Since 2004, Facebook has been the most popular social networking site worldwide. It has been ruling over all other social media like a king. But recently, some incidents turned the minds of some Facebook users against it. While using a social networking site, you must expect that your personal information is kept safe there. But it is normal to get disheartened when you find a massive variation in their words and works. So we will discuss some of the best social media apps as Facebook alternatives.
Many people are quitting Facebook due to its vulnerable security policy. Now they are searching for good alternatives that can serve their purposes safely. You can find a good number of social networking apps. These social networking sites didn’t get a chance to flourish during the Facebook empire. But now, it is time to flutter their wings.
Why Facebook Alternative?
Facebook is the most popular social networking site. In 2021, about 2.85 billion people will use Facebook to share their feelings, moments, and activities with others. This unparalleled social media app has become part and parcel of our daily life. But how would you feel when your trusted media breaches its words? Complaints against Facebook have been heard in the last few years. But recently, the Facebook CA scandal has revealed the hidden bitter truth.
It is found that Facebook keeps all the personal information of the users. It collects vast data from us, including the images, text messages, and phone numbers saved on your device! And in the recent scandal, its strategy of leaking the personal data of 533 million users came to light. Isn’t it scaring you? Of course, it will. Who wants to provide their information to others’ hands? It is an extreme violation of personal security. For this reason, people are searching for some of the social media options.
Best 20 Social Media Apps as Facebook Alternatives
If you are willing or trying to quit using Facebook, many more social media services are waiting for you. These alternative Facebook services remain under the shadow of this dominating app before. But now people are demanding these alternative services. You might not be aware of the features and the pros and cons of these social networking apps. Now I will show you the best alternative Facebook for Android that you may love to use.
1. Minds: #1 Facebook Alternative
‘Minds’ is one of the most popular social networking sites used as the Twitter alternative. The developers launched this app in 2015. ‘Minds’ is a partially decentralized app where randomly selected users moderate content. It contains similar features to Facebook. In this app, you can post your thoughts, photos, and videos, comment, browse news feeds, make group chats, get a built-in messenger, and other necessary social networking factors.
You can earn cryptocurrency for your content using this social media. It also allows you to promote your content using ‘Minds Token.’ Moreover, ‘Minds’ uses an Ethereum-based token to reward its users.
Pros
- This app contains all the similar features of Facebook that people like.
- It is an ad-free social networking site.
- The app maintains your privacy and security.
Cons
- You might get confused while using the token methods of Minds.
- You have to learn the basics of cryptocurrency if you want to earn using this service.
2. Ello
If you want to use a creativity-based social networking site, you can use Ello. The app made headlines in 2018 when it claimed to be a ‘Facebook killer social network.’ At that time, Facebook restricted its users from creating an account using fake names. Ello doesn’t contain such restrictions. It is indeed one of the best social media, like Facebook, for Androids.
Ello never sells the personal data of the users to any third party. Moreover, it will allow you to post creativity-based posts and art. You can find all the latest news on paintings, crafts, films, songs, and other creative fields here. This ad-free social media app also has a platform to gather all types of users.
Pros
- Ello is an excellent social networking site, especially for creative people.
- It contains no ads.
- The app is available both in the form of an app and web.
Cons
- You may find the menu items of this app ambiguous.
- People who want to post non-creative things may find it boring.
3. Twitter
Do you want to find a social site besides Facebook that will supply you with the latest news? Twitter will serve this purpose properly as most politicians, artists, and journalists use this social media. Like Facebook, you can post your thoughts, photos, and videos here. But you cannot post status using more than 280 characters.
There are a lot of social characters who love to tweet rather than post on FB. Many social organizations post their breaking news on Twitter. But you have to be careful about following the actual page. It may not be a top-rated app for contacting your friends and family, but it serves excellent in keeping you up-to-date with current affairs.
Pros
- Twitter provides you with the latest news more accurately than other social networking apps.
- It is effortless to use.
- You can use Twitter through an application and web version as well.
Cons
- Twitter allows you to tweet using only 280 characters.
- You might find some trending topics on Twitter as junk.
4. Vero: Top Facebook Alternative of 2021
Vero is another Facebook substitute that will keep your data secured. This social media app contains most of the standard features of Facebook. It offers you a chronological newsfeed and posting options. You can also get a messenger to chat with your friends. It is a good YouTube alternative for families.
