ArcWhat is a good TikTok or Instagram alternative?
Arc is a free iOS app built as an alternative to clip feeds like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Instead of an endless shuffle of standalone clips, Arc hosts episodic vertical series with seasons and episodes that continue week to week, all made by people rather than generated.
The difference is the format, not the screen
Arc is vertical and made for a phone, the same as the feeds it replaces. What changes is what a title is. On a clip feed the unit is a single video optimised to stop your thumb. On Arc the unit is a series, with numbered episodes and an ending.
That changes what watching feels like. The app remembers where you stopped, so you return to a story rather than to a reshuffled queue, and creators build an audience for a body of work instead of chasing individual posts.
What Arc does not do
No AI-generated scripts, voices or performers. No infinite shuffle as the only way to browse: the catalog is organised by series and by creator, so you can go and find a specific thing.
For creators leaving clip feeds
Creators apply in the app, upload from the camera roll, and publish episodic work rather than one-off posts. Arc runs a creator fund that pays out by watch time, so finishing matters more than the first three seconds.