thread. Mastodon. blue sky. Substack notes. post. Nostra. I can spit it out. In the months since Elon Musk acquired the text-based social network formerly known as Twitter, there has been no shortage of competitors for X. Now you can add one more startup to that lineup. Lyrak is a new competitor to X that, like X, aims to differentiate itself by focusing on real-time news and monetization options for creators, but with Fediverse integration similar to Instagram's Threads. Masu.
fediverse refers to an open source social network consisting of interconnected servers utilizing the social networking protocol ActivityPub. The most well-known federated social app is Mastodon, but even Meta sensed the changing direction of the web and built its modern social network Threads with an eye toward integrating ActivityPub.
Lyrak's plan is to take full advantage of what Twitter has to offer and combine it with ActiyPub integration to allow users to engage with a wider audience on other federated social networks such as Mastodon.
This integration has not yet begun, but the team says it will begin work in the coming months. Once published, Lyrak users will be able to see posts from her Mastodon users, and vice versa.
Image credit: Lyrak
Founded by London-based web designer and marketer Rishi Shiva, Lyrak is named after Lyra, the main character from the TV show His Dark Materials. According to Shiva, it seemed like a good source of inspiration as Lila discovered a new world and Lilac also strives to build something better.
The founders came up with the idea after spending time helping small businesses set up websites so they could make money and attract customers on the web. At one point, Siva also created apps like Thumbtack, but the COVID-19 pandemic left many local artisans out of work at the time, impacting the company's ability to grow.
Still, they have expressed a desire to help users monetize their content and skills online more effectively.
“Lowering our prices and sharing 50% of ad revenue with creators further supports this goal,” Siva said.
By comparison, X does not publish its percentages, which can vary depending on post type, demographics, geography, and other factors.Additionally, revenue comes only from advertising Visible to authenticated users (Paid subscribers).
Shiva is also dissatisfied with the direction X is taking and the impact it has on the creators.
“After Mr. Musk took over Twitter, we saw a huge shift in the way the platform operates and the types of accounts it promotes. All the technology leaders I respect ignored this and still use Twitter. It's a shame to see that [X]'' he pointed out, pointing to problems with far-right groups and anti-Semitic content on X's platform.
However, we agree that Twitter/X is still the best place for real-time news, which is why it continues to capture the attention of users despite the changes. Threads, on the other hand, does not prioritize real-time news outside of sports. Shiva calls it “basically a text version of Instagram.”
He believes Mastodon and Bluesky will ultimately be too complex for regular users, but Lyrak could benefit from its network through Fediverse integration. (Technically, Bluesky is not integrated with Mastodon as they use different protocols, but work is being done to build a bridge between the two.)
Image credit: Lyrak
Lyrak said it will first focus on bringing journalists into the network to help make it a real-time social app. To attract them, Lyrak allows verified journalists to share content to users' home feeds based on their interests, and provides tools to send notifications to users who regularly click on links. (The latter is similar to his Artifact — RIP — which alerts users to new articles by reporters and writers they follow.)
The company will also try to attract people who sell digital products, and will release special tools for this group in late May. Creators can offer subscriptions to their followers, collect tips, and more.
Another upcoming feature includes AI tools such as a response engine and user-generated AI characters, also coming in May.
The company plans to generate revenue through ads like X, but also plans to collect 10% from paid posts, subscriptions, tips, digital products, and other AI features from time to time.
To avoid app store fees, Lyrak's website allows users to deposit funds into the app and use them to pay creators. (However, you will have to pay Apple his 30% fee to add funds with in-app purchases.)
Another idea borrowed from sites like Reddit is reputation scores, which reflect the value users bring to the community through comments, reposts, likes, and inviting others to the platform. The team promises that this will be combined with AI moderation efforts and human moderators to keep the app safe.
Image credit: Lyrak
“After the initial release and a few weeks of bug fixing, we plan to release new features on a regular basis,” Shiva said. “The benefit of being a startup building social apps is that we have a fresh perspective on things. We think outside the box and innovate features that truly benefit our users. You can create one.”
Lyrak is built by a team of five people, most of whom are based in London. (A fifth person will soon move to London.) The startup is currently bootstrapped and available for download on iOS.