Vero never collects your personal information. It only shows you a statistical graph of your usage. This feature is made to restrict your Vero addiction. Moreover, this app shows you how it tracks your use. So, there is no chance of information theft. Vero is designed to make your life easier, not to distract you from your goals by wasting your time unnecessarily using it.
Pros
- Vero will provide you with a premium, well-designed interface.
- It doesn’t collect your data or track your Vero activities.
- The app contains no ads.
- You can use your contact list to find your friends on Vero.
Cons
- Vero doesn’t have any web version.
- It requires a membership fee for new users.
5. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a career-based social networking site. Using Facebook as a career development site, you could easily take LinkedIn as a Twitter alternative. It is a great networking platform for your colleagues and working partners. You can find a lot of influencers here who can inspire you to get a higher opportunity.
LinkedIn allows you to post status and photos of your job sector or business. You can gain vast knowledge regarding your career development using this app. It is one of the best Facebook alternatives for business. LinkedIn also offers you to get connected with high-profile social influencers.
Pros
- LinkedIn gives you a secure professional platform to share your thoughts.
- It allows you to control your profile and restrict its viewers.
- It is the best site for job seekers.
- The app offers you a harassment-free environment.
Cons
- LinkedIn might not be appropriate for connecting with your friends and family.
- You might have to wait for the reply to messages as people usually do not use this app as a messenger.
- The request-sending procedure of the app might be confusing to you.
6. MeWe
MeWe is another strong competitor of Facebook. It is a social networking site offering a secure platform to share your information. MeWe has become one of the best similar to Facebook for Android. You can post status, photos, videos, chat with friends or make group chats here. But some premium features, like message encryption, extra Cloud storage, live video chats, dark mode, etc., require a subscription fee of $5.99 per year.
We never sell your data to others. It is an ad-free Facebook alternative for Android. Moreover, it has a feature for sending disappearing GIFs and messages. We don’t filter your news feed. It has a monitoring board to control hate speech. It gives you an interface that is connected to your contacts.
Pros
- MeWe is an ad-free fast social network service.
- It has a chat disappearing feature.
- The app is censorship-free.
- It never tracks or sells your data.
Cons
- It requires a subscription fee to access the premium features.
7. Reddit
Reddit is an excellent Pinterest alternative for groups. This social networking site allows its users to discuss a topic freely. It will enable you to create groups to enjoy every single action. People’s activity level in this app is pretty high.
The user process of Reddit is very effortless. This app is not very popular for personal contacts but creates social network bondings between various groups. But sometimes, Reddit collapses a post’s negative replies, which might confuse you.
Pros
- Reddit is a well-designed social networking site for group discussion.
- You can participate in any discussion easily.
- The user interface of Reddit looks similar to Facebook.
Cons
- Reddit is not a good app for personal contact.
- You might not like the text-heavy interface of this app.
8. Mastodon
Mastodon is an open-source, decentralized social media app that never monopolizes your activities. After being launched, Mastodon was treated as a competitor of Twitter. But now, it is also competing with Facebook. You can use Mastodon as your facebook.com alternative if you want to host your server.
Mastodon contains an interface that is divided into four card-like columns. Along with similar features with Facebook, Mastodon includes the ‘instance’ feature. It never collects your data. This ad-free Facebook substitute also provides you with an unfiltered chronological newsfeed.
Pros
- Mastodon is an open-source social networking site.
- It works under the supervision of the decentralized service named ‘the Fediverse.’
- You can get an ad-free chronological newsfeed here.
Cons
- You might find it confusing while using Mastodon for the first time.
- There is a limitation regarding the character length while posting any status here.
9. Yubo
Yobo is a social networking site that focuses on the live-streaming feature of Facebook. If you are a live freak, you can use this app as your Facebook alternative. Moreover, the app will not annoy you with ads. It will not track your activities too. Yobo is mainly intended to gather young people aged 13-25 years. It has separate communities to prevent the under-18 kids from interacting with the elders.
Yobo collects some of your data but clearly shows you the procedure. This data collection method applies only to some optional features. It never steals your information and sells it to others. Yubo allows you to stream live sessions with up to 10 separate streamers. It never restricts the number of your viewers. You can also follow the live sessions of your favorite people.
Pros
- Yubo is an excellent app for live streaming.
- It controls inappropriate content for users under 18.
- It is a transparent app showing you their working procedure clearly.
Cons
- Yubo does collect some of your data.
- This app is not designed for people above 25 years old.
