Blockbuster
[1985-2013] Founded in 1985, by David Cook – It rapidly grew into a massive global retailer – but ultimately declined as it failed to adapt to digital streaming and other evolving technologies. Bankrupt and closed by 2013.
Hi5
[2003-2009] Started in 2003, hi5 was a major social network, especially in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It later refocused as a social-network game platform in 2009, later acquired by Asiasons, a Malaysia-based company in 2011.
Vine
[2013-2017] Launched in 2013, Vine was founded by Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov, & Colin Kroll, and was acquired by Twitter in October 2012 before its launch. The platform was shut down by Twitter in January 2017 after failing to compete with other video platforms.
Myspace
[2003-2008] Launched in 2003, MySpace became the most popular social network by giving users a way to share music and connect with friends. However its own lack of innovation, and the rise of Facebook led a rapid decline in users in 2008.
Google+
[2011-2018] Launched in 2011, Google+ a social networking service by Google featured content sharing and integrating with other Google services. With initial rapid growth, it suffered from low user engagement and the 2018 bug led to exposure of user data. Google shut down the consumer version by April 2019.
Skype
[2003-2020] Launched in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Skype revolutionized online communication. Acquired by Microsoft in 2011, it declined after 2020 as Zoom and Teams dominated the COVID-19 pandemic era, marking the end of its digital communication reign.
iTunes
[2001-2019] Apple’s iTunes, launched in 2001, revolutionized digital music purchases. Despite its success, the app became bloated with music, podcasts, and TV management. In 2019, Apple retired iTunes, splitting its functions into Music, TV, and Podcasts apps.
Orkut
[2004–2014] Created by Google in 2004, it gained massive popularity in Brazil and India. However, its user base dwindled due to competition from Facebook and declining engagement. Google officially closed Orkut in 2014, ending a once-thriving social network. (Successor – Google+)
MSN Messenger
[1999–2013] MSN Messenger later rebranded as Windows Live Messenger, dominated 2000s instant messaging. It declined after the rise of Skype and mobile messaging apps. Microsoft retired it in 2013, merging the service with Skype.
Friendster
[2002-2011] Friendster was a pioneering social network founded in 2002. Popular in Asia, technical issues and emerging competitors led to its downfall. By 2011, Friendster transitioned to a gaming site before shutting down entirely.
Napster
[1999–2001] Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, Napster was launched in 1999 as a revolutionary peer-to-peer music sharing platform. Legal battles over copyright infringement forced the original service to shut down in 2001, but its legacy influenced music streaming forever.
Meerkat
[2015–2016] Meerkat was a pioneering live-streaming app launched in 2015. It gained initial attention but was quickly overshadowed by Periscope and Facebook Live. Meerkat shut down in 2016 after failing to maintain user interest.
AOL Instant Messenger
[1997-2017] AIM – AOL Instant Messenger, launched in 1997, was the defining chat app of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Its simple interface and buddy list made it iconic. Declining usage, mobile competition, and AOL’s fading relevance led to its shutdown in 2017.
Google Hangouts
[2013-2022] Launched in 2013, Google Hangouts combined messaging and video calls. Despite integration with Google services, confusion from multiple messaging apps and the rise of Google Chat led to its discontinuation in 2022.
Blackberry Messenger
[2005–2019] BBM, launched in 2005, was the gold standard for secure mobile messaging on BlackBerry devices. Its decline came with iMessage, WhatsApp, and Android/iOS dominance. Despite attempts at cross-platform support, BBM had to shut down in 2019.
Periscope
[2015-2021] Launched by Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein, Periscope brought live streaming to Twitter in 2015. Despite early buzz and millions of users, competition from Facebook Live and Instagram Live caused its decline. Twitter shut it down in 2021.
DailyBooth
[2009-2012] DailyBooth encouraged users to take their photos and post daily to document and share their lives, before Instagram existed. Founded by Jon Wheatley and Ryan Amos, it became popular among early influencers but couldn’t scale. It shut down in 2012 as Instagram took over the photo-sharing world.
Google Wave
[2009-2012] Created by Lars and Jens Rasmussen, Google Wave was a real-time collaborative online communication tool
blending email, chat, and document editing. Its complexity confused users, leading to poor adoption. Google discontinued it in 2012 after just three years.
Path
[2010-2018] Launched by Dave Morin, Shawn Fanning, and Dustin Mierau, Path aimed to create a more personal social network limited to 50 friends. Despite loyal users, it couldn’t compete with Facebook and Instagram. Path shut down in 2018.
dubsmash
[2014–2020] Launched by a small German team, Dubsmash let users lip-sync to famous movie lines, memes, and songs in short videos. It became a viral hit with teens and creators and helped shape today’s short-video culture. After being acquired by Reddit, the app was shut down in 2022.
Yik Yak
[2013–2017, revived 2021] Launched by college students, Yik Yak was an anonymous social app that let users post short messages visible only to people nearby. It became hugely popular on campuses for its raw, funny, and unfiltered posts, but concerns over bullying and misuse led to its shutdown in 2017. The app was later revived with moderation changes, though it never reached its original peak.
