The Best X AlternativesTop Social Networks & Microblogs like X

X is described as 'Transforming the digital space by enabling public conversation, live audio and video streaming, while offering enhanced features through premium subscriptions' and is a leading Social Network in the social & communications category. There are more than 50 alternatives to X for a variety of platforms, including Web-based, Android, iPhone, Self-Hosted and iPad apps. The best X alternative is Mastodon, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like X are Gab, Bluesky, diaspora* and Pleroma.

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X alternatives are mainly Social Networks, but if you're looking for Microblogs or Blog Publishing Tools 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 X.
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Transforming the digital space by enabling public conversation, live audio and video streaming, while offering enhanced features through premium subscriptions.

More about X
X alternatives page was last updated Mar 24, 2025
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  1. Mastodon icon
     532 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.

    129 Mastodon alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Android Tablet

    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 X

     
    Comments about Mastodon as an Alternative to X
    Comment summary: Mastodon offers a decentralized, ad-free alternative to X. Users appreciate its open-source features, including the ability to self-host and moderate content independently. Mastodon's federated structure allows diverse server communities with customized rules, contrasting with X's centralized model. While not as polished as X, Mastodon draws praise for its friendly community and absence of manipulative algorithms, making it a preferred choice for privacy-conscious users.
    Top Positive Comment
    Goldmaster
    Nov 11, 2022
    9

    Many people are moving to mastodon due to being centralised the Twitter basket with eggs is beginning to crack.

    Most Recent Comment
    Joseph Leskey
    Positive Mar 24, 2025
    1

    Mastodon is a very solid, open source, and pretty well decentralized alternative to Twitter. It's fairly minimalistic and easy to work with, but there are some caveats. It does not appear that you are currently able to quote posts, and sometimes the synchronization between decentralized pods is not quite what one would like it to be. Still, it is very much worth a try.

    hfVgd_
    Positive Nov 17, 2024
    1

    In contrast to X, posts are not automatically censored.

    Mastodon is federated, highlighting boosts instead of an algorithm recommending popular tweets and hate speech, moderated by the server owners banning reported users who violate the rules of the instance.

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    3 of 46 comments
    X Icon
    Mastodon icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Mastodon is a great X alternative.

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

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

    • Mastodon is Free and Open SourceX is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Mastodon is Decentralized and Privacy focusedX is not according to our users
  2. Gab icon
     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.

    119 Gab alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    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 X

     
    Comments about Gab as an Alternative to X
    Comment summary: Gab is often praised for its commitment to free speech, with supporters highlighting its lack of censorship compared to platforms like Twitter. However, several comments raise concerns about its association with far-right ideologies, while others criticize it as a hate site. Users appreciate the ability to control their experience and express opinions without fear of bans, but issues with moderation and a limited user base are noted.
    Top Positive Comment
    RemovedUser
    Nov 1, 2022
    5

    Gab caters more to an alt-right audience, and in no way values the speech of its opponents.

    Top Negative Comment
    altenativeto
    Aug 15, 2022
    10

    It's dominated by far-right racists from the USA. No sufficient Moderation

    Most Recent Comment
    Sam Lander
    Positive Jun 20, 2024
    0

    Gab was built off Mastadon. But the main servers from the people who started Mastadon "censored" Gab because they disagreed with some of the political content.

    So it is more likely that with Gab, you will not be censored for voicing opinions some people disagree with than on most Mastadon servers.

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    3 of 35 comments
    X Icon
    Gab icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Gab is a great X alternative.

    • Gab is Freemium and Open SourceX is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Gab is Privacy focused and DecentralizedX is not according to our users
  3. Bluesky icon
     76 likes
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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.

    63 Bluesky alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Support for @mentions
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Multiple Account support
    7.  Personalized Recommendations
    8.  Two-factor Authentication

    Bluesky VS X

     
    Comments about Bluesky as an Alternative to X
    Most Recent Comment
    Ola Johansson
    Positive Feb 13, 2024
    4

    Similar and decentralized, and now no invite needed.

    lounes-tb
    Positive Dec 9, 2024
    2

    It's created by members of the original twitter team. It is what twitter tried to be before Musk ruined it: A humanitarian place of positivity and empathy. If you want a safe place with a community full of artists and people who genuinely care, go to Bluesky. If mockery, viciously thrown slurs and deception are more your thing, go to x

    Joseph Leskey
    Positive Mar 24, 2025
    0

    The best X alternative and arguably the spiritual successor of good old Twitter. It has all of the essential features of a microblogging platform, a great community, and a lovely look and feel. The content seems high quality, and the moderation seems to be on point. A social media platform that's actually pleasant, much like Twitter ought to have been.