10. Social
Social will give you the feeling of sharing your thoughts on a safe platform. It can be one of the best Facebook substitutes for Android as it contains most of the popular features of Facebook. Social never intends to control your activities. Instead, it offers to remove the contents you might find against the community.
Social is a decentralized social media app with a package of privacy features. You can post here without fear of being hacked. It also allows you to control your privacy status using a self-governing feature.
Pros
- Social is a safe and secure social networking site.
- It focuses on the self-governing process of the users.
- There is a minimal chance of getting your id hacked.
- It contains blockchain technology.
Cons
- There is a problem in maintaining the older and new accounts of the authority.
- Since it is the beta version, some bugs still exist.
11. Raftr
If you want to use a civilized networking site as your Facebook alternative, you may choose Raftr. Sue Decker launched it in 2017; she was a former Yahoo Executive. Raftr focuses on creating a network between people having similar interests.
While using Raftr, you will get two options. By choosing one, you can get the latest news from the world. Another option allows you to contact your colleagues, family, or friends. Raftr collects a portion of your data to build up your profile. But they will never sell it to any third party.
Pros
- Raftr is a platform to contact people of similar interests.
- It provides you with a two-window feature.
- This app keeps your data safe.
Cons
- Raftr collects some of your data to build up your profile.
12. Steemit
Steemit is a social networking site containing features for earning cryptocurrencies. This Facebook substitute for Android allows you to post your thoughts here. After being upvoted, your posts will get Steam crypto tokens. It is an open-source social media platform. About 10 million people visit this site every month. This app is well-known as a Facebook alternative to Reddit.
You can find a combination of Quora and Reddit in Steemit. Besides, it does not force you to post. You may use it to aggregate news media. Steemit gives the users compensation for passing their time using this site. It is another reason for people’s interest in joining Steemit.
Pros
- Steemit is an open-course Facebook substitute.
- It provides you with compensation for spending time on Steemit.
- You can get crypto tokens here.
Cons
- It is a bit difficult to use.
13. WT Social
If you are searching for a non-toxic social app for Android, WT Social might be the best one for you. It contains the opposite characteristics of Facebook. WT Social never collects your data. Instead, it gives you complete control over your usage. It can serve as one of the best alternative social media for families.
Jinney Wales, a co-founder of Wikipedia, launched WT Social. He tried to design this social networking site using microblogging and contribution features. The editorial board prevents posting any misleading content on this site. Moreover, if you violate the rules and regulations of WT Social, it might eliminate you.
Pros
- WT Social is a non-toxic Facebook alternative in 2021.
- It will provide you with a secure social networking platform.
- It has some specific rules that every user must follow.
Cons
- Your removal is possible if you break any of its rules.
14. Friendica
Friendica is a newly developed social media platform. It is a decentralized, open-source networking site and is available on GitHub. The service is still in the design process. The authority wishes to make this site similar to WordPress.
Friendica wants to provide its users with more freedom in using this service. You have to install software on your device while creating a Friendica account. You can control your server by yourself. This flexible Facebook alternative allows you to contact your friends and follow the posts of your choice.
Pros
- Friendica Provides you with self-server controlling options.
- It is hoping to beat Facebook with its upcoming features.
- Friendica is an open-source, decentralized social networking site.
Cons
- The use process of Friendica is much more complicated than Facebook.
- The app still could not prove its competency with other social media alternatives.
15. Diaspora
Diaspora is one of the best alternatives to Facebook for Android. There are most of the similar features of Facebook present in this app. It runs on free Diaspora software. Besides, this social networking site is an open-source one. It allows you to host your Diaspora ‘Pod,’ where you must keep your information. You can also choose anyone to host the server for you.
Diaspora never collects your data. Using this social media app, you can post status, photos, chat with friends, use hashtags, etc. Again, Diaspora allows you to create your account using pseudonyms. It does not promote any advertisements.
Pros
- Diaspora allows you to host your server by yourself.
- You can create accounts using pseudonyms.
- There is no chance of leakage of your data.
Cons
- Diaspora does not contain events and group chat features.
- Its developments are being done slowly.
16. Digg
If you want to use a social networking site to get the daily news at your fingertips, Digg will be the best for you. By browsing Digg, you can get all the latest news at a glance. It also provides you with updated stories and posts. Moreover, you may use Digg without signing in. It increases your knowledge and keeps you up-to-date with the modern world.
