Clubhouse

What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is an audio-based social networking application that popularized the concept of “drop-in audio chat,” allowing users to join virtual rooms where they can listen to or participate in live conversations on various topics. Launched in April 2020 by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth through their company Alpha Exploration Co., Clubhouse gained explosive popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were seeking new ways to connect socially while physically isolated. The app introduced a novel social media format centered entirely around live, ephemeral voice conversations rather than text posts, photos, or videos, creating experiences closer to attending panel discussions, podcasts, or casual hangouts than traditional social networking.

What distinguished Clubhouse initially was its exclusive, invite-only model that created artificial scarcity and FOMO (fear of missing out), driving massive demand and media attention in early 2021. High-profile users including Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and various celebrities joined the platform, hosting conversations that attracted thousands of listeners. The real-time, ephemeral nature of conversations—rooms disappeared after they ended with no recordings—created unique social dynamics where spontaneity and presence mattered more than polished content. This format enabled intimate conversations, networking opportunities, and knowledge-sharing in ways that traditional social media platforms couldn’t replicate.

After the initial hype cycle, Clubhouse faced intense competition as larger platforms like Twitter (Twitter Spaces), Facebook (Live Audio Rooms), and others rapidly launched similar audio features. The app has since evolved, removing the invite-only restriction, adding features like replays and clips, and expanding platform availability beyond iOS. While no longer the cultural phenomenon it was during peak lockdown, Clubhouse maintains a dedicated community particularly strong in entrepreneurship, technology, and creative industries where the audio format enables in-depth discussions and authentic networking that text-based platforms struggle to facilitate.

Key Features

• Drop-In Audio Rooms: Join live audio conversations in virtual rooms covering countless topics from business and technology to comedy and music, experiencing spontaneous discussions without scheduling or formal commitments.
• Raise Hand to Speak: Listeners can raise their hand to request speaking privileges from moderators, enabling audience participation and transforming passive listeners into active contributors during conversations.
• Moderation Controls: Room creators have granular controls to manage speakers, mute disruptive participants, promote listeners to speakers, and maintain productive conversations in rooms ranging from intimate to thousands of participants.
• Clubs and Groups: Create or join clubs around specific interests or communities, allowing organizers to build recurring events, develop regular audiences, and foster ongoing communities within specific niches.
• Following System: Follow interesting speakers and clubs to discover rooms aligned with your interests, building a personalized audio feed based on who you follow and topics you engage with regularly.
• Room Scheduling: Schedule rooms in advance allowing people to plan attendance, set reminders, and build anticipation for specific conversations or events with featured speakers or topics.
• Replays and Clips: Record room conversations for 30-day replays enabling listeners who missed live sessions to catch up, and create shareable clips highlighting interesting moments for discovery and promotion.
• Direct Messages: Private messaging functionality allowing users to continue conversations off-stage, network with interesting speakers or listeners, and coordinate future collaborations or discussions.
• Multi-Platform Support: Available on both iOS and Android with upcoming web version, expanding accessibility beyond the initial iPhone-only restriction that limited early growth.
• Cross-Platform Integration: Link your Twitter and Instagram accounts to help friends find you, display social credibility, and build cross-platform presence enhancing discoverability and network effects.

What’s New

Clubhouse has evolved significantly from its initial exclusive audio-only model with regular feature additions:

• Spatial Audio: Implemented spatial audio technology making voices sound positioned in virtual space, creating more immersive listening experiences where speakers sound like they’re physically around you.
• Wave Feature: Quick way to invite friends into private conversations or existing rooms with a simple gesture, reducing friction in spontaneous social interactions and encouraging serendipitous connections.
• Pinned Links: Room moderators can pin links to resources, products, or websites discussed during conversations, making it easier to share references and drive traffic to relevant content.
• House Feature: Private audio spaces for close friends similar to Discord servers, enabling intimate group conversations separate from public rooms where you can hang out with select communities.
• Music Mode: Optimized audio quality specifically for musical performances and listening experiences, preserving fidelity for artists performing live concerts or DJ sets on the platform.
• Payments Integration: Ability to send payments directly to creators during rooms, enabling monetization for hosts providing value through education, entertainment, or expertise in their conversations.
• Improved Discovery: Enhanced algorithms suggesting relevant rooms, speakers, and clubs based on your interests and engagement patterns, helping users find valuable conversations in an increasingly crowded space.
• Search Functionality: Better search capabilities allowing users to find specific topics, people, or clubs more easily rather than relying solely on algorithmic recommendations or following networks.