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    3 of 4 comments
    X Icon
    Bluesky icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Bluesky is a great X alternative.

    • Bluesky is Free and Open SourceX is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Bluesky is Decentralized and LightweightX is not according to our users
  4. diaspora* icon
     436 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.

    123 diaspora* alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • Ruby

    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 X

     
    Comments about diaspora* as an Alternative to X
    Comment summary: Diaspora is appreciated for its decentralized nature and ease of use. Users highlight its strengths as a Facebook alternative due to its unique network of interconnected but independently run pods, allowing cross-platform interactions. While it isn't seen as a Twitter-like microblogging platform, it is valued for its robust hashtag feature and freedom of speech.
    Top Positive Comment
    Eden
    May 18, 2023
    3

    I think Mastodon is the best alternative to Twitter. But, Diaspora is like a more complete Twitter, closer to what Facebook should be like.

    Top Negative Comment
    velnemed
    Oct 22, 2017
    26

    Diaspora is a Facebook alternative, it's not Twitter-like

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive May 5, 2019
    2

    decentralized and easy to use

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    3 of 7 comments
    X Icon
    diaspora* icon
    • Most users think diaspora* is a great X alternative.

    • diaspora* is Free and Open SourceX is Freemium and Proprietary
    • diaspora* is Decentralized and Privacy focusedX is not according to our users
  5. Pleroma icon
     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.

    55 Pleroma alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted

    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 X

     
    Comments about Pleroma as an Alternative to X
    Most Recent Comment
    swapnilgnu
    Positive Nov 30, 2022
    2

    A light-weight decentralized alternative for microblogging.

    clacke_
    Positive May 4, 2019
    0

    Pleroma is part of the OStatus fediverse and the ActivityPub fediverse. Your service is only one out of many, and you can interact with users running SocialHome, Mastodon, Pleroma, PixelFed, PeerTube and other services, and like and comment on their content. If you don't like how your service is run, you can run your own and still be part of the same networks.

    ccesar
    Positive Dec 8, 2018
    2

    Interface similar to Twitter, interacts with the Fediverse, better moderation tools than Mastodon.

    X Icon
    Pleroma icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Pleroma is a great X alternative.

    • Pleroma is Free and Open SourceX is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Pleroma is Decentralized, Lightweight and Privacy focusedX is not according to our users
  6. Minds icon
     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.

    124 Minds alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    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 X

     
    Comments about Minds as an Alternative to X
    Comment summary: Minds is generally appreciated for its commitment to free speech, lack of censorship, and transparency, making it a strong alternative to platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Users praise it for its security and civil community discourse. However, some express concerns about access issues and restricted content for non-paying users. Overall, Minds is favored for its openness and versatility, though it faces some criticisms about functionality.
    Top Positive Comment
    MindMunition
    Mar 19, 2017
    10

    I can do everything on Minds I can do on Twitter with no censorship!

    Top Negative Comment
    Camilo Rueda López
    Sep 15, 2021
    1

    Got kicked out recently... no reason why, cannot login, password recovery does not work and won't be able to use the same @ if willing to sign up again because it is "already taken". This looks to me like if my account has been stolen in some way a couple of months ago but I am not able to get it back again since help is just not working. Too bad.

    Most Recent Comment
    givi o
    Negative Nov 6, 2023
    1

    Minds is not an alternative.

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    3 of 16 comments
    X Icon
    Minds icon
    • Most users think Minds is a great X alternative.

    • Minds is Freemium and Open SourceX is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Minds is Decentralized, Security-focused and Privacy focusedX is not according to our users
  7. GNU social icon
     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

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    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 X

     
    Comments about GNU social as an Alternative to X
    godisinthewind
    Positive Apr 5, 2017
    8

    It is very similar to twitter, but it is decentralized. In many instances the character count is higher which is nice.

    X Icon
    GNU social icon
    • Almost everyone thinks GNU social is a great X alternative.

    • GNU social is Free and Open SourceX is Freemium and Proprietary
    • GNU social is Decentralized and Privacy focusedX is not according to our users
7 of 71 X alternatives