How Many People Can You Follow On TikTok?

Did you know that TikTok limits the number of accounts you can follow? 

So before you start hitting the Follow button, take a second to find out how many people can you follow on TikTok before the platform shadowbans your account.

How Many People Can You Follow on TikTok 

In order to prevent spammers, bots and fraudsters, TikTok limits the number of people you can follow on the app to 10,000 accounts. 

This is in line and even a bit more generous than other popular social media platforms—Facebook only lets you have 5,000 followers and friends, and so does Twitter. Instagram, on the other hand, restricts the number of accounts you can follow to 7,500. 

Is there a daily following limit on TikTok?

In addition to TikTok’s 10k following limit, the app also has restrictions on the rate at which you can click on the Follow button. 

In general, you are allowed to follow 25 to 30 TikTokers within one hour or up to 200 accounts a day. If you go over the TikTok follow limit, the platform will send you a message saying that you are following too fast and it might be time to hit the brakes. 

While there is no rule when the slow-down message might appear, it is usually newer accounts that receive warnings. Actually, according to some sources, new TikTok accounts are only allowed to follow 140 people a day, or 60 less than long-standing accounts. 

TikTok might see new users as spammers or bots—one possible reason why the app tends to be more lenient with older, more legitimate accounts.

How long does the “following too fast” notice last?

Usually, the message telling you that you are following too many people too quickly disappears in a few hours, with most accounts being blocked for a maximum of one day. 

However, this varies from one account to the next and in some cases, it might be a few days before you are allowed to click Follow again. 

What’s more, if you immediately start following people too quickly, the app might ban the function or your account for a longer period of time.  

What happens when the TikTok limit is reached?

If you already follow 10,000 people on the app, TikTok might temporarily ban your account (also known as a shadowban or TikTok jail), which means you will not be able to post videos, and your clips will not appear in users’ For You feeds. You will also not be able to follow anyone else.

This will significantly reduce your audience reach and might even put a stop to your growth on the platform.

Why Does TikTok Have a Follower Limit?

The main reason for TikTok’s follow limit is to prevent spammers and autonomous programs from abusing the platform.  

TikTok is one of the most popular social media sites, currently counting over a billion users worldwide and more than 17 million monthly users in the UK. This kind of reach makes it a popular destination for marketers looking to get exposure for their brand by acquiring as many followers as possible. 

While some follow content creators manually, many use bots that get the job done automatically which leads to more spammy behaviour on the app—something which TikTok wants to prevent, hence the TikTok following limit. 

Does the Follow/Unfollow strategy work on TikTok?

This technique is often employed in an effort to artificially boost one’s follower count. In fact, one of the most common reasons why users follow a huge number of TikTokers is in the hopes that some or all of them will follow you back. 

Even though effective to some degree, this is not the best tactic to use if you are trying to get more engagement. 

For one, it goes against TikTok’s Community Guidelines and can cause the platform to shadowban your account. Although the app has never openly discussed shadowbanning, there have been instances where accounts were temporarily banned for what some users consider spammy behaviour. 

Another issue is that most of the followers you get are not interested in your content and follow you back just to be nice. If this is the case and your own followers are not watching your clips, TikTok might see your account in a negative light and limit how often your videos come up in people’s For You feed. 

In the end, artificially trying to increase the number of followers will not get you far on TikTok, a platform that values authenticity above all. Organic traffic and original content are your best bet when it comes to getting more views. 

What happens when you get 10,000 followers on TikTok?

Once you get to 10,000 followers, you can start to monetise your TikTok presence. The TikTok Creator Fund pays out 2 to 4 cents per 1000 views and even more per 10,000 or million views, provided you meet the platform’s terms and conditions.

There are other ways to make money on TikTok, such as sponsored videos and endorsements, although almost all of them require you to have more than 10,000 followers. 

How To Push Pass the Follow Limit on TikTok

You’ve already reached the TikTok 10k follow limit, and you want to follow more people? Sadly, there is not a lot you can do. 

One possible option is to open a second TikTok account and use it to follow other content creators. But just because you can have more than one TikTok account doesn’t mean you should. The platform does not look kindly on spammers (as mentioned above), so if you use your other TikTok accounts to like your own content or boost your follow count, you might get banned. You might also get flagged as a business account, and unless you are a paying advertiser, the algorithm will push your content back. 

Another possible solution is to remove some accounts from your follow list. Users quit or are banned from the platform all the time, which means it’s worthwhile to go through your follow list, remove inactive accounts and free up some space. 

Finally, you could prioritise the content you are interested in. There is really no need to follow every type of content or creator on the app. Find a niche you are interested in and stick with it. 

Bottom Line: What Is the Following Limit on TikTok?

It is highly unlikely that you will need to follow more than 10,000 people on the app. For starters, it would be very difficult to remember and keep track of 10,000 TikTokers and the content they post. It also means that you will need 41 hours to watch just one clip from each person you have followed—time that might be spent more productively.

Finally, if you reach the Tik Tok follow limit or are following too fast, the app might restrict your activity on the platform leading to a loss of followers and engagement.