Instead of Threads, try one of these 12.
Every alternative is lined up against Threads on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. Threads sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
Likes
ThreadsWhat you have now
Meta’s text-first network tied to Instagram.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
Photo and video sharing from Meta.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Real-time public conversation and news.
PriceFree
premium $8/mo
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Reddit#3
Communities and threads about every topic.
PriceFree
premium $6/mo
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Bluesky#4
Decentralised social network with a custom feed.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Facebook#5
Mainstream network for friends, groups, and business pages.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Mastodon#6
Decentralised microblogging across federated servers.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Tumblr#7
Blogging social platform for sharing interests, art, and media.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Android · iOS
LikesVisit ↗
Privacy-friendly federated social network you can self-host.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
Friendica#9
Distributed social network merging many platforms into one feed.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
Pleroma#10
Lightweight federated microblogging server on open protocols.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
Misskey#11
Customizable federated microblogging platform with rich features.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
GoToSocial#12
Lightweight Go-based ActivityPub server for small personal instances.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · Android · iOS
LikesVisit ↗
How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.
Threads alternatives at a glance
Threads is a free social app. We compared 12 alternatives: 6 are open source, 12 are completely free, 6 can be self-hosted and 0 work fully offline. The most popular is Instagram, with 2.3k likes.