Twitter recently announced Spaces, its alternative to Clubhouse which is a popular audio-only application where people can converse regarding certain topics. Recently, Clubhouse was released on Android and with it came a sudden rise in interest regarding the application and its purpose. Now, to the concerned user, it might be confusing as to which one you should choose since Twitter is the more popular social media application whilst Clubhouse is the one that beat it to the punch. If you too were wondering as to which audio app you should opt for, worry not as we will list out which one you should choose.
Twitter Spaces vs Clubhouse
Clubhouse is a rather new venture whilst Twitter has been around for some time. Considering the 350 million users that Twitter has in contrast to the 15 million that Clubhouse can boast of, it would make you think that Twitter Spaces is better. In reality, though, the majority of users on Twitter were garnered due to the tweet functionality, not for spaces. Here are some ways in which, at least according to me, Spaces differs from Clubhouse, that too in a good way.
- The first good feature about Twitter Spaces is in relation to the accessibility side of things. Users who have been on Twitter or wish to join the application, one just needs to install the application. In contrast, to join Clubhouse, you have to either wait for the app to let you in or get an invite. Whilst Clubhouse does mention that it does so to avoid overcrowding, as of now, the app seems a bit restrictive. Whilst it is rather easy to get access to an invite, you will have to ask for the invite from a friend or colleague and, more importantly, in case the user to whom you provide the invite does something wrong on the application, his or her account remains linked to you in some manner, so it is advisable to provide an invite to people you can trust.
- The factor of reach when it comes to the platforms also differs by a bit. On Twitter, if you have a certain number of followers, they can find you whenever you start a space by checking the top bar of the application. Meanwhile, if you want to follow someone, the room is easy to find as it is added to your calendar, but, it is also in the midst of multiple other hallways, which, after a time, seems to get confusing. Furthermore, the categories that are on offer can be selected on Clubhouse, but they too end up amidst certain rooms that may not interest you. For example, we have interests in tech and automotive-related topics, but they end up between rooms discussing UFOs, mantra readings and heated discussions.
- Ease of use is another quirk with Clubhouse, since it requires a separate tab for starting a room of your own and when you do enter there are limited controls. In comparison, on Spaces, you can start a room fairly easily and during the space, you can add your own reactions and DM certain people for additional discussions, with no such thing in place for Clubhouse.
- One thing that Clubhouse does get right is scheduling since you can schedule a room for the future, whereas on Twitter the space can be started at the exact moment, meaning that if you want to take a session in the near future, you will have to tweet it out and request people to keep a note of the timing, something that might seem cumbersome to a user. To sum everything up, Twitter nails the reach and ease of use, but Clubhouse trumps it when it comes to scheduling. To the non-technical user though, Clubhouse might seem a bit more complex than the simplicity on offer from Twitter.
