Facebook has always been in the news for various negative reasons, especially for privacy concerns.
The Facebook/Cambridge scandal, in particular, had a significant impact on the company in the spring of 2018. According to the Ponemon Institute survey, users’ trust in Facebook took a 66% plunge after the revelations that British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica inappropriately acquired data on millions of Facebook users.
In March 2020, OAIC (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) sued Facebook for allegedly breaching the privacy of 300,000 Australians between March 2014 and May 2015
In December 2020, the US FTC, the territory of Guam, and the District of Columbia introduced Federal Trade Commission v. Facebook as an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook.
In April 2021, the personal data of approximately 533 million Facebook users was leaked on an online forum.
In 2023, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, was fined €1.2 billion for mishandling user data. It was the largest fine ever imposed under the EU’s GDPR privacy law.
After such incidents, many people began to think about turning their back on Facebook and switching to another social network. But where exactly can they turn to find the platform that takes privacy issues more seriously?
The problem is there isn’t a true Facebook alternative out there. Of course, Twitter and Snapchat are attractive options, but if either of those appealed to you, you wouldn’t be here.
Actually, there are plenty of good social media sites that haven’t got much attention yet. They are quite different than Facebook in terms of user interface, profile, newsfeed, and privacy and security.
Below, we have put together a list of less-popular Facebook alternatives that offer a unique way of interacting with friends and family.
Table of Contents
9. Diaspora
Image of a Diaspora pod
Launched in 2005
Diaspora is a decentralized social media platform, which means it is not controlled by a single entity. It contains numerous pods (independently owned nodes) that interoperate to form the network. Each pod is hosted on a personal web server, and individuals on that pod can interact with other users on all other pods.
Diaspora is a free tool. It gives you liberty over how you use it. You don’t have to use your real identity to create a profile. Interact with other users in whatever way you want.
To get started, select a pod that suits you or host a pod yourself. The second option, however, requires some sysadmin skills. Once you find a suitable pod, sign up there, create a profile, and start following some tags related to your interests.
You own everything you share on the platform. Diaspora or other corporations do not get the authority to use or share your data. You choose who sees your content, interests, and friends list.
8. Clubhouse
Platform: Android and iOS
Clubhouse is an audio chat networking platform. It allows you to listen to other people’s live conversations, but not in a creepy way; these people know they are being recorded. The company describes itself as a voice-based social media app where users across the world can talk, tell stories, develop ideas, meet new people and deepen friendships.
You can find millions of fascinating and unexpected conversations. Search to find conversations on various topics, ranging from green energy and urban planning to movies and fashion. Or join communities that somehow combine all these things into one.
You can also host a room of your own to share your deep thoughts. Build your profile to bring your authentic self to the world. The app gives you an option to create a club, add custom rules, and manage conversations.
In short, Clubhouse is designed for people who like to talk and miss having an audience, or for lurkers who just want to listen to interesting conversations.
7. Vero
Platform: Android and iOS
Launched in 2015, Vero markets itself as a social networking platform free from advertisements, data mining, and algorithms. It’s more like a photo and link-sharing service with simple and effective privacy controls.
The app’s growth exploded in March 2018 following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Vero added more than 500,000 users within a day and climbed from #566 to #1 on the Apple app store in a few days. In 2021, Vero launched its Desktop app with a re-sizable multi-column feed and multiple post options.
Vero is most popular among Millennials, with half of its users falling between the ages of 21 and 40. Once you join the network, you will see many cosplayers, skateboarders, tattoo artists, and makeup artists.
It’s a subscription-based service with no ads. Unlike Facebook, the website doesn’t collect users’ data. Although some usage data is collected to see how often the app is used, this option is off by default. However, on Facebook, you have to manually change the settings to turn this off.
Vero is currently on the track to success, and as it continues to grow, it will be intriguing to see whether the social network lives up to its hype.
