Bluesky AlternativesTop Social Networks & Microblogs like Bluesky

Bluesky is described as 'An open social network that gives creators independence from platforms, developers the freedom to build, and users a choice in their experience' and is a popular Social Network in the social & communications category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Bluesky for a variety of platforms, including Web-based, Self-Hosted, Android, iPhone and iPad apps. The best Bluesky alternative is Mastodon, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Bluesky are Pixelfed, X, diaspora* and Minds.

filter to find the best alternatives

Bluesky alternatives are mainly Social Networks, but if you're looking for Microblogs or Bluesky Clients you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Bluesky.
Bluesky iconBluesky
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An open social network that gives creators independence from platforms, developers the freedom to build, and users a choice in their experience.

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Bluesky alternatives page was last updated Apr 19, 2025
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  1. Mastodon icon

    Mastodon

     533 likes
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    Decentralized and federated social platform with no ads, focusing on personal interaction, and offering 500 character posts, custom emojis, content warnings, and robust moderation tools.

    127 Mastodon alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Android Tablet
    Screenshot of the Mastodon web interface

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Federated
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Fediverse
    5. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  No Censorship
    8.  Two-factor Authentication
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Support for @mentions
    11.  Multiple Account support
    12.  Self Destructing Messages

    Mastodon VS Bluesky

     
    Comments about Mastodon as an Alternative to Bluesky
    naught101
    Positive Feb 26, 2024
    4

    It's open source, and already functionally operating as a federated network.

    ourari
    Positive Jan 17, 2025
    1

    Unlike Bluesky, Mastodon has not taken on venture capital. Venture capital leads to ensh*ttification. Mastodon is a non-profit, paid for by users, donations and subsidies. It really is the billionaire-proof social network that Bluesky only pretends to be.

    Bluesky Icon
    Mastodon icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Mastodon is a great Bluesky alternative.

    • Mastodon is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone & iPad alternative to Bluesky.

    • Mastodon is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Bluesky.

    • Mastodon is Free and Open SourceBluesky is also Free and Open Source
    • Mastodon is Privacy focusedBluesky is not according to our users
  2. Pixelfed icon

    Pixelfed

     248 likes
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    Pixelfed is an image sharing platform with focus on Privacy, Safety and Security, an ethical alternative to centralized platforms like Instagram.

    126 Pixelfed alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    • F-Droid
    Pixelfed screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Security-focused
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Federated
    3.  Ad-free
    4. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub
    5.  Fediverse
    6.  Upload multiple pictures
    7.  Image Sharing
    8.  Browser-based
    9.  Support for @mentions
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Two-factor Authentication
    12.  No Tracking

    Pixelfed VS Bluesky

     
  4. X icon

    X

     1099 likes
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    Experience global interaction with public conversations, real-time news updates, live audio Spaces, streaming video, exclusive content monetization, and niche Communities.

    70 X alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Kindle Fire
    X start page

    Properties

    1.  Minimalistic
    2.  Free Speech

    Features

    1.  Hashtags
    2.  Threaded Conversations
    3.  Trends
    4.  Private messaging
    5.  Progressive Web App
    6. IFTTT icon  IFTTT Integration
    7.  Two-factor Authentication
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  End-to-End Encryption
    10.  Support for @mentions
    11.  Personalized Recommendations

    X VS Bluesky

     
    Comments about X as an Alternative to Bluesky
    Palamon
    Positive Sep 27, 2023
    2

    I'm excited to see where Bluesky goes as an alternative to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It seems nice so far, especially since it's invite only which makes it harder for unwanted bot comments on posts.

    Bluesky Icon
    X icon

    • X is the most popular Windows alternative to Bluesky.

    • X is Freemium and ProprietaryBluesky is Free and Open Source
    • X is MinimalisticBluesky is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Minds icon
    Minds

    An open-source platform for decentralized social networking. Users can monetize posts through ads or monthly support, engaging in various features such as Blogs, Videos, and secure private chats. Minds supports free speech and fa...

    https://www.minds.com
    Learn More
  6. diaspora* icon

    diaspora*

     437 likes
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    Diaspora is a federated social networking service, designed to be a more privacy-aware alternative to Facebook . Share what you want, with whom you want.

    122 diaspora* alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • Ruby
    diaspora* screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Federated
    3.  Encrypted Connection
    4.  No Tracking
    5.  Distributed
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Fediverse
    8. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub
    9.  Self-hosted
    10.  Support for MarkDown

    diaspora* VS Bluesky

     
  7. Minds icon

    Minds

     327 likes
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    An open-source platform for decentralized social networking. Users can monetize posts through ads or monthly support, engaging in various features such as Blogs, Videos, and secure private chats. Minds supports free speech and facilitates sharing across networks and exploring global trends.

    123 Minds alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Minds.com homepage

    Properties

    1.  Free Speech
    2.  Security-focused
    3.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Encrypted Chat
    3.  No Censorship
    4.  Monetization
    5.  Gamification
    6.  Podcast Hosting
    7.  Tokenization
    8.  Secure Chat
    9.  Share screenshots

    Minds VS Bluesky

     
  8. Friendica icon

    Friendica

     140 likes
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    Friendica is a distributed social network application. Which allow users to connect with others via their own Friendica server, but may also fully integrate contacts from other platforms including Twitter, diaspora*, Pump.io and StatusNet into their 'newsfeed'.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    • Online
    • Docker
    Logo

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Federated
    2. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub
    3.  Decentralized
    4.  Ad-free
    5. diaspora* icon  Diaspora integration
    6.  Support for @mentions
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Rsvp
    9.  Commodity hosting support
    10. X icon  X Integration
    11.  Team Messaging
    12.  Community events

    Friendica VS Bluesky

     
  10. Pleroma icon

    Pleroma

     67 likes
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    Pleroma is a free, federated social networking server built on open protocols. It is compatible with GNU Social, Mastodon, and many other ActivityPub and OStatus implementations.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Pleroma screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Fediverse
    2.  Decentralized
    3. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub
    4.  No Tracking
    5.  Support for MarkDown
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Distributed
    9.  Emoji reactions
    10.  Support for @mentions
    11.  Multiple Account support

    Pleroma VS Bluesky

     
  11. Gab icon

    Gab

     255 likes
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    Gab Social is an open source and fully decentralized social network powered by the Gab Platform. It is the new social network of Gab.com. This change was made to further Gab's commitment to its users trust and privacy online.

    118 Gab alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    Gab screenshot 1
    Warning

    Gab is less moderated compared to other social networks and could be offensive to some people

    Properties

    1.  Free Speech
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Community-based
    3.  Live topics
    4.  Bypass Censorship
    5.  Decentralized
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Fediverse
    8.  Two-factor Authentication
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Content creators
    11.  Word filtering
    12.  Information aggregator

    Gab VS Bluesky

     
  12. Hubzilla icon

    Hubzilla

     86 likes
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    Hubzilla is a powerful platform for creating interconnected based websites featuring a decentralised identity, communications, and permissions framework built using common webserver technology. Hubzilla is very suitable for communities (of any size).

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Channel

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Free Speech

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub
    3.  Federated
    4.  Publishing
    5.  Calendar Integration
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Wide API Support
    8.  OpenID Provider
    9.  Wiki
    10.  Distributed
    11.  Categories

    Hubzilla VS Bluesky

     
  13. Misskey icon

    Misskey

     28 likes
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    A forever evolving, sophisticated microblogging platform.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Timeline in Home mode

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Fediverse
    2. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub
    3.  Federated
    4.  Decentralized
    5.  Emoji reactions
    6.  Support for MarkDown
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Support for @mentions
    9.  Multiple Account support
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Communities
    12.  Content warnings

    Misskey VS Bluesky

     
  14. DarkSky for BlueSky icon

    DarkSky for BlueSky

     10 likes
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    Discover BlueSky on Windows through DarkSky, an app designed for exploring feeds, profiles, posts, and replies. Users enjoy a modern interface, community-driven enhancements, and frequent updates. With Discord and GitHub feedback, DarkSky evolves rapidly, planning for multi-account, DM, and custom feed features.

    10 DarkSky for BlueSky alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    DarkSky for BlueSky screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  User friendly

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  Windows UWP

    DarkSky for BlueSky VS Bluesky

     
  15. GNU social icon

    GNU social

     98 likes
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    GNU social is a continuation of the StatusNet project. It is social communication software for both public and private communications. It is widely supported and has a large userbase.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    Screenshot of a GNU social website with Swedish localization. Source Wikipedia / FSF
    Discontinued

    Not actively developed/maintained anymore.

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Free Speech

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  End-to-End Encryption
    4. ActivityPub icon  Support for ActivityPub

    GNU social VS Bluesky

     
12 of 63 Bluesky alternatives