A Complete Guide to TikTok App Development

TikTok, one of the most popular social media applications used to post short videos, has taken over the world in a very short time. It is popular among teens and adults and has a very wide audience. It has also inspired another most popular social media app, Instagram, to update the new feature of reels. Not only Instagram reels, but there are also many other applications like TikTok in the market with considerable reach. There is a very good scope of getting a TikTok-like app to become trendy, considering it would be able to outrun Instagram reels.

It is not impossible to build a TikTok-like app that can be more popular than Instagram reels. All you need is an excellent development team and some innovative ideas to outreach Instagram reels and other social media apps. If you are determined to build an app just like TikTok and to gain huge popularity among users, then here are a few tips for you. We have collected data on various aspects of TikTok-like app development. Let’s have a look at it.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social media application used to create and share short videos. Users can create new videos as well as edit the existing ones. This is a karaoke-like video app where creators lip-sync to the background music and create fun videos. It has billions of users across different countries worldwide. In 2019, this was the most downloaded application in the world.

Due to some reason, the app is currently banned in various Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, and in some US states on government-issued devices. Reportedly, there could be a potential ban on the app in the EU. Thus, this would be a great opportunity to make a trendy app to replace TikTok under such circumstances. There are still a lot of applications similar to TikTok. Let’s see some of them.

Apps similar to TikTok

• Instagram Reels
• YouTube Shorts
• Snapchat
• Vigo Video
• Clash
• Dubsmash
• Triller
• Funimate
• VideoShow
• Likee
• Byte
• Cheez
• Video Star
• Firework
• KWAI
• Lomotif
• MuStar
  
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Features

The first step in knowing how to make a TikTok-like app is what type of features the app require. We have listed some of the basic features to be added to a TikTok-like app to help you understand the app better. Let’s have a look.

Easy Login

The login option in your TikTok-like app should be simple so the user can easily create and log in to their accounts. It should also have the option to connect the app with other social media applications like Facebook or Instagram to merge the information.

Video Creation and Editing

This is the basic requirement of the TikTok-like app development that it has easy video creation and editing features. The application should not only have the feature to create new fun videos but also to edit existing ones. This could serve as a one-stop solution for fun video creation.

Effects and Filters

Just like any other video/photo editing app, your TikTok-like app must have various fun and creative filters as well as amazing effects. This would help the users to add their creativity to the video creation and editing skills.

Like, Comment, and Share

Like any other social media application, your app should also have this feature so the users can express their reactions to the video. It would allow the users to engage with others and build a community.

Privacy Settings

This is a very important feature for any social media app. The user should have the freedom to keep their profile private or public as per their choice. One may get hesitate to use the app if it does not have the appropriate privacy settings.

Notifications

The feature of push notifications will allow the users to stay updated with whatever is happening in the app. They can know what their friends are up to and can catch up with them.

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Simple UI

A simple UI encourages the use of the app. When the user is easily able to access all the features of the app then they would explore the app conveniently. They can get to know the application without any hassle and would recommend it to others, increasing the reach of the app.

Live Streaming

Every social media app user is either a fan or a content creator. And every content creator wants to connect with their fans and vice versa. So, it is an essential feature that they can communicate through a live video streaming option. It would reduce the communication gap between content creators and their fans to some extent and increase their engagement.

Music Library

Users will need lots of music options to create a video. So, it is necessary to have a music library with numerous options to select any audio and create a fun and trendy video. The more options the more popular the application. There can also be an option to use the original audio of the creator to make it more versatile.

Duet Video Creation

This feature is very trendy where one can create a video with some other’s video. It enables people to lip-sync or dance on a particular audio along with their video. This feature is also used for various challenges, as you can see on various social media.

Basic Requirements

Developing an application like TikTok is not an easy task. You need to make a requirement list to bring perfection to your app development process. Following are some of the basic requirements for your TikTok-like app development.

Investment

This is an important aspect to consider while making a list of requirements for a TikTok-like app development. You should have enough funds to invest in the app development process. The amount of investment has the power to decide the quality of your application. If you can afford a top software company to develop an app with a complex design and lots of features, then you can attract a large audience to balance the ROI. So, set a budget and then find the most appropriate development team for your app.