6. Steemit
Platform: Browser-based service
Steemit is a mix of Reddit and Quora that pays you for posting good content. It’s more like a blockchain-based blogging and social media website that rewards users with cryptocurrency.
The company focuses on decentralization and sustainability and does not gobble up users’ personal data and sell it to third parties.
All content published on Steemit is stored in the Steem blockchain and can’t be deleted by any central authority. However, users can moderate content to prevent plagiarism and illicit and unwanted posts.
Steemit has a unique reward system where both content creators and curators (who upvote, downvote, comment, and flag posts) are paid out based on the value they add to the platform. The more they engage, the more they earn.
If you don’t want to post anything, you can simply use the platform as a news aggregator or get involved in conversations related to certain interests.
Steemit’s audience is 65% male and 35% female. The largest age group of visitors are aged between 25 and 34 years old — Similarweb report.
5. Nextdoor
Platform: Browser-based service with apps for Android and iOS
Nextdoor is a social networking platform for neighborhoods. It keeps you informed about what’s happening in your neighborhood – whether someone is planning a local event or finding a babysitter. It offers an easier way to connect with them.
While signing up, you need to submit your real name and address to the website. Anything you post on the website is only available to other users living in the same neighborhood.
All neighbors are verified, and communities are built by you and your neighbors. If nobody else in your area has joined the network, you can create a new community and invite your neighbors.
Nextdoor exchanges services with government/public agencies, such as the District of Columbia Board of Elections and the California Secretary of State’s office. These agencies gather voter education data, such as voting areas and voter registration deadlines.
The company saw major spikes [in users’ activities] during disasters. In 2017, Nextdoor provided services to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to facilitate geo-targeted emergency and disaster preparedness alerts through their platform.
Nextdoor has also partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to alert local communities about extreme weather incidents.
According to Semrush, Nextdoor receives nearly 181 million visits per month with an average session duration of 10 minutes 2 seconds.
4. Minds
Platform: Browser-based service with apps for Android and iOS
Minds describes itself as a ‘Crypto Social Network’. It’s an open-source, privacy-oriented social networking service that has attracted quite a few users in the last couple of years.
The site is a mix of Facebook, Reddit, and Medium.com — it features timelines, profiles, and several content curation functions. The site rewards users for their contributions with tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.
The website is designed to be ‘anti-surveillance’ and provide more ‘organic’ results than Facebook. You can use tokens for advertising your own content: each token will get you one-thousand views on the social network.
You can also opt for a premium subscription that costs five tokens/month. It gives you access to exclusive content and lets you ‘banish all the boosted posts’ from the feed.
The platform also offers an encrypted messenger where you can chat anonymously (if you wish). In short, Minds is built on a foundation of privacy, transparency, freedom, and democratization.
3. Slashdot
Monthly active users: 3.5 million+Platform: Browser-based service
Slashdot is a tech-focused news site and community-driven forum where you can find and discuss a range of topics related to technology, science, and geek culture.
Founded in 1997, Slashdot has a large and active community of users (including enthusiasts, professionals, and hobbyists) who contribute to discussions, submit content, and participate in moderation.
The core feature of the platform is its system of user-generated content and community moderation. Users submit stories they find compelling, which are reviewed by moderators and the community. Content is ranked based on user votes and comments.
The site garners a remarkable 34.5 million monthly page views, accompanied by an active engagement of 120,000 comments per month.
2. MeWe
Platform: Browser-based service with apps for Android and iOS
MeWe has not yet received the coverage it deserves, especially given that the company’s advisors include the father of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
The platform has more than 20 million users across the world and 600,000+ interest groups.
While MeWe covers all the Facebook basics, the platform prides itself on its Privacy Bill of Rights. It claims that
- MeWe never shows users targeted ads.
- All posts are displayed in chronological order – no algorithms decide what users see.
- The site never tracks cookies or uses spyware to generate content about users.
- The company never sells users’ personal data.
