privacyapps.ioPrivacy checkup

Private social networks

13 apps, each with a privacy passport

Open social networks like Mastodon, Pixelfed and Lemmy run on many independent servers, show posts in order and carry no ads. Your public posts are still public, and direct messages usually aren't encrypted, so the privacy win is mainly not being profiled for advertising.

Leaving one of these?

If you only try three

Privacy passport
Mastodon
Social media
Our pick
No tracking
Yes
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
No
No account
Needed
Free
Yes
3 of 5 checks
- Android
- iPhone
- Web
Closest to Twitter, no ads or algorithm
Privacy passport
Pixelfed
Social media
Our pick
No tracking
Yes
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
No
No account
Needed
Free
Yes
3 of 5 checks
- Android
- iPhone
- Web
Instagram-style photos with no ads
Privacy passport
Lemmy
Social media
Our pick
No tracking
Yes
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
No
No account
Needed
Free
Yes
3 of 5 checks
- Web
Reddit-style forums, run by communities

All 13 social networks

Passes

Works on

13 of 13 apps

MastodonPick

Service50.5k

Ad-free social network made of independent servers; your timeline is chronological, not picked by an algorithm.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Android
iPhone
Web

PixelfedPick

Service7.1k

Photo sharing without ads or tracking, on independent servers that also talk to Mastodon.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Android
iPhone
Web

LemmyPick

Service14.6k

Reddit-style link sharing and discussion across independent communities, with voting and no ads.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Web

PeerTube

Self-hosted15.4k

Open video platform made of independent servers that follow each other; watch without an account or host your own.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account optional
Free

Android
iPhone
Web

Loops

Service460

Short video app on the fediverse from the makers of Pixelfed, with no ads and a feed you can follow across servers.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Android
iPhone
Web

PieFed

Service

Reddit-like forum software that joins the same network as Lemmy, with extra tools for filtering and moderation.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Web

Mbin

Service429

Community-run platform that mixes Reddit-style threads and microblog posts, connected to Lemmy and Mastodon.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Web

Friendica

Service1.7k

Facebook-like social network on independent servers, with long posts, photo albums, events and fine-grained sharing.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Web

Bluesky

Service18.4k

Twitter-like network with no ads where you choose your own feeds and can move your account to another host.

Has trackers
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Android
iPhone
Web

Damus

App2.1k

iPhone app for Nostr, a social network where your identity is a key you hold, not an account on a company server.

No tracking
Open source
Partly encrypted
No account
Free

iPhone
Mac

Ice Cubes

App7.1k

Open-source Mastodon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac with a clean timeline and no ads.

Tracking not stated
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free plan

iPhone
Mac

Tusky

App

Lightweight Android app for Mastodon and other fediverse servers, free and ad-free.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Android

Redlib

Self-hosted3.9k

Private front end for reading Reddit without its scripts, ads or tracking; use a public instance or host your own.

No tracking
Open source
No account
Free

Web

What to check in social networks

1 Whether there are ads or third-party trackers in the app
2 Who runs your server and whether you can move your account elsewhere
3 Whether direct messages are encrypted or readable by the server admin

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