Share your photos without being tracked with these Instagram alternatives
https://alternativeto.net/software/instagram/ is the premier photo social network. No other place allows photo enthusiasts with a smartphone to share pictures of their daily lives with the public so quickly and simply. In addition, it not only has applications available on https://alternativeto.net/software/android/ and https://alternativeto.net/software/ios/, but it's also a web application. Instagram is at the top of the list for companies and influencers in terms of interactions.
But for some, Instagram (which is owned by https://alternativeto.net/software/facebook/) is viewed as a service that does not really respect the privacy, security, and rights of its users.
Let's take a look at some of the best alternatives available out there.
Let's start with the closest alternative to
Instagram: PixelFed is a decentralized and federated image sharing software under development. Its user interface is very close to Instagram's, but there is no mobile application available for it yet.
In addition to taking over the functionalities of Instagram, the main "selling points" of PixelFed include:- Decentralized: Each instance can track one or more other PixelFed instances to allow their respective members to interact. A first public body pixelfed.social limited to 10,000 members has already been created.
- Federated: Via the ActivityPub protocol, PixelFed can interact with other software that are part of the Fediverse, such as
Mastodon or 
PeerTube for example.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Online
- Android
- Self-Hosted
- Cloudron
+3
VSCO is a photography app for
iOS and 
Android that allows you to capture photos in the app and edit them using preset filters and editing tools.
But that's not all. Like Instagram, VSCO is built around the idea of community and lets you post your photos with captions and hashtags, search other users' photos and journals (sets of photos), discover photos suggested by Ava (VSCO's AI software), and send messages to other photographers.
VSCO supports JPEG and, notably, RAW images so you can use the full potential of your smartphone's camera.License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Apple TV
- Online
- Windows
Ello caused a sensation when it was launched in 2014. Devoid of any advertising, the platform also said it wanted to focus on privacy in response to
Facebook's abuses. Today it is dedicated to the artistic spheres and has become an extremely effective curation tool for art lovers. Ello also offers companies and individual creators the opportunity to sell their work directly on the platform and there are also some interviews with artists and photographers.
Flickr is a photo and video online storage and sharing service provided by Yahoo. The service offers a free storage space of 1000GB, more than enough to save your personal photo library. Photos are automatically downloaded from mobile or computer applications. Like
Google Photos, Flickr has an intelligent search tool based on image recognition which allows you to quickly find pictures of beaches, animals, or specific places. Finally, Flickr has features for sharing photos either publicly or with friends.License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Google Chrome
+5
Used by professionals and photography enthusiasts, the 500px platform has established itself as a true competitor to
Flickr. Its functionalities are relatively standard and allow users to follow creators, organize their own gallery, and discover other photographers according to their current aspirations.
When you register, the feed of your main page is empty. You will need to like the content you enjoy to personalize it and create your universe.License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
+1
EyeEm is a mobile photo sharing application available on
iOS and Android which allows users to take pictures and edit them with filters and frames before sharing them on the EyeEm application and website or on other social networks. The service offers many great features like an ingenious tag system, contests to stimulate the community, the ability to zoom into pictures, and much more.
EyeEm's business model is not based on advertising but on "missions", i.e. events sponsored by brands that pay for users to photograph their events, as well as a partnership with 
Getty Images.License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application type
Platforms
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Kindle Fire
+3
Well, that's it. Of course, this list is non-exhaustive and there are many other applications to mention like https://alternativeto.net/software/tumblr/, https://alternativeto.net/software/vero--true-social/, and https://alternativeto.net/software/wisaw/, or even https://alternativeto.net/software/piwigo/ and https://alternativeto.net/software/mediagoblin/ if you want something that you can self-host, but I felt like they were the most important ones to talk about if you're looking to replace Instagram with something more privacy-conscious.
Like always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments and suggest other alternatives!