Yope wants to be your inner circle’s Instagram

Yope is the latest photo-sharing app vying to take on Instagram and TikTok.

The pitch? A hybrid of a private Instagram and a group chat. While WhatsApp and Snapchat allow for group messaging and Instagram offers private accounts, Yope blends the best of both—creating a space where users can share photos exclusively with their chosen circles.

Launched in September 2024, Yope has grown exponentially over the past six months, now boasting 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily active users, many of whom are in the investor-coveted Gen Z demographic. The company also claims that 40% of users are still active on the app seven days after installing it. According to TechCrunch, Yope has raised an initial seed round of $4.65 million on a valuation of $50 million.

Users can create and name groups, invite friends, and post photos exclusively within those spaces. Each group features a wall where Yope’s machine-learning technology stitches images into a continuously evolving photo collage.

The app also offers a lock screen feature similar to the app Locket, displaying the most recent shared photos. A Snapchat-like streak function boosts engagement, while the “recap” feature—akin to Google Photos and Apple’s Photos app—compiles shared images into a slideshow.

Videos posted by Yope ambassadors on TikTok and Instagram have racked up more than 56 million views, and the company told TechCrunch that 70% to 80% of its users join through invites from friends. The app’s user base currently skews young, with an average age of 18.

“Instagram and Snapchat have become platforms for curated content. While Gen Z users take a lot of photos, only 1% of them are shared,” Bahram Ismailau, Yope’s cofounder and CEO, told TechCrunch. 

Yope is betting on a shift away from public platforms like Instagram and X in favor of private, closed-group sharing—reminiscent of an earlier internet era. Other apps have tried to capture this nostalgia. BeReal (RIP) had its moment, while Poparazzi and Locket also attempted—and failed—to redefine social media’s halcyon days.

The question is: Can Yope succeed where others have fizzled out, or is it just another fleeting challenger to Instagram and TikTok?

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