Pixelfed Feels Like the Instagram I Miss
Experience the return of straightforward photo sharing with Pixelfed’s new mobile apps. No ads, no tracking—just your photos and the people you care about, in a truly social environment.
I'm done with all things Meta, I know many of you are as well, but I still want to share photos with family and friends. Pixelfed, an open-source photo-sharing service that eschews ads and tracking, has stepped up to that challenge—and now it’s got official mobile apps for Android and iPhone. Perfect timing, especially after Meta recently blocked users from sharing links to Pixelfed, which ironically sent a surge of traffic its way. #streisandeffect
Pixelfed might remind you of early Instagram: photo sharing is front and center, no algorithm begs for your attention, and you’re not bombarded by ads or celebrity drama. Like Mastodon, it’s part of the Fediverse, so you can follow people on Pixelfed from Mastodon, and vice versa. This also means choosing a server when you sign up. The biggest instance, pixelfed.social, is feeling the strain of its new popularity, so newcomers might want to pick another server from the app’s list or check out an online directory.
With Pixelfed, you can shoot and upload photos (and videos) right from your phone with a simple interface. No fuss, no feed clutter. People you actually know will see your shots in chronological order—like the good old days. You also won’t see any ads or experience invasive tracking. The development team has flat-out turned down venture capital, insisting there’s no interest in adding features that wreck the atmosphere, which is refreshing in an era dominated by monetization strategies.
Will Pixelfed reign supreme in the social photo world? Hard to say—but one thing is certain: it’s giving a lot of people exactly what they hoped Instagram would stay: a place to share photos with the people who matter. Long live the timeline full of actual pictures, not random video suggestions.