Unlike other social media platforms, MeWe doesn’t notify users when their contacts create posts. The network calls itself the ‘alternative to Facebook’ and focuses on users’ privacy rather than generating revenue.
You will see some ads on the website, but they are not targeted. To compensate for lower revenue, MeWe sells add-on services, such as Secret Chat, which uses double ratchet encryption.
The Privacy Mail feature lets you communicate with members on mobile and desktop. It is similar to the standalone FB Messenger app. Each user gets 8 GB of free storage online storage for pictures, videos, and documents. Extra storage (50 GB) will cost you $4.99/month, which I don’t think you will ever need.
1. Mastodon
Platform: Browser-based service with apps for Android, iOS, Linux, Windows, and macOS
Mastodon is an open-source social networking service launched in 2017. Similar to Tumblr and Twitter, you can make profiles and publish anything you want (including texts, pictures, videos, and links) and of course, follow other users.
Unlike other platforms, Mastodon is decentralized: there is no one person or company running it. Users can create and run their own server of Mastodon.
When someone creates their own version of Mastodon [with their own set of rules], this is called ‘instance.’ All instances are moderated by the community that creates them; not some large organization that collects your data.
Users within an instance can follow each other, and they can also decide to follow members within other instances. Therefore, while all instances are privately operated, their users can still communicate with users of other servers seamlessly.
Users’ feeds are ad-free, chronological, and non-algorithmic – only you decide what you want to see. Mastodon also comes with effective anti-abuse tools to help moderators safely operate instances.
Its users are mostly male (about 72%), with the largest age group being 25-34 years old.
And since it’s a decentralized network, it can’t be sold or completely blocked by governments.
Other Similar Platforms
10. Reddit
Daily active users: 62 million+Reddit has joined @pledgeone to continue supporting the positive, real-world impact of our communities online and IRL. Alongside our existing social good initiatives like Reddit’s Community Funds program, we’re excited to invest in more opportunities that align with our mission… pic.twitter.com/MufH2aewKy
— Reddit (@Reddit) February 21, 2024
Launched in 2005
Reddit is a free and open platform for everyone to post, vote, share, and discuss. It has more than 140,000 active communities (called subreddits) that dig deep into specific topics. Subreddit names start with “r/.” For example, “r/technology” is a community devoted to discussing news and developments relating to technology, while “r/funny” is Reddit’s largest humor depository.
You will find subreddits on almost every topic, ranging from nostalgic content to the field of future studies and speculation about humanity and civilization. Plus, you will find video streamers, seasoned professionals, bloggers, meme-makers, news junkies, artists, and creators of all types. Join as many subreddits and follow as many people as you want.
In 2023, Reddit achieved an annual revenue of $804 million and was projected to be valued at $6.5 billion.
Read: 14 Good Reddit Alternatives You Should Check Out
11. WT Social
Active users: 470,000+Don’t fancy a social network run by Elon Musk?
Try one by the founder of Wikipedia insteadhttps://t.co/VmdP3QwpRC
— WT.Social (@WikiTribune) April 25, 2022
Launched in 2019
Founded by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, WT Social is a microblogging and social networking service. WT is short for WikiTribute. It doesn’t have any ads and runs on donations.
Unlike other social platforms, WT Social focuses on news stories (not on personal updates). It contains numerous community discussion threads called SubWikis. Members of a SubWiki (similar to a subreddit on Reddit) can upvote a post, add comments, and share links and media.
12. Gab
Active users: 100,000+Launched in 2016
Gab is an alternative social networking service known for its far-right userbase. It allows users to control their social media experiences on their own terms, instead of the rules created by big tech giants. It strives to be the home of free speech online.
Gab is considered a haven for extremists, including white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, Donald Trump supporters, and neo-Nazis. In recent years, the platform has attracted a lot of famous personalities and groups who have been banned from famous social media websites.
