The 5 Biggest Social Media Networks Do Not Include Twitter

This article originally appeared on the Motley Fool.

Social networking apps make it a breeze to share content and keep in touch with friends and family. If you asked people which company dominates that market, most would likely tell you it's Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) -- and they'd be right.

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See how Facebook's monthly active users (MAUs) compare to the other global social giants:

Facebook actually claims the top three spots with its namesake network, stand-alone Messenger app, and WhatsApp, which it acquired in late 2014. Facebook has been expanding Messenger into a "platform" with payments, chatbots, ride-hailing services, and other features. It's also been adding enterprise features to WhatsApp. Facebook also owns Instagram, which doesn't break the top five, but reaches over 700 million MAUs.

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Tencent's (NASDAQOTH:TCEHY) WeChat (known as "Weixin" in China) is China's top messaging app. Like Facebook, Tencent is also expanding WeChat's reach with a platform of various services. QQ is its older PC-based messaging app, which is still widely used across social games, e-commerce, and other sites.

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Facebook and Tencent should keep growing as their ecosystems continue locking in users. Meanwhile, other competitors -- like Twitter and Snap -- could remain tiny players in a market dominated by these two titans.

Leo Sun has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and TWTR. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.