Facebook is one of the most used social media platforms in the world, but not everyone is happy with the platform itself.
By creating an account, you agree to the Facebook rules that tend to change over time, and most of the time, it’s not in favor of the users.
With that being said, if you aren’t happy with Facebook, you can switch to another platform since Facebook isn’t the only social media platform out there. However, I strongly recommend making the switch to an open-source Facebook alternative.
Why?
Keep on reading as you’ll find out why you might need a Facebook alternative and why open-source is the best way to move forward!
Why Would You Need a Facebook Alternative?
Even though Facebook is a social media giant, there is more than one reason why you should look for a Facebook alternative.
One of the most important reasons is hidden terms and conditions that all of us agree to when we create an account. With these terms and conditions changing over time, it’s hard to keep track of the updates and to what we consent to by using the Facebook platform.
Other reasons include data protection issues, various specific rules of the platform, or even just dissatisfaction with the platform.
Facebook also gets constant framework and interface updates which can also play an important role in your decision to switch to another social media platform.
Lastly, privacy is the biggest issue and most of us have witnessed questionable actions by Facebook and third-party users of the platform, on top of the ads that are being displayed to us on a daily basis.
Therefore, it’s not a bad idea to think of making the switch, but even before you do, keep on reading to learn why an open-source Facebook alternative might be the best idea!
Why Going for an Open-Source Facebook Alternative is a Smart Idea
In general, open-source alternatives are a good choice because they tend to provide better quality, experience, and remove all negatives from a closed-source (or centralized) platform.
In this case, open-source Facebook alternatives tend to put a bigger focus on security, offer encrypted chats, have no censorship, and are ideal for supporting the right of free speech.
Therefore, you can consider an open-source Facebook alternative as a decentralized platform that helps fix all “mistakes” that are going on with Facebook or even other social media platforms.
Most open-source Facebook alternatives work really hard to eliminate news feed manipulation, and some even provide you the option to choose where your information/data is being hosted.
Taking control of your privacy, data, and the time you spend on social platforms is guaranteed, and that’s why more and more people are switching from Facebook to open-source alternatives.
Therefore, keep on reading as down below, I’ll show you 10 of the best open-source Facebook alternatives!
Best Open-Source Facebook Alternatives
These 10 of the best open-source Facebook alternatives below are similar to Facebook and the way a social media platform works yet with some potentially noticeable differences.
These differences include benefits and tend to fix problems on centralized social platforms such as Facebook so you end up with a better solution.
1. Minds
Minds is a very similar social media platform to Facebook, but it works opposite the way Facebook works.
It’s an open-source social media platform with a focus on providing a safe place for digital brands, companies, or people who are looking to network.
The source code is available to the public and if there’s something that’s specifically bothering you with Facebook, you can see if Minds is doing things differently. The findings won’t disappoint you as Minds was made from the ground up with a mission to create a decentralized social network.
Therefore, Minds allows free speech with zero censorship, and you can create blogs, channels, groups, and even upload videos (just as you do on Facebook).
There are also monetizing options but the system isn’t based on advertising. Instead, it is based on donations and support-type monetization so your experience won’t be sacrificed.
What’s unique about Minds is that this platform allows you to find people in your local area, swipe to vote on the content you like, or hide content that you don’t.
If you would like to build a following, the systems in place with no advertising options help reach all of your subscribers and even the ability to match with other people through mutual interests or location.
Of course, on top of that, private encrypted chats are guaranteed.
2. diaspora*
If privacy is the biggest issue you’re having with Facebook, diaspora* is the best alternative. Why?
diaspora* is a federated social media platform that is designed in a way to provide better privacy and control of your data. Therefore, diaspora* is known as the privacy-aware alternative to Facebook.
Even though you may not have heard of diaspora* by now, it has been around for a decade and it’s actually one of the first decentralized social media platforms. Even in 2010, diaspora* founders knew that Facebook wasn’t going down the right path and that they needed to do something about it.
The biggest benefit of diaspora* is that they store users’ data across multiple independent servers (known as pods) that are placed all around the world. Therefore, upon registering, you get to choose the pod where you’d like your data to be stored in.
Another great advantage of diaspora* is that you can sort your connections into groups, and all your photos, videos, content, or media are shared only with the groups you want to share them with.
Therefore, sharing is made simple without having to second guess the privacy or who else will see whatever you publish.
