The digital world has placed convenience in our pockets, and even more popularly has made most of its features free.
People are starting to wise up to what Facebook is doing with your data.
In fact according to the Ponemon Institute, trust in Facebook took a 66% Plunge in 2018. Over the past few years Facebook has been collecting vast amounts of data of all its users, which quite frankly is scary. You can see exactly what Facebook has on you by downloading your data zip file here.
Everything from photos and messages to mobile phone numbers of everyone in your phone. They also have all your text messages you’ve made on your cell phone! It’s crazy how much they have. And with the recent Facebookl CA scandal, people are now looking for alternatives to Facebook where privacy is respected and private information is never shared or sold to other companies or organisations.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of social networks and messaging apps that you can use instead of Facebook. For years these networks and apps have been living in the shadows of the mighty beast that is Facebook. But now is the time to explore a better way of interacting with friends and family without the fear of your data being stolen and stored on huge servers in far flung places.
Best Social Network Alternatives To Facebook WhatsApp and Instagram.
1.Ello
Ello launched back in 2014 with quite a stir in the US as it was about the time when Facebook changed its policy on names of its members, where they had to use their proper legal name. Its popularity grew as Ello presented itself to the world as a “Facebook killer social network” which doesn’t push ads down its users’ throats and doesn’t sell peoples’ information and data to 3rd parties.
Ello is growing fast again, especially as the #deletefacebook movement is gathering pace. People want to feel safe and secure on a social network and it doesn’t seem to be that way on Facebook at the moment. Hence why platforms like Ello are gobbling up these Facebook migrants.
Ello currently is a home to artists and creative people, but has the platform to embrace all types of users.
2.Vero
Vero presents itself as “a social network for anyone who loves anything enough to share it – and wants control over who they share it with. Just like we do in real life.”
Vero is a subscription based social network. It shows no ads and doesn’t collect data. It’s a totally different model to Facebook in the sense that Facebook needs user data in order to make money from them. Vero does collect some usage data which is used to see how often the app is used, but note that this option by default is off. Unlike Facebook where they have everything turned on and you have to go into your settings and turn them off.
Another great thing about the usage data they collect is how its displayed to you. Vero want to address the issue of social media addiction.
Vero says that they want the platform to enhance your life and not detract from it. So they use the usage data that they collect from you to show you how much time you’re spending in the app so you can manage your screen time.
3.Threema
Is a mobile chat platform that puts your privacy first. Like some other apps on this list, it supports end-to-end encryption of text, images and your GPS location. It also synchronizes with your contacts, making it super easy to find people who are joining the service automatically.
The developers and owners of the service claim that “even we as the server operator have absolutely no way to read your messages,” so you know everything you say is protected and locked away from big companies and governments mining your data.
4.Mastodon
Mastodon launched in 2017 and made quite an impact on the social network scene. Mastodon is a free, open-source social network. When it launched it was presented as an open source Twitter competitor, but as people are leaving Facebook its being used the same way you would Facebook, which makes it a really good alternative to Facebook.
Ultimately Mastodon is a decentralized alternative to all the commercial social network platforms, which means that no single company owns it or can monopolize your communication.
5.Signal private messenger
You probably have the least to fear from an open-source service dedicated to privacy. Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s app of choice (and popular overall in journalism), Signal runs on Android and iOS mobiles, as well as Windows and MacOS computers. It’s keyed to your cellphone number, so finding someone on Signal is as easy as making a regular call. Voice, text, video, document, and picture exchanges are encrypted end to end with the well-regarded Signal Protocol. Signal also supports group conversations. Messages can be set to self-destruct after a set amount of time.
6.Viber
A private venture showing little sign of ever making money, Viber has nevertheless held to its commitment to provide free, ad-free software and protect user privacy. (It’s owned by Japanese internet company Rakuten.) Viber works similarly to Signal (and WhatsApp), keyed to your cellphone number, but it’s designed for more entertaining conversations, with GIF and sticker sharing built in. Extensions also allow it to share media like YouTube videos and Spotify tracks. It has apps for Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Messages can be set to self-destruct.
7.Wickr
Another app trying to make a buck (with corporate services), Wickr remains free for individuals, and is well regarded among the privacy conscious. It requires neither a phone number nor an email to set up, it handles all the same media types as Signal, and it provides group chat and disappearing messages. And it alerts you if someone on the other end takes a screenshot. MacOS is the only major OS it lacks an app for, but it can run in browsers. Find it here.
8.Telegram messenger
Is perhaps the most worthy alternative to Whatsapp. For starters, it essentially has comparable features like voice and video messages, a phone number-based login system, stickers, emojis, chat bots, groups, channels and so much more. Along with those cool features, Telegram isn’t just a mobile app.
That’s right, you can use Telegram on Windows, Mac and even Linux with their desktop app. Alternatively, Telegram has a web chat application for all your messaging needs. Best of all, Telegram supports end-to-end encryption and respects your privacy.
9.LINE
Another WhatsApp alternative you can use is LINE, which is a highly popular cross-platform messaging app that packs in a ton of features. Like WhatsApp, the app features end-to-end encryption, support for voice and video calls & messages and more. It also brings quite a few unique features when compared to WhatsApp like LINE Out (lets you make international calls to non-LINE users), sticker store, a cool Keep feature (lets you save your favorite messages, photos etc.), and more. It also features a timeline in the app, where you can see any status updates and photo changes from your friends.
Other useful features of LINE include passcode lock, filter messages, themes, LINE Pay for payments, and more. There’s no doubt that LINE is a very capable and feature-rich messaging app, however, it does feel a little bloated. So, fans of WhatsApp’s simplicity might not like LINE much but if you aren’t bothered by that, you should give LINE a shot.
10.Wire
If you are a looking for a fresh new messaging app, you should give Wire a shot. The app has gaining a lot of accolades among users, due to its beautiful interface and unique features. The app does have a gorgeous interface and in a world where most messaging apps kind of look the same, it’s a pleasant surprise. It might be fairly new but it’s already very feature rich. The open-source app brings end-to-end encryption to everything you send inside the app, while also letting you to use it on multiple devices at once.
Wire also brings a number of unique features like group video calls (up to 10 people), timed aka self-destructing messages, ability to delete messages from recipient devices, link previews and more. If you ask me, Wire maybe fairly new but it’s definitely one of the best WhatsApp alternatives out there.
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