These are the 26 biggest stars on TikTok, the viral video app teens can't get enough of

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These are the 26 biggest stars on TikTok, the viral video app teens can't get enough of

tiktok stars

Paige Leskin/Business Insider; YouTube

Jacob Sartorius (left), Kristen Hancher, and Mr. Faisu.

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  • TikTok is one of the most popular social platforms, particularly among Gen Z, where users can watch short-form video clips and create something that could go viral.
  • Some of the most popular creators have millions of followers, who watch them lip-sync, dance, and produce comedy skits as they grow into high-profile influencers.
  • These are the 26 most popular TikTok stars, who found fame on the platform and have all shot past 10 million followers.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

To teens, the most popular figures on social media platforms like TikTok are well beyond mega-celebrity status in their eyes.

These TikTok stars claim millions of followers - many who are of Gen Z age themselves - and found fame by creating short video clips lip-syncing to soundbites, showing off viral dances, and crafting comedy skits that get shared thousands of times.

The hottest accounts on the two-year-old TikTok don't have nearly as many followers as the top channels on the more-established YouTube (where T-Series has blown past 100 million subscribers). However, TikTok has now been downloaded more than 1.2 billion times, and can be credited as the launchpad for many of the memes criss-crossing the internet, including Lil Nas X's chart-smashing hit "Old Town Road."

At one point, a pair of German twins named Lisa and Lena had the most popular account on TikTok, with 32.3 million followers, but they deleted their account at the end of this March to "break new ground." So far no other account has topped their lead, although creators are prolifically producing content and quickly gaining ground.

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Note that this list consists of independent creators who got their starts as influencers on TikTok or its predecessor, Musical.ly. The rankings exclude accounts run by companies, and those from users who got famous first through other means - like former Vine stars Cameron Dallas and Zach King, and JoJo Siwa of "Dance Moms" fame.

Read more: Inside the rise of TikTok, the video-sharing app with 1 billion downloads that's owned by a massive Chinese internet company

These are the 26 biggest stars on TikTok, all of whom have amassed more than 10 million followers:

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26. Maverick Baker —10.1 million

26. Maverick Baker —10.1 million

Maverick Baker is an 18-year-old TikTok star living in Oklahoma who produces popular lipsync and dance videos. He releases music with his brother Cash, a fellow TikTok star, under the name "Cash and Maverick," whose joint TikTok account has 6.3 million followers itself.

The Baker family is a team of social media famous siblings: Maverick, Cash, and their sister Lani collectively have 26.2 million followers on their TikTok accounts.

23. Arishfa Khan — 10.7 million

23. Arishfa Khan — 10.7 million

Arishfa Khan is a 16-year-old girl from India who got her start as a child actress at age 9. However, she gained a major following for her lip-syncing videos on her TikTok account, and has since created a beauty and makeup-centric YouTube channel. Her videos often feature fellow TikTok star Lucky Dancer.

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23. Lucky Dancer — 10.7 million

23. Lucky Dancer — 10.7 million

Lucky Dancer — whose real name is Arhan Khan — has been posting TikTok videos showing off his dance moves since he was 14. Khan, now 17, also runs dance workshops in India in his spare time.

23. Adnaan Shaikh — 10.7 million

23. Adnaan Shaikh — 10.7 million

Adnaan Shaikh (@adnaan07) is one of the members of a five-person group of Indian social media influencers called Team 07, whose members are among the most popular accounts on the platform. The team, including 23-year-old Shaikh, often release comedic sketch videos featuring each other on their accounts.

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22. Rebecca Zamolo — 11.2 million

22. Rebecca Zamolo — 11.2 million

Rebecca Zamolo is a former gymnast who often shows off her talents in videos on her popular TikTok and YouTube channels. She also produces comedic content with her husband, social media star Matt Slays, including scripted videos where they "fight off" a YouTube hacker through a series of games and challenges.

21. Cash Baker — 11.4 million

21. Cash Baker — 11.4 million

Cash Baker is the slightly younger brother of fellow TikTok star Maverick, with who he releases music. The 16-year-old rose to fame with the song "The Way You Move," a collaboration with his brother, which went viral on TikTok.

The Baker family is a team of social media famous siblings: Maverick, Cash, and their sister Lani collectively have 26.2 million followers on their TikTok accounts.