System Requirements

iOS

• Operating System: iOS 13.0 or later
• Compatible: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• Storage: 150 MB minimum
• Internet connection required for live audio streaming
• Microphone required for speaking in rooms

Android

• Operating System: Android 8.0 or later
• Storage: 150 MB minimum
• Internet connection required
• Microphone access for participation
• Recommended: Headphones for better audio experience

Web (Coming Soon)

• Modern web browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Stable internet connection
• Microphone for speaking participation
• Currently in testing/beta rollout

How to Install Clubhouse

iOS Installation

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad
2. Search for “Clubhouse – Drop-in audio chat”
3. Tap “Get” to download and install the app
4. Open Clubhouse after installation completes
5. Sign up with your phone number
6. Complete your profile with name, username, photo, and bio
7. Follow suggested people and topics to customize your feed
8. Grant microphone access when prompted to participate in conversations

Android Installation

1. Open Google Play Store on your Android device
2. Search for “Clubhouse: The Social Audio App”
3. Tap “Install” to download the application
4. Launch Clubhouse once installation is complete
5. Register using your phone number for verification
6. Set up your profile with username and interests
7. Explore rooms or follow clubs and people to build your feed
8. Enable microphone permissions to speak in rooms

Getting Started

1. Browse the hallway (home feed) to see active rooms
2. Tap a room to enter and listen to the conversation
3. Raise your hand if you want to speak (moderators may invite you up)
4. Follow interesting speakers to see when they’re hosting rooms
5. Join or create clubs around your interests
6. Schedule your own rooms to host conversations on topics you’re passionate about

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Authentic Conversations: Live audio format enables genuine, spontaneous discussions that feel more authentic and personal than polished social media posts, fostering real human connection and vulnerability.
• Networking Opportunities: Unprecedented access to influential people, industry leaders, and experts who are more accessible in casual audio rooms than through traditional networking channels or social media interactions.
• Knowledge Sharing: Educational opportunities to learn directly from experts across industries through intimate discussions, panels, and Q&A sessions that feel like attending exclusive conferences or masterclasses.
• Passive Consumption: Audio-only format allows multitasking—listen while working, exercising, cooking, or commuting without requiring visual attention like video or text content demands.
• Serendipitous Discovery: Stumble into fascinating conversations on topics you never knew interested you, exposing yourself to diverse perspectives and ideas outside your normal information bubbles.
• Low Production Barrier: No need for video setup, lighting, editing, or polished content creation—just speak naturally, lowering barriers for people uncomfortable with camera-based content creation.
• Community Building: Clubs and recurring rooms enable building genuine communities around shared interests with regular participants developing relationships over time through consistent conversations.

Cons

• Time Commitment: Live conversations require real-time attendance and can last hours, making it difficult to consume efficiently compared to text content you can skim or videos you can speed up.
• Content Moderation Challenges: Real-time audio creates moderation difficulties with harassment, misinformation, and toxic behavior harder to prevent than with text posts that can be reviewed before publishing.
• No Searchable Archive: Ephemeral nature means valuable conversations disappear after they end (despite new replay features), making it impossible to reference or revisit most discussions compared to permanent content.
• Platform Competition: Twitter Spaces, Facebook Live Audio, and other major platforms offer similar features with larger user bases, fragmenting the audio conversation market and reducing Clubhouse’s unique value.
• Accessibility Limitations: Audio-only format excludes deaf and hard-of-hearing users without captions or transcriptions, making the platform inherently less accessible than text or captioned video alternatives.

Clubhouse vs Alternatives

Who Should Use Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is ideal for:

• Entrepreneurs and Founders: Startup founders seeking advice, networking with investors, sharing experiences with peers, and learning from successful entrepreneurs who regularly host rooms on business topics.
• Thought Leaders and Experts: Subject matter experts building personal brands by hosting educational discussions, sharing insights, and establishing authority in their fields through consistent valuable contributions.
• Content Creators: Podcasters, writers, and creators testing ideas, engaging with audiences in real-time, building communities, and creating content opportunities through spontaneous conversations that inspire future work.
• Learners and Knowledge Seekers: People wanting to learn from experts across industries through free educational discussions, panel conversations, and Q&A sessions covering topics from investing to creativity.
• Networkers: Professionals building genuine relationships in their industry by regularly participating in relevant rooms, contributing value, and connecting with peers and potential collaborators or clients.
• Community Builders: Leaders creating communities around shared interests, causes, or demographics by hosting recurring rooms that bring like-minded people together for ongoing valuable discussions.

Clubhouse may not be ideal for:

• Time-Constrained Individuals: People with limited free time who cannot commit to real-time conversations lasting hours will find Clubhouse’s synchronous nature incompatible with their schedules.
• Introverts Uncomfortable Speaking: Those preferring text communication or who have speaking anxiety may find the audio-dominant format stressful compared to written social media where they can edit before posting.
• People Seeking Permanent Content: Users wanting searchable, permanent knowledge repositories will be frustrated by ephemeral conversations that disappear despite the value they contain.
• Accessibility-Focused Users: Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals are largely excluded without comprehensive captioning features, making other platforms with text alternatives more suitable and inclusive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Is Clubhouse still popular or is it dead after the initial hype?

