App analytics firm SensorTower estimates that Parler’s app has seen about 11.3 million downloads globally on the Google and Apple app stores, while Gettr has reached roughly 6.5 million. That growth has been uneven. Parler launched in August 2018, but it didn’t start picking up until 2020. It saw the most monthly installs in November 2020 when it hit 5.6 million.

While new platforms may be good for consumer choice, they pose problems if they spread harmful misinformation or hate speech, said Alexandra Cirone, a Cornell University professor who studies the effect of misinformation on government.

“If far-right platforms are becoming a venue to coordinate illegal activity — for example, the Capitol insurrection — this is a significant problem,” she said.