The Best Facebook AlternativesTop Social Networks and other similar apps like Facebook

Facebook is described as 'Connect with friends and family, share photos and videos, organize events, and join groups on a cross-platform social network offering messaging, live streaming, and more' and is a leading Social Network in the social & communications category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Facebook for a variety of platforms, including Web-based, Android, iPhone, Self-Hosted and iPad apps. The best Facebook alternative is diaspora*, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Facebook are Mastodon, Minds, VK and Gab.

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Facebook alternatives are mainly Social Networks, but if you're looking for Microblogs or Photo Sharing Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, iPhone, Mac, Windows, EU, Free and Android. 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 Facebook.

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Facebook alternatives page was last updated Jun 19, 2025

diaspora*
447 likes
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
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Origin
United States
Platforms
Online
BSD
Self-Hosted
Ruby
+2
Is diaspora* a good alternative to Facebook?

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13comments
diaspora* vs Facebook Comments

Top Positive Comment
Yrdael
Dec 10, 2016
7
So many possibilities are available. Respectful. Nice and clear. Can be self-hosted.
Top Negative Comment
Guest
Oct 1, 2019
8
group/collaboration function is absent. not a developer, so im sure i do not understand the difficulties in making this happen. but im pretty sure this is the nr 1 reason diaspora is NOT an fb alternative.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
richardh9935
Positive commentJan 26, 2025
1
I value privacy, security and independence. I collaborate using other tools, and I don’t expect one tool to suit all tasks.
3 of 13 comments
diaspora* is Free and Open SourceFacebook is Free and Proprietary
diaspora* is Decentralized and Privacy focusedFacebook is not according to our users
Mastodon
600 likes
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.
135 Mastodon alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
F-Droid
Cloudron
+6
Is Mastodon a good alternative to Facebook?

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14comments
Mastodon vs Facebook Comments

Top Positive Comment
Goldmaster
Sep 16, 2024
2
No ads, no rubbish and just better than Facebook threads
Top Negative Comment
loziniak
Jan 24, 2020
15
Mastodon is more like Twitter.
FitikWasTaken
CommentJan 13, 2025
1
Mastodon is good, but it's too different from Facebook, it doesn't even have groups, in the Fediverse the Friendica is the closest Facebook alternative
3 of 14 comments
Mastodon is Free and Open SourceFacebook is Free and Proprietary
Mastodon is Decentralized, Privacy focused and LightweightFacebook is not according to our users
Minds
327 likes
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.
126 Minds alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Origin
United States
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
+8
Is Minds a good alternative to Facebook?

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37comments
Minds vs Facebook Comments

Top Positive Comment
Guest
Mar 19, 2017
18
Open source, transparent and does not push any particular ideology.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Top Negative Comment
David Saylor
Mar 30, 2022
0
they charge money to see posts that were posted by premium members.. they have none of the features that Facebook has.. literally the only thing it has at this point in time, is a main feed wall to share posts, that's it.
Yousif Adel
Negative commentMar 18, 2024
0
Minds keeps sending messages to join groups or discover pages etc. It cannot be disabled and its annoying.
3 of 37 comments
Minds is Freemium and Open SourceFacebook is Free and Proprietary
Minds is Decentralized, Security-focused and Privacy focusedFacebook is not according to our users
Ad
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
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VK
166 likes
VK (originally VKontakte) is a largest social network service from Europe. Available in many languages and highly popular particularly among Russian-speaking users around the world, especially in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Belarus, and Israel.
97 VK alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application type
Social Network
Origin
Russia
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
HUAWEI AppGallery
Windows Phone
iPad
Kindle Fire
+4
Is VK a good alternative to Facebook?

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7comments
VK vs Facebook Comments

Top Positive Comment
Guest
Aug 1, 2019
3
Not just an advanced messaging service, Downloads can be put into folders (Pictures etc). also a music upload/download player and marketplace.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Top Negative Comment
grinapo
Nov 9, 2024
-1
Why anyone would like to use one of the the Russian government's most valuable asset is beyond me.
Guest
Positive commentJun 29, 2019
-7
Because it has tiny bit more respect to privacy than FaceBook.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 7 comments
VK is Free and ProprietaryFacebook is also Free and Proprietary
Gab
257 likes
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.
117 Gab alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Origin
United States
Alerts
Warning
Platforms
Online
Android
+3
Is Gab a good alternative to Facebook?

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20comments
Gab vs Facebook Comments

Top Positive Comment
Guest
Apr 4, 2017
25
Free speech. No censoring. Say what you want, mute anyone that you don't like. GabTV so you can live broadcast. Free.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Top Negative Comment
bird
Jul 10, 2019
11
Without dabbing into politics and stuff, the architecture of Gab is more like Twitter than Facebook.
Yousif Adel
Positive commentMar 21, 2024
1
This platform has extremely MINIMAL Censorship on posts. Which allows for freedom of speech.
3 of 20 comments
Gab is Freemium and Open SourceFacebook is Free and Proprietary
Gab is Privacy focused and DecentralizedFacebook is not according to our users
Friendica
141 likes
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'.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Origin
Australia
Platforms
Online
BSD
Self-Hosted
PHP
Docker
+3
Is Friendica a good alternative to Facebook?