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20. Manjul Khattar — 12.0 million

20. Manjul Khattar — 12.0 million

Manjul Khattar, a 21-year-old social media star living in India, has found most of his popularity on TikTok, but it's not where he started. Khattar has popular channels on Instagram and YouTube, but he blew up on TikTok where his comedy sketches have gotten attention.

19. Hasnain Khan — 12.4 million (Suspended)

19. Hasnain Khan — 12.4 million (Suspended)

Hasnain Khan (@hasnaink07) is another member of India's Team 07 squad — which comprises Khan, Faisal Shaikh (aka Mr. Faisu), Adnaan Shaikh, Faiz Baloch, and Sadhan Faroouqi. They collectively have over 63 million followers, and are some of the biggest accounts on TikTok not only in India, but on the entire platform.

At the time of publication, Khan's account was suspended. TikTok suspended his account, as well as those of Farouqi and Mr. Faisu, in early July after the group posted a video condemning the death of a Muslim man named Tabrez Ansari after sustaining injuries from an assault by a Hindu lynch mob. In India, Hindu is the majority religion, and Muslims are often subject to verbal abuse and hate-fueled attacks.

In the now-deleted TikTok video, Team 07 says: "You killed innocent Tabrez Ansari, but tomorrow if his children take revenge, do not say that all Muslims are terrorists." Responses to the video accused the team members of inciting violence with their remarks. TikTok released a statement saying that platform has a "zero-tolerance policy" toward content with a "negative impact" on users in any country, and that it had responded by suspending three accounts for violating community guidelines.

It's not clear when — or even if — the Team 07-suspended accounts will be reinstated to TikTok.

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18. Danielle Cohn — 12.8 million

18. Danielle Cohn — 12.8 million

At the age of 13, Danielle Cohn became one of the most popular creators on Musical.ly, the American version of TikTok, before the two merged last year. Cohn, now 15, was the subject of much anger and concern earlier this month after she produced a video saying she was married to her 16-year-old boyfriend, fellow influencer Mikey Tua, and pregnant with his child. Cohn later revealed that the video was just a joke for attention, but it has helped to bring more followers to her YouTube channel and Instagram account.

17. Annie LeBlanc — 13.7 million

17. Annie LeBlanc — 13.7 million

Annie LeBlanc's brand was first tied to her family, since she got her start as one of children in her family's YouTube channel Bratayley, which has over 7.2 million subscribers. The 14-year-old was propelled to Gen Z fame, however, after starting her Musical.ly channel and landing a role as one of the lead cast members on the popular YouTube series "Chicken Girls," produced by teen-beloved media company Brat.

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16. Avneet Kaur — 13.8 million

16. Avneet Kaur — 13.8 million

Avneet Kaur first emerged on the scene as a contestant on an Indian reality dance competition in 2010 at nine years old, but has since went on to be a popular actress and choreographer. The 17-year-old Kaur frequently features on her TikTok behind-the-scenes footage from her time on set, and lipsync videos with family and friends.

15. Savannah Soutas & the LaBrant Family — 14.0 million

15. Savannah Soutas & the LaBrant Family — 14.0 million

Savannah Soutas is the matriarch of a family with an insanely popular social media presence. Her husband, Cole LaBrant, is a former Vine star known as part of a dancing trio dubbed "Dem White Boyz." The couple's YouTube channel about their family has nearly 10 million subscribers, and their two children — age 6 and 7 months — each have Instagram followings over 1 million.

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14. Garima Chaurasia — 14.3 million

14. Garima Chaurasia — 14.3 million

Garima Chaurasia (aka Gima Ashi) is a 21-year-old Indian TikTok star and model. She went viral in February for a TikTok video dancing and lip-syncing to an India song titled "Boht Hard."

13. Lauren Godwin — 14.7 million

13. Lauren Godwin — 14.7 million

Lauren Godwin frequently produces comedic content based on life as a "normal gal going to school in Houston," the 19-year-old told Business Insider in July. She is dating fellow TikTok star Sebastian Bails, and the two often produce prank and challenge videos together.

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12. Awez Darbar — 15.3 million

12. Awez Darbar — 15.3 million

Awez Darbar is a 26-year-old from India known for posting videos showing his original choreography and dancing to viral hits.