House Party
[2016–2021] Launched by Life on Air, Houseparty made group video chats fun with drop-in rooms and built-in games. It became especially popular with teens and friends during the pandemic. Despite its success, the app was shut down by Epic Games in 2021.
pocket
[2007–Present] Launched by Nate Weiner, Pocket began as a simple “read-it-later” app that let users save articles, videos, and stories to view offline. It gained popularity for its clean design and cross-device syncing. Later acquired by Mozilla, Pocket remains a widely used tool for organizing and enjoying content at your own pace.
oovoo
[2007–2017] Launched by ooVoo LLC, ooVoo was a video chat app that let users make group video calls, send messages, and share screens. It became popular among teens for hanging out online before Zoom and FaceTime took over. As newer platforms grew, ooVoo lost users and was shut down in 2017.
kik
[2009–present, peak 2013–2016] Launched by Kik Interactive, Kik was a fast, username-based messaging app that became hugely popular with teens for private chats, group messages, and bots. It stood out by not requiring a phone number, but safety concerns and competition from WhatsApp and Snapchat caused its popularity to fade. The app still exists, though far from its peak
viddy
[2011–2015] Launched by Viddy Inc., Viddy was an early short-video app that let users record quick clips with filters and music. It grew fast and was once called a rival to Instagram, especially after gaining millions of users in 2012. As competition increased and trends changed, the app lost momentum and shut down in 2015.
tout
[2011–2017] Launched by Tout, Tout was a short-video app that let users post 15-second clips focused on news, sports, and celebrities. It gained attention through partnerships with media outlets and athletes but struggled against the rise of Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat. The platform eventually shut down in 2017
plurk
[2008–present, peak 2009–2012] Launched by a Taiwanese team, Plurk is a social networking and microblogging platform where users post short updates called “plurks.” It became popular for its unique timeline layout and interactive features but never reached global scale like Twitter or Facebook. The app still exists, mostly with a loyal niche community.
peach
[2016–2017] Launched by Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann, Peach was a social app that combined messaging with “magic words” to trigger fun actions like GIFs, drawings, and polls. It gained brief hype for its creativity but quickly faded as users preferred more established platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. The app eventually became inactive.
bebo
[2005–2013] Launched by Bebo Ltd., Bebo was a social networking site where users could post updates, share photos, and customize profiles with layouts and widgets. It became especially popular in the UK and Ireland, rivaling MySpace and Facebook. After declining in the face of Facebook’s dominance, Bebo shut down in 2013, though attempts to revive it were later made.
google allo
[2016–2019] Launched by Google, Allo was a smart messaging app that included AI-powered suggestions, stickers, and a Google Assistant integration. Despite initial excitement, it struggled to compete with WhatsApp and iMessage. Google officially shut it down in 2019, focusing instead on other messaging platforms.
Quizup
(2013–2021): A massive trivia game where you could battle strangers or friends in thousands of niche categories. It felt like a real community, but it struggled with making money and was eventually shut down after its parent company was acquired.
Grooveshark
(2006–2015)
For nearly a decade, this was the “legal-ish” alternative to piracy. It allowed anyone to upload MP3s to a massive public library that you could stream for free. It was so popular it was once valued at $100 million, but it was built on a legal house of cards. After a brutal 6-year battle with major record labels over copyright infringement, the site was forced to shut down in 2015, delete all its data, and post a formal apology on its homepage.
Rdio
(2010–2015)
Widely considered the most beautiful music app ever made, Rdio was founded by the creators of Skype and focused on a “design-first” experience. It had social features and a minimalist interface that fans still rave about today. However, it stayed “subscription-only” while Spotify offered a free version with ads. By the time Rdio tried to compete with a free tier, it had run out of money. It filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and its remains were sold to Pandora for $75 million.
Quibi
(2020): Perhaps the most expensive failure in app history. It raised $1.75 billion to create “quick-bite” professional TV shows for your phone. It launched right as the pandemic started (when people stopped commuting) and shut down only 6 months later.
Xanga
Xanga – 1999–2013 Xanga was an early blogging and social platform where users shared personal thoughts, poems, and daily life updates. It felt like an online diary and built strong communities. As Facebook and Tumblr took over, Xanga lost relevance and officially shut down in 2013.
Live Journal
1999–2017 LiveJournal was a blogging platform focused on personal journals and tight-knit communities. Users shared daily thoughts, fandom posts, and long entries. As newer social platforms grew and policies changed, its popularity declined, fading from mainstream use.
Mixi
2004–Present(Japan) Mixi is a Japanese social networking site where users connect, share updates, and join communities. Popular in the mid-2000s, it faced competition from global platforms like Facebook but still exists today with a smaller, dedicated user base.
FriendFeed
2007–2015 FriendFeed was a social aggregator that let users share and follow updates from blogs, social networks, and feeds in one place. Loved by early tech enthusiasts, it lost relevance as Facebook and Twitter became dominant and shut down in 2015.
Stickam
2005–2013 Stickam was a live-streaming platform where users broadcasted themselves and interacted in real time. It was loved for its early social video content but closed as YouTube and Twitch dominated streaming.
Pownce
2007–2008 Pownce was a microblogging and social networking app that let users share messages, files, and events. Despite its unique features, it struggled to compete with Twitter and shut down in 2008.
ICQ
1996–2024 ICQ was one of the first instant messaging apps, famous for its “uh-oh” notification sound. It let users chat in real time long before modern messengers existed. As apps like WhatsApp and Telegram rose, ICQ lost relevance and was officially shut down in 2024.
Omegle
2009–2023 Omegle is a chat platform that pairs strangers for text or video conversations. Known for its randomness and anonymity, it became popular for meeting new people, though safety concerns remain
Formspring
2009–2015 Formspring was a Q&A social platform where users answered questions, often anonymously. It became popular among teens for personal and bold interactions. Due to cyberbullying issues and declining users, the app shut down in 2015.
MySpace Music
2008–2018 MySpace Music was a platform where artists shared songs and built fanbases online. It helped launch many musicians and shaped early internet music culture. As SoundCloud and Spotify grew, MySpace Music declined and eventually shut down.