Another thing I noticed about diaspora* is that there isn’t a whole page of settings you have to go through. Instead, everything is simplified.
3. Mastodon
Mastodon is an open-source social media platform that’s a great alternative to Facebook and is a great choice for everyone who is worried about their privacy or the safety of their data.
Therefore, Mastodon is made to work differently than almost any other social media platform. Mastodon isn’t a website you can access. Instead, it is a network of thousands of communities that are operated by organizations and individuals.
This way, anyone can host a new community and connect it with Mastodon if you don’t want to join others’ communities.
With this approach, there’s no single company that has all control over the content, data, or privacy of the users.
Fully decentralized, open-source code, and free to use by anyone in the world regardless of the language are just some of the benefits of Mastodon.
There is also the ability to send media attachments without having to worry about where it is stored or who can see your content.
Mastodon is a great attempt at putting social networking “back” in your hands which means you are going to have full control over your information, data, and your time on the platform.
4. Gab
If you think the Mastodon project is a great idea, you’ll love Gab. Gab is a fairly new social network that is based on the Mastodon project.
Gab is a social media platform for everyone who wants full freedom of speech, shares what’s on their mind, but also follows other, same-minded individuals.
This platform is a combination of Facebook and Reddit-style up-voting as you get to react, upvote, and organize “Gabs” to discover new people that share your interests.
The interesting thing about Gab is that posts (known as Gabs) can be up to 3000 characters long so you have plenty of freedom and space to share your thoughts. On top of that, you can always edit your “Gabs” where anyone can see changes in list order.
I also noticed that Gab is one of the first social media platforms that introduced two-factor authentication to tightly secure your account.
Just the way you can connect with others, you can also block and mute other Gab users so even though Gab’s social media platform isn’t highly moderated, there are ways to keep only relevant Gab users and interests on your feed.
I should also mention that Gab is constantly getting updated so new features are added weekly.
Gab is free to use, but it is also one of the rare platforms that features a paid model where you can upgrade to unlock features such as advanced media (video formats), or even the creation of your custom emojis.
5. Friendica
Friendica is one of the rare social media platforms that run on a distributed application. This means that every user downloads Friendica and connects via their own server.
This helps improve Friendica’s mission which is to create a decentralized, private, and interoperable network.
A feature that I like the most on Friendica is the ability to import contacts from other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, but even diaspora*, and others.
Friendica is also well connected so you can use it to share posts on WordPress websites, Google Buzz, Tumblr, Libetree, and many others. The list is constantly growing and you get to integrate email contacts and RSS feeds too.
Since it is a social media platform that runs on distributed applications, you can either join Friendica through someone’s server, or you can host your own server (just like you would host a regular blog or a WordPress website).
If you decide to host your own server, you’ll be helping Friendica as one server can support thousands of members.
So if you’re looking for a social media platform that’s a great alternative to Facebook and yet is uncontrollable and isn’t owned by anyone, Friendica is a great choice.
6. Hubzilla
Hubzilla is a great alternative to Facebook because it serves the same purpose. It helps decentralize your identity and is a great fit for communities of any size.
Most users will probably like Hubzilla because it has a very similar user interface where you can create social networking threads, publish content, lead discussions, and more.
Hubzilla works by running different “hubs” which serve particular communities. Every hub isn’t owned by members and is used by members to share thoughts, have discussions, or even share personal details with others.
On top of that, you can choose to interlink with another hub and, regardless of your decision, all hubs are privacy-enabled.
What’s so great about Hubzilla is that you only register once, and then you can access all different hubs without having to register for each hub separately. Therefore, one decentralized identity can be used for multiple purposes.
Since Hubzilla is open-source, it is very easy to customize it to your needs, create private or public forums, a static webpage, or even create a whole new project out of Hubzilla’s open-source code.
What I like about Hubzilla is that it operates as a single sign-on so users own their information and no one else has access to their information and data. Therefore, privacy is guaranteed and with the way this platform is run, decentralization is another benefit where free speech is supported.
7. Aether
Aether is a self-governed platform that is a great open-source Facebook alternative for everyone who wants a platform that’s well-moderated.
This alternative is also great for everyone who wants to keep their private information to themselves and have control over the content they publish.
What I like the most about Aether is that all content that’s published is kept for only six months if it’s not saved at which point it’s deleted.
