[6][7] Ello gained added attention in September 2014, when numerous members of the LGBTQ community left Facebook following the controversial enforcement of its real-name policy, thought to be intended to exclude drag queens in San Francisco.

[16] In 2016, Wired writer Charley Locke noted that the user base of Ello has shifted from early adopters of new social media to artists and other creative people.

[2] Initially influenced by Facebook, Ello later switched to a Pinterest-like focus on art, photography, fashion and web culture.

[1][3][8] Ello provided some features like an emoji autocomplete, NSFW settings and hashtags, and was planning on adding others such as private messaging.

[24] Bona Kim of Gizmodo criticized the general bugginess of the website and accused it of trying too hard to look different from its main competitor, Facebook.

[25] One highly positive review expressed concern that Ello "seems fated to become the betamax of social media: superior to its competitor but failing to win popular traction.