Clubhouse is no longer the cultural phenomenon it was during early 2021 when it dominated tech news and attracted massive celebrity attention. User numbers have declined significantly from peak hype, and major competitors like Twitter Spaces launched similar features on platforms with much larger existing user bases. However, Clubhouse isn’t “dead”—it maintains an active, dedicated community particularly strong in entrepreneurship, technology, creator economy, and certain international markets. The platform evolved from a trendy novelty to a more stable niche social network serving specific communities who genuinely value the audio format. Whether it’s “worth using” depends on whether active rooms exist in your areas of interest. Check the app to see if your industry or hobbies have thriving communities—you might be surprised.

Question 2: How can I actually find interesting rooms when there are so many happening?

Finding valuable rooms on Clubhouse requires intentional curation. Start by following people and clubs in your areas of interest—your feed will then surface rooms hosted by those you follow. Explore the club directory to find communities aligned with your passions or profession, then join those clubs to see their scheduled events. Use the upcoming events feature to plan which conversations you want to attend rather than browsing random active rooms. Over time, the algorithm learns your preferences and surfaces more relevant suggestions. Consider joining rooms even slightly outside your core interests occasionally to discover new topics. The quality of your Clubhouse experience directly correlates with how intentional you are about curating who you follow—it’s not a passive algorithm-fed experience like TikTok but requires active community building.

Question 3: Can I monetize my presence on Clubhouse or is it just for networking?

Clubhouse offers direct monetization through its payments feature allowing listeners to send money to speakers and moderators, providing a way to generate income from hosting valuable rooms. However, most successful Clubhouse users monetize indirectly—using the platform to build authority, relationships, and audiences that convert to business opportunities elsewhere. Coaches and consultants use Clubhouse to demonstrate expertise and attract clients. Authors and speakers test material and build book launch audiences. Entrepreneurs network with potential investors, partners, or customers. The real value often isn’t direct payments but the relationships, visibility, and opportunities that emerge from consistently providing value in rooms. Think of Clubhouse as a networking and content marketing platform where financial returns come from opportunities it creates rather than platform payments directly.

Question 4: Are conversations on Clubhouse actually private or can they be recorded?

While Clubhouse’s official policy prohibits recording and the app itself doesn’t provide built-in recording for all users (only for official replays with creator permission), conversations are not truly private. Anyone can use third-party screen recording apps or external audio recording devices to capture conversations without your knowledge or consent. The terms of service prohibit unauthorized recording, but enforcement is practically impossible. Treat Clubhouse rooms as you would any public or semi-public space—don’t share information you wouldn’t want potentially recorded and redistributed. For truly confidential conversations, use encrypted messaging apps or private calls. The sense of ephemeracy creates psychological safety that makes people speak more freely, but technically savvy users should recognize that “ephemeral” doesn’t guarantee “private” in a world of screen recording tools.

Question 5: Should I use Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces if I want to do audio conversations?

The choice between Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces depends on where your audience already exists. If you have an established Twitter following, Spaces offers easier access since your existing audience is already on the platform—you’re not asking them to install new apps. Spaces also benefits from Twitter’s massive user base and discoverability. However, Clubhouse offers a more dedicated, focused audio experience with clubs, better room management tools, and a community specifically there for audio conversations rather than as an add-on feature. If you’re building from scratch in entrepreneurship or creator economy spaces, Clubhouse has stronger established communities. If you’re leveraging existing audiences or want maximum accessibility (Spaces works on web), Twitter Spaces may be more practical. Consider using both strategically—Spaces for leveraging existing followers, Clubhouse for deeper community building in specific niches.

Final Verdict

Clubhouse pioneered the drop-in audio conversation format and created genuinely novel experiences in social networking by prioritizing live, ephemeral voice over permanent, polished content. At its best, the platform enables authentic connections, valuable knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities that are difficult or impossible to replicate through text-based social media or formal video platforms. For users in active communities around entrepreneurship, technology, creative industries, or other thriving niches, Clubhouse continues offering real value through regular quality conversations, expert access, and community building that justify the time investment required for synchronous participation.

However, Clubhouse faces significant challenges that limit its mainstream appeal and long-term prospects. The platform struggled to convert viral hype into sustained engagement as novelty wore off and larger competitors integrated similar features. The time commitment required for live audio conversations, lack of searchable permanent content, and accessibility limitations create fundamental friction that prevents Clubhouse from becoming essential daily-use social media for most people. The competitive landscape with Twitter Spaces, Discord, and others offering audio features on platforms with established network effects makes Clubhouse’s standalone value proposition questionable for casual users.

Clubhouse is worth exploring if you’re in industries or communities where active, quality rooms regularly occur—particularly entrepreneurship, startups, creator economy, or specific international markets where the platform maintains strong presence. Use it intentionally by following specific people and clubs rather than randomly browsing, treat it as a networking and learning tool rather than entertainment, and be selective about which conversations justify your time. For casual social media users or those without large time availability, Clubhouse’s synchronous nature and declining mainstream activity make it less compelling than alternatives. The platform found its niche serving dedicated communities who genuinely value live audio format, but it’s no longer the must-have app it seemed to be during peak hype. Try it, find your relevant communities, but maintain realistic expectations about time investment versus value received.