11. Jayden Croes — 15.9 million

11. Jayden Croes — 15.9 million

Jay Croes, 20, is the younger half of popular social media sibling duo Croes Bros. The two brothers grew up in Aruba, where life was "pure and simple," then started to grow their fanbase on Musical.ly in 2015.

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10. The Dobre Twins — 16.6 million

10. The Dobre Twins — 16.6 million

Lucas and Marcus Dobre are a pair of 20-year-old twins whose TikTok videos comprise of comedic skits, pranks, gymnastics, and vlogs. The twin brothers also create content for YouTube with their older brothers Cyrus and Darius, and the four are embarking on a cross-country tour this summer to meet fans.

9. Riyaz Afreen — 18.3 million

9. Riyaz Afreen — 18.3 million

Riyaz Afreen (@riyaz.14) is only 15, but has established himself as an actor and star through going viral on TikTok. He often features other popular Indian TikTok stars on his accounts, including Mr. Faisu and Aashika Bhatia.

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8. Gilmher Croes — 18.4 million

8. Gilmher Croes — 18.4 million

Gil Croes is the other half of the wildly popular Croes Brothers, and is one of the older stars on TikTok at age 26. Croes told Business Insider last month that since starting to make videos in 2015, the brothers have been forced to change and adapt in order to maintain popularity on the platform.

"We never get comfortable, can never do the same thing that we were doing before," Croes said. "You can't please everyone, but we try to adapt in a way where people enjoy our content."

7. Jannat Zubair Rahmani — 19.2 million

7. Jannat Zubair Rahmani — 19.2 million

Jannat Zubair Rahmani is a 17-year-old actress whose career started at eight years old. She has since found success on TikTok as one of India's most popular accounts, where she shares music she produces and shares lip-syncing videos.

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6. JiffPom — 19.4 million

6. JiffPom — 19.4 million

JiffPom is a tiny Pomeranian dog who holds two Guinness world records for his speed on only two of his four tiny legs. He's often spotted in trendy outfits in his multiple celebrity appearances, including in the music video for Katy Perry's song "Dark Horse."

5. Jacob Sartorius — 20.7 million

5. Jacob Sartorius — 20.7 million

Jacob Sartorius was one of the most popular stars on Musical.ly, which has helped the 16-year-old launch a mildly successful career in music. Sartorius also graced headlines in 2018 as part of a much-publicized relationship with "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown.

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4. Kristen Hancher — 23.0 million

4. Kristen Hancher — 23.0 million

Kristen Hancher has gained an incredibly large fanbase who have watched the 20-year-old through years of lip-syncing videos and dozens of hair color changes. Now, Hancher is a member of Jake Paul's Team 10 squad, and lives in the infamous Los Angeles mansion full of social media stars.

3. Mr. Faisu — 23.7 million (Suspended)

3. Mr. Faisu — 23.7 million (Suspended)

Mr. Faisu (@mr_faisu_07), aka Faisal Shaikh, is the most popular TikTok star in India and the most popular member of Indian social media group Team 07.

Like fellow team member Hasnain Khan, Mr. Faisu's account is currently suspended for violating TikTok community guidelines. As discussed in the above slide about Khan, Mr. Faisu and Team 07 posted a video in July condemning the death of a Muslim man named Tabrez Ansari after he sustained injuries at the hands of a Hindu lynch mob. The team was accused of inciting violence with their remarks, and Mr. Faisu was one of three Team 07 accounts suspended in the aftermath.

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2. Baby Ariel — 29.8 million

2. Baby Ariel — 29.8 million

Baby Ariel, aka Ariel Martin, was the first individual to surpass the 20-million-followers mark on Musical.ly, and her fame has only grown from there. The 18-year-old's illustrious TikTok fame has led to multiple gigs on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon TV shows.

1. Loren Gray — 32.6 million

1. Loren Gray — 32.6 million

At age 17, Loren Gray is the most-followed person on TikTok. At one point, she hosted her own Snapchat show called "Glow Up," and has garnered nominations for her social media presence at the Teen Choice Awards and People's Choice Awards. She has also been producing music since 2017, and most recently released the single "Can't Do It" in May.

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