Hive Social
Hive Social is a mobile social networking app that serves individual consumers — primarily teens, young adults, and artists — with an ad-free, chronological feed, Apple Music-powered profile songs, and broad self-expression features, monetizing via small in-app song slot purchases.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersIrvine, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Hive Social does
Hive Social, Inc. is a privately held consumer social networking company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Irvine, California. The company operates a mobile-first social media application, distributed primarily through the iOS App Store with an Android beta currently underway, that differentiates itself through a strictly chronological feed with no algorithmic prioritization, no shadow banning, and no advertising. The platform supports text, image, GIF, and video posts alongside engagement features (polls, Q&A) and an unusually broad self-expression toolkit: profile music powered by the Apple Music API (with up to four slots per profile), 35+ customizable color themes, profile banners, zodiac signs, pronouns, and badges. Compliance posture includes COPPA age-gating, CCPA privacy commitments, a designated DMCA agent, and zero-tolerance CSAM scanning reported to NCMEC.
The product is built and operated by a small core team (three members as of 2021–2022, including the founder Raluca, a designer, and a full-stack developer). Go-to-market is product-led and entirely organic: the app reached #1 on the iOS App Store in February 2021 and was featured in Teen Vogue, growing past 300K users and ultimately to roughly 1.5M users by November 2022. Distribution is now gated through a waitlist and beta program feeding into the Hive 2.0 rebuild. The company is funded solely by an undisclosed angel round in October 2021, with no disclosed venture or growth capital thereafter. Hive Social monetizes via a freemium in-app purchase model in which the first profile song slot is free and additional slots are priced at $0.99 and $1.99, with payments processed through Apple; there is no advertising, subscription, or enterprise tier.
Hive Social firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hive Social
- Legal name
- Hive Social, Inc.
- Website
- https://hivesocial.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hive Social is a mobile social networking app that serves individual consumers — primarily teens, young adults, and artists — with an ad-free, chronological feed, Apple Music-powered profile songs, and broad self-expression features, monetizing via small in-app song slot purchases.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hive Social industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Social Media
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General-Purpose Social Networks (BPAMABAA)
Keywords
Where Hive Social is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irvine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hive Social business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Song Slot Purchases: The app is free to use with optional paid features. Users can purchase additional song slots for their profile: the first slot is free, the second costs $0.99, and the third and fourth slots cost $1.99 each. Payments are processed through Apple.
- Profile Song Slots: Transaction-based purchases of song slots for profile music. First slot free; second slot $0.99; third and fourth slots at $1.99 each.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier with optional song slot upgrades |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Hive Social product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hive Social operates a mobile social networking app (iOS live, Android in beta) that delivers a chronological, algorithm-free feed where users can share text, images, videos, and GIFs, and engage through polls and Q&A. The platform differentiates itself through a suite of profile self-expression features, including Apple Music-powered profile songs, 35+ color themes, zodiac signs, pronouns, badges, and profile banners, with the entire experience free of ads, promoted posts, and shadow banning.
Product overview
Hive Social is a single-platform social media application built for iOS and Android (beta). The core product centers on a chronological feed that eliminates algorithmic manipulation and advertising pressures. The platform's key differentiator is its suite of self-expression features: Profile Music (powered by Apple Music API), Profile Banners, Color Themes (35+ options), Zodiac Signs, Pronouns, and Badges. Content sharing includes text, image, GIF, and video posts with Polls and Q&A for engagement. The iOS app launched in October 2019 and reached #1 on the App Store in February 2021; an Android beta is currently available.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hive Social iOS App A mobile social networking application for iOS that provides a chronological, algorithm-free feed, profile customization (music via Apple Music, color themes, banners, zodiac signs, pronouns, badges), and content sharing via text, images, GIFs, videos, polls, and Q&A for individual consumers.
- Hive Social Android App (Beta) The Android counterpart of the Hive Social app, currently in beta with waitlist-based access, delivering the same chronological-feed and self-expression feature set to Android users.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reached #1 on iOS App Store in February 2021
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hive Social
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hive Social technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Hive Social partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Apple MusiccoreHive Social uses Apple Music API to legally provide music streaming functionality for profile songs. Users log in with their Apple Music account to select songs that play when visitors view their profile. Profile songs count as official streams for artists on Apple Music.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hive Social competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gab: Alternative social network positioning itself around free speech and chronological feeds without algorithmic curation. Comparable to Hive on the "alternative platform for users dissatisfied with mainstream social" positioning.
- Parler: Alternative social platform emphasizing chronological feeds, free expression, and no shadow banning. Comparable to Hive on the alternative-platform value proposition targeting users alienated from mainstream networks.
- Vero: Subscription-based, chronological-feed social network with no ads and no algorithms — explicitly designed as an alternative to ad-driven platforms. Closely mirrors Hive's core value proposition and small-team, niche-platform business model.
- MeWe: Privacy-focused, ad-free social network with chronological newsfeeds and no algorithmic suppression. Comparable to Hive in positioning around data privacy, no ads, no shadow banning, and user-controlled feeds.
- Mastodon: Federated, open-source social network with chronological timelines, no ads, and no algorithmic curation. Closely comparable to Hive on philosophy (anti-algorithm, ad-free, community-driven) and on user persona (users seeking alternatives to mainstream platforms).
- Bluesky Social: Decentralized social network emphasizing chronological feeds, user choice over algorithms, and an alternative to X. Most direct competitor to Hive's algorithm-free positioning among recent entrants, with overlapping target audience of users fleeing incumbent platforms.
- Amino Apps: Community-based mobile social platform organized around interest-based communities with chronological feeds, polls, Q&A, and customization. Comparable to Hive on community-centric design and mobile-first, expression-oriented feature set.
- Minds: Open-source, decentralized social network with chronological feeds, encryption, and token-based rewards. Comparable to Hive on anti-algorithm philosophy and on alternative-platform user persona.
Broad incumbents
- Tumblr: Long-running microblogging and community social platform now owned by Automattic, known for chronological feeds, niche communities, and creative-expression users. Comparable audience (creators, fandoms, identity-driven expression) and overlap with Hive's self-expression feature positioning.
- Threads: Meta's text-and-media social network launched in 2023 as a direct X alternative, now reaching hundreds of millions of users. Broad incumbent competing for the same "alternative text-feed" demand Hive addresses, but with vastly greater resources and a parent ecosystem (Instagram).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hive Social social profiles
Digital presenceHive Social compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Hive Social financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hive Social leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hive Social funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hive Social M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hive Social
What does Hive Social do?
Hive Social operates a mobile social networking app (iOS live, Android in beta) that delivers a chronological, algorithm-free feed where users can share text, images, videos, and GIFs, and engage through polls and Q&A. The platform differentiates itself through a suite of profile self-expression features, including Apple Music-powered profile songs, 35+ color themes, zodiac signs, pronouns, badges, and profile banners, with the entire experience free of ads, promoted posts, and shadow banning.
Is Hive Social a public or private company?
Hive Social is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hive Social founded?
Hive Social was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hive Social based?
Hive Social is headquartered in Irvine, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hive Social make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Song Slot Purchases are the primary driver. The others are profile Song Slots.
Who are Hive Social's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gab, Parler, Vero, MeWe, Mastodon, Bluesky Social, Amino Apps and Minds. Broad incumbents are Tumblr and Threads.
Does Hive Social have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hive Social.
What industry is Hive Social in?
Hive Social's product category is Consumer Social Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMABAA, General-Purpose Social Networks. Its NAICS code is 516210 and its SIC code is 7990.