Question 1

What is the difference between Sockpuppet and Alt account?

Accepted Answer

An alt is a second account. A sockpuppet claims to be an unrelated person. The line is not anonymity — it is whether independence is being faked.

Question 2

Are Sockpuppet and Alt account the same thing?

Accepted Answer

The distinguishing feature is a FALSE CLAIM OF INDEPENDENCE. A pseudonymous account that doesn't pretend to be a separate person from its operator is just an alt — millions of people run those for entirely ordinary reasons.

Question 3

How do I know if I mean Sockpuppet rather than Alt account?

Accepted Answer

Readers who land here meaning Sockpuppet rather than Alt account are usually searching for phrases like “what is a sockpuppet account”, “sockpuppet vs alt account”, “meatpuppet meaning”.

Aspect	Sockpuppet	Alt account
Claims independence	Yes	No
Deceptive	By definition	Not inherently
Votes for its owner	Yes	No
Common	Less	Very

Side by side

Which one did you mean?

Sockpuppet

Where the confusion comes from

Read either one in full