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Development Team

The most basic and foremost requirement in building any app is the development team. You cannot build an app on your own unless you are a developer. Even then, you need a team of good developers to support various stages of the app development. So, in short, YOU NEED A TEAM. There are innumerable companies in the market that can help you build an excellent TikTok-like app, you just need to find the most appropriate team for your project as per your specific needs.

Tech Stack

Another important requirement for developing an app is the technology used to develop the app. It is very necessary to choose the appropriate technology in app development to make it near perfect. Tech Stack is the collection of several software and technologies used for a particular project. This is the task of the development team to suggest the best Tech Stack for any project, but you can also do some research on this and bring the best out.

You can also take an idea from the following:

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Steps to Create a TikTok-like App

When you start with the idea of creating an app, the first question that came to your mind would be “How can I make an app like TikTok?”. Well, we have seen the requirements that we need to build the app, now let’s have a look at the process of developing the app.

Research the Target Audience

The first and most important step in an app development process is to identify and research the target audience/users. If you do not know your users, how would you be able to build an app to suit their needs and interests? For this, you can conduct research on the reviews of TikTok users to understand their specific needs. This way you can eliminate the errors/shortcomings of TikTok and deliver better to your audience.

Select the Appropriate Platform

Selecting the platform to launch an application is also an important decision to take. Once you have targeted your audience you can select whether you want to launch your app on Android, iOS or both. Considering the popularity of TikTok, it would be suggested to build a cross-platform application so every type of user can use the app. This would also increase the reach of your application.

Hire a Development Team

So, when you know your target audience and the platform on which you want to launch your app, you can contact an excellent development team to take the process further. You can discuss your idea with the team and take their suggestions for the technical part. They can also help you add more creativity to your TikTok-like app.

Testing

When the development team has completed the application, the next step is to test the app to eliminate any type of bugs or errors. This is to bring perfection to the application. This is an extensive process and very important to bring our best results. There are so many errors that they only come forward while testing the app. So, it is a crucial step in building an app like TikTok.

Launch and Maintenance

Once the application is completed and all types of tests are done, it is time to launch the app in the live market. This is the last step but the work is not fully completed. Though the application is completed and launched in the market, it still needs timely maintenance to update it and remove any bugs. Without timely maintenance, you cannot satisfy your customers.

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Factors Affecting the Cost of TikTok-like App Development

The app development cost depends on various factors. These factors can increase or decrease the cost of app development. On average, the app development cost of a TikTok-like app in India can range from $35,000 to $300,000 depending on your specific requirements in the app. Let’s have a look at some of the factors that can affect the cost.

UI/UX Design

The UX/UI design plays a very important role in the success of your TikTok-like app and can also affect the development cost. UX/UI design includes the components like icons, customisation, responsiveness, etc. Such types of features can fluctuate the cost.

App Platform

Before you invest in your TikTok-like app development, you need to specify which platform you want to launch your app on. The cost for app development varies from an Android app to an iOS app and a cross-platform app. This can affect your budget requirement.

Development Team

This is one of the most important factors which affect the development cost. The amount charged by the development team forms a major part of your app development. Thus, it can affect your entire development cost at a very high rate. You need to find a company that can complete your project with high quality and at a considerably lower price.

Complexity of the App

The more complex features you add to the app the more the cost increases. But sometimes these features play important role in uplifting the overall quality of the application. There are a few complex features that are essential to building a quality TikTok-like app. The addition and subtraction of such features can affect the overall price of the app development.

Tech Stack

The main element of any app development is the technology used to build the app. There are so many technologies used for app development and selecting the best Tech Stack for your TikTok-like app defines its quality. This also affects the app development cost as including different technologies in the Tech Stack is going to cost much.

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Summing Up

TikTok is a very trendy application that became popular in a very short span of time. This brought the trend of reels to Instagram. Since its ban in India, there are various companies that want to create such an application to become famous among the audience. If you are one of them, then the above-mentioned steps would help you to achieve your dream. Now you have a complete guide to build a TikTok-like app development. The most important requirement in your app development is an excellent development team. Once you have that, you can also take suggestions from them to ease your app development process.