The Best Open Source Facebook AlternativesTop Social Networks and other similar apps like Facebook
The best open source alternative to Facebook is diaspora*. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Facebook and loads of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Facebook are Mastodon, Minds, Gab and Friendica.
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Facebook alternatives are mainly Social Networks but may also be Microblogs or Blog Publishing Tools. Other popular filters includes Open Source + Social News. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Facebook.- Social Network
- Free • Proprietary
- 123 diaspora* alternatives
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Online
- BSD
- Self-Hosted
- Ruby
Comments about diaspora* as an Alternative to Facebook
Comment summary: Diaspora is praised for its privacy features, decentralization, and open-source approach, allowing users to control their data and avoid ads. It is noted for its focus on security, freedom, and non-censorship compared to Facebook. While some users highlight its self-hosting and flexible functionalities, others miss Facebook's collaboration features, suggesting Diaspora isn't a complete Facebook alternative. Overall, Diaspora appeals to privacy-conscious users but remains smaller in scale.Top Positive CommentTop Negative Commentgroup/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.
Most Recent Commentrichardh9935I value privacy, security and independence. I collaborate using other tools, and I don’t expect one tool to suit all tasks.
- 129 Mastodon alternatives
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- F-Droid
- Cloudron
Comments about Mastodon as an Alternative to Facebook
Comment summary: Mastodon is praised for being decentralized, open-source, and non-commercial, offering freedom and privacy without ads. Users appreciate its ability to curate following and block unwanted content. However, some view it as more similar to Twitter rather than Facebook, noting it lacks Facebook's extensive functionality. Mastodon is lauded for being federated and supporting OStatus and ActivityPub, yet its smaller user base means it has room for growth.Top Positive CommentGoldmasterNo ads, no rubbish and just better than Facebook threads
Top Negative CommentloziniakMastodon is more like Twitter.
Most Recent CommentFitikWasTakenMastodon 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
- 125 Minds alternatives
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.
License model
- Freemium • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
Comments about Minds as an Alternative to Facebook
Comment summary: Minds is praised for its open-source nature, freedom of speech, and lack of censorship, providing a refreshing alternative to Facebook. Users appreciate Minds' features for content creators, community engagement, and privacy. However, some note issues with premium content access and annoying notifications. Overall, Minds offers a platform with greater transparency and user involvement, appealing to those seeking a less restricted social media experience.Top Positive CommentOpen source, transparent and does not push any particular ideology.
Top Negative CommentDavid Saylorthey 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.
Most Recent CommentYousif AdelMinds keeps sending messages to join groups or discover pages etc. It cannot be disabled and its annoying.
- 119 Gab alternatives
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.
License model
- Freemium • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Online
- Android
WarningGab is less moderated compared to other social networks and could be offensive to some people
Comments about Gab as an Alternative to Facebook
Comment summary: Gab is praised for its commitment to free speech and minimal censorship, offering features like user-controlled content and no data harvesting. However, its design resembles Twitter more than Facebook, which some users find unsuitable as a direct replacement for Facebook. Additional highlights include no ads, optional feed control, and the ability to broadcast live with GabTV.Top Positive CommentYousif AdelThis platform has extremely MINIMAL Censorship on posts. Which allows for freedom of speech.
Top Negative CommentbirdWithout dabbing into politics and stuff, the architecture of Gab is more like Twitter than Facebook.
Most Recent CommentGreat communities. Free speech. Ability to mute other users.
- 118 Friendica alternatives
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
Platforms
- Linux
- Android
- BSD
- Self-Hosted
- F-Droid
- PHP
Comments about Friendica as an Alternative to Facebook
Top Positive CommentarndtadlerIt's independent, feature rich and decentralized.
Most Recent CommentDigital SorceressFacebook like for sure but feels very unfinished.. a good start.
remote manActivityPub and open-source
- 71 Hubzilla alternatives
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
United States
Platforms
- Online
- Self-Hosted
Comments about Hubzilla as an Alternative to Facebook
Most Recent CommentthemagicianFeature 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.
Net NutUnlike 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.
the_real_dvs1Every 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.
- 86 GNU social alternatives
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.
DiscontinuedNot actively developed/maintained anymore.
So many possibilities are available. Respectful. Nice and clear. Can be self-hosted.