Digg is a thumb-up base website. It contains a well-organized curation feature. You can find the news and videos according to your taste in the newsfeed. This social media app is rarely used for personal connections. Digg is a news-reading app that lets you discuss any matter with its users.
Pros
- Digg is a social networking site for getting the news.
- Its curation procedure is interesting.
- You can read the news even without creating an account.
Cons
- Digg is not a good site for connecting with friends and family.
17. Nextdoor
Nextdoor can be a fantastic Facebook alternative for staying connected with neighbors. It is a social networking service that includes people living near you. ‘Nextdoor’ works excellently in building friendships with your neighbors. This app will help you keep in touch with the people living near you without physically meeting them.
You can use Nextdoor to sell your stuff among your neighbors, search for a babysitter or a dog walker, alert them about any criminal offenses or other dangers, and so on. Nextdoor can be a great source of information about nearby areas during natural calamities.
Pros
- Nextdoor serves as a networking site for the neighbors.
- It contains security measures like adding the living address in the app to prevent outsiders.
- The app makes life easier by building up a cooperating bond with the neighbors.
Cons
- Nextdoor does not contain news of the outside world.
- This app attracts people who want to keep in touch with the local community.
18. Pinterest
If you want to get ideas about fashion, food, traveling, and so on, Pinterest can help you a lot. It is a life-hacks-based social networking app that informs you about the latest trends. You can find creative ideas for making a new dress from this app. Again, lots of delicious recipes are there for you on Pinterest.
Pinterest suggests where to visit during your vacation. It also contains a Pinterest lens feature that allows clicking photos of pretty things. You might post that photo on the app and learn how to get that thing. You can use this social media app as a Facebook substitute if you use Facebook for this purpose.
Pros
- Pinterest will provide you with the latest fashion ideas.
- You can use this site to keep your lifestyle up-to-date.
- The Pinterest lens can click high-resolution photos.
Cons
- It is not a good app for staying connected with your friends.
- The suggestions given by Pinterest are too costly in most cases.
19. Signal
Signal is a growing messaging site that is very popular with people nowadays. It has been considered one of the best Facebook messenger alternatives for Android. The app contains all the similar features prevailing on Facebook Messenger. The Signal is much safer than Facebook or What’s App.
Signal uses an end-to-end encryption method to keep your data safe and secure. Even the developers do not have access to your conversations. The app lets you send text messages, voice messages, photos, videos, GIFs, and more options. Moreover, it contains the best video calling with voice calling and group chat features. Furthermore, the app allows you to verify the actual identity of any user.
Pros
- Considering the messaging feature of Facebook, Signal can be an excellent alternative to it.
- It provides you with a secure messaging platform.
- It contains the main features of Facebook Messenger with upgraded security.
Cons
- The Signal is only confined to the messaging feature of Facebook.
- It doesn’t allow you to create rooms like Facebook Messenger.
20. Quora
Quora is a social networking site based on questions and answers discussed publicly. This social media app helps a lot to increase your knowledge in different sectors. You can share here any questions that pop up in your mind. There are a lot of scholars available in Quora to give accurate answers to your questions.
You have to create an account to use this social networking site. Quora allows you to browse the topics you want to know about instantly. You can find a lot of quality articles relevant to your issue. You might discuss it if you are not clear. Again, Quora allows you to share your knowledge on the public platform. It helps other people to learn new things.
Pros
- Quora helps you to create a strong network with knowledge-seeking people all over the world.
- It gives you a platform to share your thoughts with others on a specific matter.
- Quora lets you find materials to increase your knowledge.
Cons
- As Quora is a Q/A-based networking site, it is inappropriate for personal connections.
- It does not contain any messaging option to contact personally.
Final Thoughts
This article mainly focuses on the drawbacks of using Facebook. I tried to let you know about the adverse policies of Facebook that might hamper your security. At the same time, I showed you some user-friendly social media apps and social networking services that can be used as alternatives to Facebook. Facebook has been ruling the social networking area for a couple of years. The unparallel popularity of this app has made it overconfident. So, it could make a mistake like leaking the personal information of its users.
The Facebook authority didn’t think its users would be willing to quit this service. But now, it is the reality. Similar sites to Facebook services are taking this chance and flourishing their features to make them more compatible. The best Facebook alternatives for Android I have mentioned here will help you choose the best service. Pick one or more from the list and start exploring. And don’t forget to share the feedback!