13. Digg
Active users: 110,000+Hi to all our new followers and welcome back to the OGs Things might look a little different here than what you remember from 2009 but don’t worry — We’re still curating the best stuff on the internet that you won’t find anywhere else.
Browse at https://t.co/cUzrLPBybm
…— Digg (@digg) June 14, 2023
Launched in 2004
Digg is a news aggregating website that helps users find web pages of interest as well as promote their own content. The most popular posts are displayed on the front page, which can drive tens of thousands of visitors to corresponding sites.
The platform works in a very simple manner. Users submit the content they like by entering a URL, adding a short description, and selecting a suitable category for the post. Other users can then digg (by clicking on the post) or completely ignore the post. Submissions that get significant attention are pushed to the trending (or home) page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Facebook change its name to Meta?
In October 2021, Facebook announced that they are shifting the direction of the company from ‘Facebook-first’ to ‘metaverse-first’. They changed the structure of the company because the Facebook brand is tightly linked to one product only and it cannot possibly represent everything that the company is working on.
Meta represents the business in two different segments:
- Social networking websites and apps, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram
- The work on future platforms
The company is working to accelerate the development of fundamental technologies, social apps, and innovative tools to bring the metaverse to life. They want to weave these technologies through their existing platforms.
The company strongly believes the metaverse can provide enhanced social experiences far better than anything that exists today.
What are Facebook’s most notable acquisitions to date?
Facebook (now Meta) has bought more than 90 companies to date. Four of those are worth over $1 billion.
- Whatsapp was acquired for $19 billion in February 2014
- Oculus VR was acquired for $2 billion in March 2014
- Instagram was acquired for $1 billion in April 2012
- Kustomer (a customer relationship management startup) was acquired for $1 billion in November 2020
Who are Meta’s Biggest Competitors?
According to the Statista report, Facebook accounts for more than 71% of all social media site visits worldwide. WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have 2 billion and 1.3 billion monthly active users. Other companies are trying to take away Meta’s market share. Currently, its biggest competitors are YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Read More
14 Best Professional Networking Sites [LinkedIn Alternatives]
I’m interested in moving my FB pages to another platform. Which one of these alternatives would be best for that?
Not Mewe, they support and fund trump
Nice. Signed up. Thanks for the info, Aura.
Hadn’t considered politics as part of my criteria until you introduced it. I definitely will sign up. Thanks.
I wasn’t going to sign up but now I want to… Trump2020!
same here…TRUMP 2020 !
Back to the basement, Sleepy Joe!
Dido, sounds like the place to be.
If they support Trump I’m definitely in. Thanks for tip.
Trump hater — can’t you liberal socialists ever leave that snarky bias at home in the closet. I don’t care what you think of Trump. Maybe you will change your tune when America becomes a full blown communist country.
MeWe doesn’t support ANYONE. They are just attracting Trump supporters bc Facebook is censoring them. MeWe focuses on individual privacy and no bias. That’s all!
if they don’t ban Trump supporters.. That doesn’t make them Trump supporters it makes them Neutral.
and if people are looking for alternatives it tends to be due to censorship.
FYI, they don’t support any candidate. They just don’t shadow ban people, or stick ppl in their “jail” for no apparent reason, like Facebook does.
Love trump so thanks for that guidance Aura.
Some of these aren’t to bad. Please take a look at another and possibly add to your list. It’s called Blurp. It’s designed to give users the same look and feel as Facebook but also like Twitter and MySpace, lol if folks remember that. It’s Located at blurp.online
When someone creates their own version of Mastodon [with their own set of rules], this is called ‘instance’.
ColdCast.ORG is the best true alternative to Facebook. It’s almost identical, but stands for free speech.
Give it a try, you’ll not be needing another platform
Don’t forget Gab.com,Spreely.com & Wimkin.com as well
I hope you add vistal.tn , it worths a try, no download needed, you can install it from your web browser.