There are a million reasons not to use Instagram, from it taking up too much of your time to not wanting to support Mark Zuckerberg. While the best alternative might be just getting off social network altogether, hey, who’s perfect? Perhaps you’re just tired of doomscrolling, or you want more control over your feeds. There are better options out there for you.
Here are a few of my favorite photography-first social media platforms not owned by Meta (yet).
Instagram alternatives for the social butterfly
Pixelfed
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Pixelfed tries to take you back to the old days of Instagram. Back when all you used to see was a wall of photos. No stories, no videos, no reels, nothing. Just people that you knew, or were inspired by, sharing their photos. No ads, no algorithms, just photos from people you follow, or topics that you’re interested in. Pixelfed used to run only on its website, or through third-party apps, but now it has native apps for both iPhone and Android, making using it so much easier.
Pixelfed is a federated app, meaning it runs on the same technology as Mastodon, so you can just sign in with your Mastodon account and post photos to Pixelfed and your Mastodon feed at the same time. Though, you don’t need to combine the two if you’d rather not. You can create a new account on a separate Pixelfed server to keep those two lives separate. And if you hate starting fresh, you can import your Instagram feed to Pixelfed using its import tool.
Photographers especially are enjoying the Pixelfed, calling it a “breath of fresh air“. If you manage to tag your posts right and add strong captions, you will end up with quality engagement, something that can be much harder to find on Instagram, in between all the sponsors and bots.
Pinksky
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Pinksky is a really interesting third-party app built for Bluesky using the ATProtocol network. Bluesky is proving to be a popular alternative to both X and Threads, and this third-party app converts Bluesky into a kind of Instagram alternative, too.
You sign-in using your Bluesky account (secured with OAuth), and the app will filter all the content from your feed to only show photos and videos. Unlike Pixelfed or other Instagram alternatives, Pinksky requires no setup at all. Just follow people who post great media content, and open Pinksky to filter out anything but that.
Pinksky does add one unique feature that Bluesky doesn’t have yet—Stories. You can use the app to post photos or links that disappear in 24 hours (though they will still be visible on your Bluesky account). Plus, Bluesky also supports custom feeds, so you can create a photography focused feed in Bluesky and then use Pinksky to view it.
Pinksky is available on iPhone, Android, and even as a web app.
It might sound weird, but if you’re facing Instagram burnout, it could be time to look at Snapchat again. No, it’s not a sexting app (or intended as one, anyway), nor is it an app for just teenagers. In the age of doomscrolling, an ephemeral platform like Snapchat, which deletes most content after some time has passed, might be a way to connect with people that goes beyond sharing reels.
If your aim for a social network is to share your life in a visual way, to connect with your friends, Snapchat is actually a great way of doing that. You can post stories, view and reply to messages, and there are always those Snapchat filters to play with. Of course, there are no Reels and no algorithmic feed even, but isn’t that kind of the point here?
Tumblr
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Yes, Tumblr is still a thing, and depending on who you ask, thriving just fine. A spin on the traditional blogging platform, you can post text, images, videos, audio, or even GIFs here. You can repost anything you like to your blog, too. There are communities to join, the Explore page for finding new content, and profiles you can follow to build your own feed. If you’re looking for a wide variety of content, Tumblr might be a good choice for you.
Instagram alternatives for serious photographers
VSCO
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Technically, VSCO is a photo and video editing app. But over the years, it has amassed a niche but active community of photographers that use the app to post their own creations.
VSCO’s strengths lie in its photo filters and editing suite. You can customize the filters to create a unique style with surprising ease. The app features a minimalist design, devoid of ads or any doomscrolling tactics. VSCO is free to post to, but to access to those coveted presets and filters will cost you $29.99/year.
Flickr
Flickr is still a strong pillar in the photography community. First, you get to upload images in full resolution with no compression, and you get to organize photos with albums, galleries, and tags. You also get 1,000GB data for free, which is more than enough for most users. There are ads, but a Flickr Pro subscription will remove them, along with the storage limit.
Glass
Glass is a relatively new player in the field, and you can think of it as a new-age alternative to Flickr. It focuses on presenting you with a beautifully designed, algorithm-and-ad-free showcase of photographs, and in fostering a safe community. There are no free plans here, so people who get into Glass are serious about their craft. A Glass subscription costs $40/year.
Alternatives to Instagram Reels
TikTok
TikTok is not really an alternative to most of Instagram’s content, but it’s surely the king of short-form video. TikTok’s For You page algorithm is tuned to show you more of exactly what you’re into, and as seen by how popular the app is, it works. If you just want to watch video, TikTok can be a great alternative to Instagram Reels. Alternatively, you can post photos, although these have to be uploaded as “slideshows,” which can be a bit more cumbersome to scroll through than videos.
YouTube Shorts
With YouTube Shorts, you might end up doomscrolling, but you can do it in peace. That’s how I like to think of it. The social element is much less noticeable here, and comments are easy to ignore. Plus, YouTube’s recommendation engine knows you really well, at least in my experience. If you want a more relaxing alternative to Instagram Reels where you won’t be bombarded with notifications about the 17 reels your friend shared that day, it’s a good choice.
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This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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