for you:

• App Store Optimization (ASO). To raise your solution in the results search of an AppStore, optimize keywords and visual elements to make it more visible.
• Social Media Promotion. You can promote your TikTok-like app through other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, engaging targeted ads.
• Influencer marketing. An effective way to promote your product is to collaborate with bloggers and influencers who can show and promote your product to their followers.
• Content marketing. Make blog posts, videos, and other pieces of visual content that can represent your product's functionality and benefits.

To make your TikTok-like app successful in terms of new user engagement, you have to show that it is worth it. An excellent way to do so is to gather users' reviews based on their experience utilizing the solution. Also, you can perform different surveys on social media platforms. After receiving feedback, you can consider adding more advanced functionality to your social media solution to satisfy evolving users' needs.

To develop an app like TikTok, you need to hire a development team and consider the tech stack of your future application.

There are two main ways to cooperate with IT specialists — hire in-house or outsourcing developers. Each option has benefits and drawbacks. For example, it’s easier to communicate with in-house developers, but there are a bunch of additional expenses like rent, equipment, and others. On the other hand, outsourcing companies offer affordable hourly rates (e.g., $50-$80/h in Central and Eastern Europe compared to $95-$209/h in North America) and the high quality of the final product.

Moreover, IT outsourcing provides a wide pool of experienced specialists all over the world. You can consider different professionals and select expert with required knowledge and skills while collaborating with an outsourcing mobile app development company.

Let’s find out more about the team composition you may need to build an app like TikTok:

• Business analyst
• Project manager
• UI/UX designer
• Android developer
• iOS developer
• Back-end developers
• QA engineer

However, you might not require a full-fledged development team for your TikTok-like app. Instead, you may need targeted specialists to augment your existing in-house resources. In this scenario, our IT staff augmentation services will be highly beneficial for you. We can help you bridge skill gaps in your development team by providing senior mobile developers, UI/UX designers, or backend engineers as needed. This allows you to scale your development team efficiently throughout the project lifecycle, optimizing costs without sacrificing quality.

As an outsourcing mobile app development company, specialized in social media app creation, we can offer a solution combining affordability with the extensive expertise of the IT specialists you can get. This ensures you can access the specific skillset needed for your project, like those required for building a TikTok-like app, without the overhead costs of an in-house team.

A lot of modern technologies can be used to create an app like TikTok. In the case of native mobile development, you need to choose a programming language — Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android). Also, if you choose cross-platform development, our software engineers can utilize Flutter app development services.

To give you a hint, we’ve listed the tech stack for TikTok like app that we also use while building social media software.

Mobile architecture

• iOS: Swift, Objective-C
• Android: Kotlin
• Cross-platform: Flutter, React Native

Web architecture

• Frontend: React, Redux, Tailwind CSS, Webpack, Axios, WebSockets, PWA, Video.js
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, Redis, Nginx, Socket.io, FFmpeg, AWS S3, Elastic Search, Stripe, JWT

AWS architecture:

• Storage: Amazon S3

Third-party tools:

• Signup: Amazon SES, Amazon SNS
• Notifications: Google Cloud Messaging for Android and Apple Push Notification Service for iOS
• Real-time analytics: Azure stream analytics, Google Mobile App Analytics
• AR-filters: ML Kit, ARCore
• Geolocation: Google Maps API, MapKit/Core Location frameworks (for iOS).
• Chat: Twilio

The technology stack is approximate and may differ depending on your goals, project requirements, features, and more.

Creating an app like TikTok, you need to consider several factors that can completely change the cost of developing such a solution. The most essential of them are platform, design, application features, and a team of mobile developers. Let’s discuss them more precisely.

There are two popular platforms — iOS and Android. So which platform to choose? The answer — you need applications for both platforms if you want to start TikTok app development. However, if you have a lack of budget, you can choose one platform depending on your target audience and their preferences. For instance, Instagram was first launched on iOS. The Android version was released a year and a half later.

Additionally, it’s curious that in general iOS development tends to require 20% or even 30% less time in comparison to Android. It happens because more devices run on Android. As a result, it’s necessary to provide support for various screen resolutions and OS versions.

However, you can try to develop a cross-platform app. This option implies that you develop an app that is universal both for iOS and Android devices. Such an approach appears to be more profitable in terms of time and costs, as such a solution takes nearly 50% less time to create.

Users are quite demanding these days. User-friendly and intuitive UI/UX design can assist in driving new users and gaining their trust and loyalty. And now, we’ll take a closer look at the estimated time and cost involved in design for both iOS and Android versions of your TikTok clone app.

