The hitchhiker's guide to the Fediverse

Mastodon is a microblogging software created in 2016. It's a decentralized software, and there are many instances on which users can register (for example, AlternativeTo is on mas.to). Each instance can customize its terms of use, functionality, restrictions, design, etc. Mastodon is mainly considered as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter) and other microblogging platforms.

Nextcloud is a software application that lets you store your files (documents, photos, videos, etc.), contacts, calendars, tasks, and bookmarks on your own self-hosted cloud (requires a server or hosting), or on a server maintained by a third party (a company or non-profit organization, for example). Nextcloud is mainly considered as an alternative to other cloud storage providers like Google Drive, Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive.

Bluesky is a new microblogging social media platform created by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and ex CEO of Twitter. It's a direct competitor to X, Mastodon and Threads. It's important to note that Bluesky is not based on the ActivityPub protocol, but on a different protocol called AT, and that was specifically developed for this service. As a result, it's not part of the Fediverse, but I still wanted to include it in this list, since it might join later on (like Threads).

PeerTube is a decentralized, federated, and peer-to-peer video hosting platform. To publish videos, users must register with a host (called an instance). Each host has its own conditions of use (storage space per user, moderation rules, themes, etc.). PeerTube can also be used to broadcast live-streams, and is often considered as an alternative to other video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.

PixelFed is a decentralized and federated image-sharing software currently under development. It incorporates the main features of Instagram (photo-sharing, stories, etc.), and operates in much the same way. But unlike proprietary photo-sharing platforms, there are no ads, algorithms, or trackers on PixelFed, and it's also possible to import your data from Instagram.

Lemmy is similar to sites like Reddit and Hacker News: you subscribe to communities that interest you, post links and threads, then vote and comment. It's a network of interconnected communities run by different people and organizations, all combining to create a single, personalized home page of your favorite news, articles, and memes.

Diaspora is a decentralized social network application created in 2010 and written in Ruby. The project aims to provide functionalities similar to Facebook, based on a decentralized system. It enables Diaspora “nodes” (instances) scattered around the world to communicate with each other (similar to Mastodon or other Fediverse services).

BookWyrm is a social network for tracking your reading, talking about books, writing reviews, and discovering what to read next. Federation allows BookWyrm users to join small, trusted communities that can connect with one another, unlike proprietary services like Goodreads.

Pleroma is a decentralized and federated microblogging social network created in 2017. It is particularly resource-efficient, and posts are limited to 5,000 characters by default. Pleroma can be used via two interfaces: a highly customizable native interface, or one similar to Mastodon. Users also have the option of using the Gopher protocol for a super-light experience. It's quite similar to Mastodon, and is a good alternative to X.

Mobilizon is a tool that helps you find, create and organize events near you. It allows you to publish events, create groups, chat via messaging, have several identities with a single account (to separate family events from activism, for example), etc. It's of course possible to federate numerous Mobilizon instances to exchange with other instances, and thus display more events than just those of one's own instance, and encourage interaction. Mobilizon is a good alternative to Meetup and Facebook events (among others).

WriteFreely is a minimalist blog engine written in Go. It supports HTML and Markdown languages, and you can decide whether to make your blog public or not. It's a good alternative to other blogging engines like WordPress and Medium. It should also be noted, however, that WordPress has an ActivityPub plugin that allows your readers to follow your blog posts on Mastodon and other federated platforms that support ActivityPub.

Funkwhale is a decentralized and federated music streaming software. The name Funkwhale pays homage to the Grooveshark software, that greatly inspired the interface, the emphasis on user interaction, the interaction between users, the creation of radios, etc. It is a good alternative to proprietary services like Spotify, SoundCloud and Pandora, among others.

Friendica is a free software application that implements a distributed social network, like diaspora*, Mastodon or GNU social. It is also federated, so you can follow these platforms and publish to them from your Friendica account. It also lets you write to e-mail addresses, follow RSS feeds, and it is extensible with extensions. This is a good alternative to platforms like Facebook.

/kbin is an open source content aggregator and microblogging platform for the Fediverse. It allows you to create and moderate communities, meet people with similar interests, and develop your passions. It's a good alternative to services like Reddit and Hacker News.

Owncast is an open source, self-hosted, decentralized, single user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options like Twitch and Kick. It offers complete ownership over your content, interface, moderation and audience.

GNU social (formerly Laconica, then StatusNet until June 8, 2013) is a free and decentralized microblogging program. Based on the OStatus protocol, GNU social is federated software and part of the Fediverse. It can interact with other software such as Mastodon, Pleroma or Hubzilla. It's a good alternative to X and other microblogging platforms.

Inventaire is a decentralized software that lets you keep an inventory of your books and decide what to do with them (lend them, give them away, sell them, etc.). It also lets you share your inventories with friends and groups, and keep track of the books you lend and borrow to other people. It's a good alternative to online services like Goodreads.

Plume is a federated blogging engine, based on ActivityPub and written in Rust. It has a blog-centric approach (you can create as many blogs as you want with your account), and it features media management and collaborative writing. It's a good alternative to well-known platforms like WordPress and Medium.

Castopod is a software that lets you easily host your podcasts, keep control of your creations and interact with your audience without any intermediaries. Thanks to ActivityPub and Fediverse, your podcast becomes a social network. Castopod can be installed in 5 minutes, and offers most of the features of other podcast software like Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Pocket Casts.

Misskey is an open source and decentralized social media platform. It supports emoji reactions, and it comes with a built-in drive, so you can get cloud storage right in your social media, where you can upload any files, make folders, and find media from posts you've made. It's an interesting alternative to microblogging platforms like X.

Hubzilla is a platform that allows you to share content only with those you have given permission to access it. Hubzilla is not limited to a specific type of cooperative and social interaction. You can follow whoever and share exclusively with them whatever you want: local blog articles, news feeds, wikis, webpages, polls, videos, images, audio and other files, calendars, address books, federated microblogging posts without length restrictions, and more. It's an extensive alternative to Facebook and X.

Threads is Meta's new social media, and a direct competitor to X, Bluesky and Mastodon. Since Threads will eventually support ActivityPub, the open-source protocol that powers many decentralized services on the Fediverse, I've included it in the list.

Firefish is a fun, new, open way to experience social media. It's based off of Misskey, a powerful microblogging server on ActivityPub with features such as emoji reactions, a customizable web UI, rich chatting, and much more. Firefish adds many changes and bug fixes for users and server admins alike. It's a good alternative to X and other similar services.