Also worth mentioning is that this alternative runs as a peer-to-peer platform where there is no centralized server where information is being stored or saved.
Instead, users are the ones that run the platform and have full control over their profile, information, and data.
I’ve also mentioned that Aether is well moderated, but the way it is moderated is very unique and interesting. Aether has communities that elect mods and mods are impeached by votes.
Even though all communities inside Aether are public, they’re considered private and there’s no information stored on just one server.
Aether is free to use. To get started, download it to your computer and then connect to other peers who are using it. From there, you can choose communities, interact with members, and get regular updates on what’s going on inside the platform for your specific communities.
Interestingly enough, Aether describes their platform as a way to discuss and share opinions, Even if you argue with people regarding their opinions, you still have the freedom to respond and won’t be censored in any way.
8. LBRY
If you are a fan of video content and you like Facebook’s video feature but you don’t want to stay on Facebook, LBRY is a great open-source alternative.
LBRY isn’t just a regular social media platform. It is a decentralized protocol based on the blockchain which is actually powered by cryptocurrency.
The idea of cryptocurrency was quickly transferred to social media platforms. Even though there’s no money involved, social media decentralization was very much needed and LBRY figured this out.
What’s also great about LBRY is that it integrated the marketplace feature of Facebook so you can still get the best features on a digital platform that’s run by the community.
Therefore, as a part of LBRY, you can share video content, use the marketplace, chat with the community, or find a lot of great video content.
Even though this might not be an alternative that everyone’s looking for, this can actually be a new approach to social media that fits the needs of many people. You never know until you try.
Luckily, LBRY is free to use and all you have to do is download it and create an account.
9. KARMA
If you are a big fan of decentralized open-source alternatives to Facebook, you’ll love KARMA.
KARMA is one of a few social media platforms that is based on the blockchain and is governed by cryptocurrency.
If you are a big fan of Facebook’s mobile app, you’ll love KARMA as it is an app that looks like a crossover between Facebook and Instagram.
However, the system inside the platform is also similar to Reddit’s upvoting system. In KARMA, the more likes and shares your content gets inside the platform, the more KARMA tokens you earn.
With the help of these tokens, you can either use them to boost your content even further, or you can collect them and turn it into real money with the help of a crypto exchange partner.
If you are spending most of your time on social media on your smartphone, KARMA is the perfect alternative as it only comes as an app. It’s free to download and use and it is available on both Google Play and the AppStore.
Inside the platform, you can build out your profile, discover new content, find friends, and collect KARMA points.
It’s all about creating and adding value to the platform so it’s a very positive place that’s decentralized, which makes a great palace for saying it the way you mean it.
10. Signal
If you’re a big fan of Facebook Messenger and you use it as the main way to connect with others, no matter how close or far away from you, Signal is a great open-source alternative.
If Signal looks familiar, it’s probably because Elon Musk tweeted about it after WhatsApp was caught sharing user data with Facebook. Signal was also endorsed by Edward Snowden that helped Signal gain its fame.
However, Signal is very well-known because it provides true end-to-end encryption chats and calls where you aren’t tracked and your information is not collected and shared.
Therefore, Signal is all about providing a decentralized way of communication and it fits right in with Facebook Messenger users who love the simplicity of such an app.
However, with Signal, your privacy won’t be invaded and you won’t have to worry about your information being saved or shared.
Even though Signal is not operating as a whole social media platform, it is available for both smartphones and desktop computers as an app.
Not only did Signal get endorsed by some big names in the world, but it is even being used by Twitter’s CEO and even by a renowned security technologist Bruce Scheiner.
Whatever it is you have to share, you can share it using Signal without worrying about privacy, or encryption. Signal encourages you to say anything that comes to your mind without any filters.
I really like how simple it is to create groups in Signal and since there are no ads or tracking, you won’t ever have to worry about having your messaging experience ruined.
Conclusion
Not everyone is worried about privacy and how their personal information and data are being stored on the internet.
Unfortunately, almost everything is on the internet and social media platforms make communication and catching up with people we love simple and easy.
Even though most social media platforms such as Facebook are free, they’re really in it to make money and this doesn’t always include ethical ways.
Luckily, we have people who have created great Facebook alternatives that are increasing in popularity.
All of these open-source Facebook alternatives are great choices and all you have to do is pick the one that you like the most!
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.