To start making an app like TikTok, you need to prepare a list of required features beforehand.

The number of features and their complexity are the main components of the application development cost. To build an advanced feature for a TikTok-like app, the developers require more time.

How to make a TikTok app? There are two main options — outsourcing vs. in-house developers. Each option has advantages and disadvantages.

In-house development tends to be more expensive since there are such expenses as hardware and software purchases, taxes, rent, and more. However, the communication process is much better.

On the other hand, IT outsourcing, particularly offshore software development has become popular these days. Vendors offer various hourly rates depending on their location, so you can choose the company that fits your budget. For instance, Estonia (Central and Eastern Europe) is the most cost-efficient IT provider in Europe.

Software developers from Estonia charge from $50 - $80 per working hour while delivering high-quality service. The cost-effectiveness is proven by the fact that 20% of world-known tech companies such as Apple, Skype, Microsoft, Bosch and others have offices in Estonia. Flexible tax rates enable global companies to build effective business models. The avoidance of double taxation agreements with many countries allows you to reduce operating costs without legislative risks.

Let’s find out the average hourly wages of software engineers in the most popular outsourcing regions and make your choice.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are established to provide consumers with more control over their private data.

GDPR compliance. If you make an app like TikTok for the EU market, you need to follow GDPR. It protects users’ personal data. Additionally, there are high fines in the case of noncompliance.

CCPA compliance. You need to consider this law if you make software for California residents. CCPA tends to offer users more control over their personal data.

Note that even if you decide to make a TikTok-like solution, your product will have unique aspects that may influence the final price. However, on average, the cost to develop an app like TikTok may vary between $50,000-$100,000.

Below you can find APPROXIMATE time and cost to build an app like TikTok. All the estimates are based on the average rate in Central Europe — $50 per hour.

Considering all the factors mentioned in the article, the time estimate to create an app like TikTok may range between 1,441 hours and 2,466 hours for one or two platforms respectively.

Let's take a closer look at the breakdown of these development hours. This table details the estimated time required for each work type, providing a clearer picture of the resources needed for building a TikTok-like app. As you can see, significant effort goes into areas like iOS and Android development, along with features development and quality assurance.

Having the development time, let’s find out the final cost to create an app like TikTok. You should add back-end development time and iOS or Android development hours, depending on the chosen solution. After that, you need to multiply the time by the team’s hourly rate.

To create an app like TikTok with basic features, you need at least $72,050 for one platform (iOS or Android) and $123,300 for two platforms (iOS and Android).

Cleveroad is a professional provider of custom social media digital solutions based in Central Europe - one of the most famous outsourcing destinations due to its cost-effectiveness. Working for over twelve years as a social media app development company, we have been helping domain startup businesses, SMBs, and enterprises acquire new technologies that boost user engagement providing a great social media experience.

So why exactly should you address your Tik Tok app development to Cleveroad? We offer various software development services:

• Our specialists have wide experience in developing custom social media solutions, including social networks, media sharing platforms, dating, messaging apps, and more
• A free Solution Workshop stage from our team to connect your business needs with technological implementation in a robust social media app
• On-demand IT services: social media app creation from scratch, UI/UX design, IT consulting, DevOps services, etc.
• Accredited with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, we are a dependable technology partner providing social media software engineering services and IT consulting
• Your social media app project will be managed by a project management office to ensure that the intended results are delivered on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with company needs.
• A profound expertise in integrations into social media networks: Google Maps, Open Street Maps, Noonpayments, Stripe, Blockchain, NFC, Twilio, WebRTC, etc.

Besides, in 2022, we appeared on the list of top Estonian tech providers. Our experts keep this level and are always ready to accomplish your product’s vision and provide detailed analysis and quality results.

Our team has hands-on experience in delivering various social media projects and we would like to present you with one of the most vibrant examples.

Our customer, an Australian company, came up with the idea of creating a Mobile Platform Connecting Enthusiasts of Team Sports nearby and bring them to the same environment.

At first, the client wanted to create two separate solutions: for leagues to stay connected during the gaming season and for booking games for a one-off fee with no additional obligations. However, later on, we agreed on integrating both options into a single solution, creating a team-sports players ecosystem.

As a result, our client got a sports service system for merging fans of team sports. The system contained the functionality essential for users to find local sports leagues, book places to play, and register for a season. The solution delivered allowed the company to expand the target audience and improve user retention rates, leading to increased revenue within the Subscription business model.

We believe that the delivery of our app for sports fans appears to be a successful example of experience in the social media niche, considering the opinion of our client: