10 Best Facebook Alternatives With Focus On Privacy For 2021
If you try to keep yourself updated with the developments in the technology and security world, you must be knowing about the infamous Facebook-CA scandal and other examples where Facebook has shown laxity in data protection. While most of us knew about Facebook’s relentless data collection practices, these revelation has forced many of us to raise questions.
Some are even looking for ways to permanently delete their Facebook account. If you’ve decided to leave Facebook for good and move to greener pastures, here’s a list of Facebook alternatives that you will find useful in 2021 especially if you’ve privacy as your main concern.
Why Do We Need Facebook Alternatives?
There could be several reasons for hunting Facebook alternatives. However, one of the primary concern of the most users is privacy. Facebook has now become notorious for its data collection policies and its mismanagement in securing your data. This has forced several Facebook users to search for alternatives Another reason why Facebook alternatives have been huge demand in these days is Facebook’s stringent regulations regarding content posted ont he platform. Many feel that Facebook is hindering free speech through its platform.
There are many social networks, messaging apps, and news aggregation sites that you can get as a replacement for Facebook. So, let’s tell you about them in brief:
Top 10 Facebook Alternatives To Use In 2021
1. Vero
The subscriber usage data is the bread and butter of social networks like Facebook. Vero is an option in this case as it’s based on the subscription model; so, it doesn’t show ads and collect data for the same. This fast-growing social media alternative is only app-based. They do collect your usage stats but make it available to you only to monitor how often you use the service. However, this option is turned off by default.
It calls itself a social network for people who love anything enough to share it and want to have a better control over what they share. Due to heavy rate of new signups, this social app has extended its “free for life” offer for the first million users. It already has a good number of artists and a polished interface.
Available for Android and iOS
2. Mastodon
Last year, Mastodon made splashes as an open source Twitter competitor but you can also use it as a Facebook alternative. Apart from all the differences in terms of privacy, character length, what really sets Mastodon apart is the “instance” feature. You can think of the service as a series of connected nodes (instances) and your account belongs to a particular instance. Also, check out our article on the best alternative to Twitter for 2022.
The whole interface is divided into 4 card-like columns. If you use this service as an alternative to Facebook, it might seem confusing but you might get a hang of it with time. Mastodon.social is the most popular instance, so you can start with it.
Web version available, multiple iOS and Android apps thanks to developer-friendly API
3. Ello
Ello first gained popularity in the US about 3 years ago when it posed itself as a Facebook killer social network. This happened due to Facebook’s policy of forcing the members to use their legal name. Since then, it had made headlines on different occasions due to different reasons. Now that Zuckerberg’s service is facing flak, Ello is again gaining some traction. Primarily focused on artists and creative people, Ello is also ad-free. It also refrains itself from selling the information about the users to third parties. By being a niche website, Ello continues to attract users and establishing as a creators network.
Available on Web, iOS, and Android
4. Digg
If you primarily use social networks for getting your daily dose of news, you have tons of options at your disposal. Digg, Flipboard, Feedly, Google News, Apple News, etc., are great options. Digg stands out among them due to its interesting curation process. From various media outlets, it provides the most important stories and videos. It’s a thumbs-up-based website and you can use it even without creating an account. Also, check our guide on best chrome tab suspender alternatives to stop your browser from using more memory.
Available on web, mobile apps, and daily newsletter
5. Steemit
Steemit also appeared on our list of open source alternatives to Reddit. This website could be seen as a combination of Quora and Reddit. You can publish your posts on Steemit and based on the upvotes, you receive Steem crypto tokens. To cryptocurrency and open source enthusiasts, this website might seem better than Facebook.
Steemit claims to record about 10 million visits per month. The growth of Steemit has been organic and the users are sticking with it due to the compensation they are receiving in return for their time. Even if you don’t post content on your own, you can use it as a news aggregator and get involved in conversations.
Available on web
6. Raftr
Developed by a former Yahoo executive, Raftr poses itself as a civilized social network. It works by connecting you to the communities of people who share similar interests. As you sign up, it gives you two options: find out what’s going on in the real world or connect with people at your college.
On the privacy front, Raftr does collect some data to build your profile. However, it doesn’t share any personally identifiable information with third parties. Overall, it’s a great option to follow your interests and what’s relevant happening around the world.
Available for iOS, Android, and web
Meanwhile, you can also read our article on apps like play store here!
7. Diaspora
The search for Facebook alternatives also covers Diaspora. It is a nonprofit and distributed social network that’s based on free Diaspora software, which is a free personal web server that forms nodes for its decentralized nature.
Thanks to its distributed design and because no person owns it, it’s away from any kind of advertisement and corporate interference. After making an account, you retain the ownership of your personal data. It’s also better than Facebook for people who wish to hide their real identity as it allows pseudonyms. You can use hashtags, mentions, text formatting, etc.
Available on web
8. Signal/Telegram/iMessage
Most of us use Facebook and its products for consuming news and reading news. If that’s the case with you, you can subscribe to many reliable news services, curate relevant RSS feed, etc. For the messaging part, there are privacy-focused messaging apps. They aren’t really a social network but they support calling, group chats, and more.
Signal and Telegram as two notable encrypted messaging services. Many services also offer disappearing messages. Apple users have an additional option of Apple News and iMessage.
Available for Android and iOS
9. MeWe
MeWe markets itself as “The Social Network Built on Trust, Control and Love”. With all the features you’d expect from a social media website such as groups, messaging app and newsfeed, MeWe is one of the best Facebook alternatives you can use currently. What makes it more viable than Facebook is MeWe’s focus on privacy and creating a safe community. MeWe also offers some additional features such as cloud storage, disappearing content, and more.
However, not all the features are free on MeWe and you’d have to pay a subscription to access some features. This paid version is called MeWe Pro. You can start using MeWe right away by signing up on the website.
Available for Android and iOS
10. WT.Social
If Facebook is the privacy sucker, WT.Social is its exact opposite. WT.Social is one of the best Facebook alternatives you can use if you want your privacy to remain intact. It comes with the tagline of “The Non-toxic Social Network”. Here, you can find features such as content moderation, privacy options, and more. WT.Social is designed by a Wikipedia co-founder and works on a similar model of contribution and moderation. Therefore, eliminating the chances of fake news circulation and biased content. If you violate the rules and regulations of the social media platform, you’ll be removed.
Not available for Android and iOS
Facebook Messenger Alternatives
If you are planning to abandon Facebook and move to greener pastures, you’d also have to find Messenger alternatives. Fret not, there are several Facebook Messenger alternatives that you can use if you don’t want to use the Mark Zuckerberg-owned platform but still want to keep in touch with your friends. if you have decided to delete your Facebook account to move to a safer platform, here are some Messenger alternatives you can instead:
To read in detail, you can refer to our article about the best secure and encrypted messaging apps you can use in 2021. Also, check out our article on best Tumblr alternatives in 2022 here!
Facebook Alternatives FAQs
Yes, there are plenty of Facebook alternatives that are much safe and respect your privacy. You can use Mastodon, Diaspora, Steemit, and more.
Yes, Facebook has several competitors who are promising much better features and data protection. To name a few, you can start using Mastodon, WT.Social, Steemit, and other Facebook alternatives mentioned in our list above.
Besides Facebook, there are several other social media platforms that you can use to connect with friends and like-minded people. You can use Diaspora, MeWe, Twitter, Vero, and more.
In my opinion, Mastodon and Vero are the best Facebook alternatives that you can use in 2021.
Also, check out our article on houseparty alternatives that you can use in 2022. Did you find this list of Facebook alternatives interesting? Keep reading Fossbytes for more useful content.