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7comments
Friendica vs Facebook Comments

Top Positive Comment
arndtadler
Jul 11, 2018
4
It's independent, feature rich and decentralized.
Digital Sorceress
Positive commentMar 21, 2025
0
Facebook like for sure but feels very unfinished.. a good start.
remote man
Positive commentJan 5, 2024
1
ActivityPub and open-source
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 7 comments
Friendica is Free and Open SourceFacebook is Free and Proprietary
Friendica is Decentralized and Privacy focusedFacebook is not according to our users
Hubzilla
88 likes
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).
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
Social Network
Blog Publishing
Origin
United States
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
+9
Is Hubzilla a good alternative to Facebook?

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3comments
Hubzilla vs Facebook Comments

themagician
Positive commentMar 24, 2018
4
Feature for feature, Hubzilla is the best decentralized, open source competitor to Facebook.

Compatibility with the Diaspora, OStatus (includes Mastodon), & ActivityPub (includes NextCloud) protocols allows it to communicate with nearly every other existing.

I am happy that after he created Friendica, Mike Macgirvin & friends have continued to push forward by creating and developing Hubzilla.
the_real_dvs1
Positive commentApr 3, 2018
2
Every user can make private or public forums, a static webpage, an editable markdown based wiki, categorize posts and format them with BBCode. You choose what hub hosts your data, and you can clone your account on another hub to prevent distruption or data loss.
Net Nut
Positive commentNov 14, 2020
1
Unlike a centralized platform like facebook you can talk to other federated platforms and with a Nomadic Identity you are never locked permanently to one server , yet you can communicate across to other platforms much in the way that email does. In addition to not being locked.. you never need to give out a new address, you keep in communication when you migrate to another server, plus there are many free servers to use, or you can launch your own instance.
Hubzilla is Free and Open SourceFacebook is Free and Proprietary
Hubzilla is Decentralized and Privacy focusedFacebook is not according to our users
GNU social
98 likes
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.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Self-Hosted
Is GNU social a good alternative to Facebook?
MeWe
34 likes
Used to be called Sgrouples, now its MeWe offered by the company Sgrouples Inc. On its homepage their motto is "The World's Private Communication Network" and "Join the privacy revolution".
70 MeWe alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Origin
United States
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
Is MeWe a good alternative to Facebook?

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6comments
MeWe vs Facebook Comments

Top Positive Comment
rustyknight07
Aug 18, 2020
2
No ads, better privacy, better features.
Ted Curran
CommentAug 1, 2022
2
Matches Facebook technologically as a platform, but the loudest voices in the community are conspiracy theories, antiscience, and MAGA types -- the platform actually promotes these people as "You should follow". Example: When you search "news", you only get "alternative news", not y'know NEWS. The platform need to attract and promote truthful content to counteract all the "alternative facts".
Guest
Positive commentSep 11, 2020
1
MeWe looks and feels very similar and has some of the same features like facebook with Pages,Groups & Personal Profiles that look more like a facebook profile then some of the other alternatives It also respects peoples privacy and is also ad free and they also support Free Speech to an extent.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 6 comments
MeWe is Free and ProprietaryFacebook is also Free and Proprietary
Pleroma
70 likes
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.
59 Pleroma alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
Is Pleroma a good alternative to Facebook?
Movim
53 likes
Decentralized social and blog platform based on XMPP, enabling self-hosting, cross-network chat, video calls, and group collaboration. Users control and migrate their data, communicate across various networks, and access services from any node while preserving privacy and open-source principles.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
Video Calling
Social Network
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
+6
Is Movim a good alternative to Facebook?

|
1comment
Movim vs Facebook Comments

Guest
Positive commentApr 14, 2018
-2
Nice looking interface and good chat integration.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Movim is Free and Open SourceFacebook is Free and Proprietary
Movim is DecentralizedFacebook is not according to our users
Misskey
31 likes
A forever evolving, sophisticated microblogging platform.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
Social Network
Microblog
Origin
Japan
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
+9
Is Misskey a good alternative to Facebook?

12 of 152 Facebook alternatives

The Best Facebook AlternativesTop Social Networks and other similar apps like Facebook

Alternatives list

diaspora*

Cost / License

Application types

Origin

Platforms

diaspora* vs Facebook Comments

Mastodon

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Mastodon vs Facebook Comments

Minds

Cost / License

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Minds vs Facebook Comments

VK

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VK vs Facebook Comments

Gab

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Origin

Alerts

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Gab vs Facebook Comments

Friendica

Cost / License

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Friendica vs Facebook Comments

Hubzilla

Cost / License

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Origin

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Hubzilla vs Facebook Comments

GNU social

Cost / License

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Alerts

Platforms

MeWe

Cost / License

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Origin

Platforms

MeWe vs Facebook Comments

Pleroma

Cost / License

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Platforms

Movim

Cost / License

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Movim vs Facebook Comments

Misskey

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