Similar Software to Instagram: 28 best alternatives for 2023

Instagram was created in 2010 by two founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It is a photo and video sharing app that allows users to share their photos and videos with the world. It was one of the first photo sharing and editing apps that introduced the use of filters.

What makes Instagram unique is its focus on engagement. Unlike other social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram is a primarily visual platform. It also introduced disappearing stories, which was later copied by other social media networks.

Originally, the said platform was only available to both Android and iOS devices - but it was recently introduced to desktop browsers. In 2012, Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 billion, shockingly with only 13 employees. Since then, it has continued to grow in popularity and now has over one billion active users. Instagram (IG) is now famous for influencers, businesses, bloggers, and even friends to connect with one another. It's a great platform for creative people, brands, or businesses to build an audience around their passions.

1. Facebook

Facebook, which began in Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room in 2004, is now worth billions of dollars and is one of the world's most recognizable brands. It's even gotten a Hollywood makeover, with The Social Network, a film about the site's creation, released to critical acclaim in 2011.

Facebook is a platform that allows users people to make personal profiles and connect with their friends, colleagues/co-workers, and random people online. Users can also post as many photographs, music, videos, and articles as they wish, as well as their personal thoughts and beliefs. Users can send "friend requests" to persons they know or people they don't know. People who have profiles provide details about themselves. Many users share a lot of information that is easily visible to their friends and others, whether it be what they work at, where they study, their ages, or other personal details.

2. Twitter

Twitter was founded in 2006 by Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glassex, with Jack Dorsey as the executive director of the company, many of them were previously workers of the well known company Google.

Twitter is a website that enables people through the world to connect with each other, allowing them to submit and read texts as long as 140 characters, which are called tweets. As well as following different users or particular subjects instantly, you can also have your followers and create your own new subjects.

While using it, you are able to retweet or leave a like on other users' tweets, and by doing this that tweets will be shown in your profile and your followers will be able to see it and interact with it (like or retweet) which can make a chain and give users the chance to get high audience levels If they create good content, which from my point of view is the main advantage of this website.

It is a very useful social network that can be used by anyone for many different purposes. With Twitter you are able to learn, stay tuned, leisure, or all of them at the same time.

3. Pinterest

Pinterest was founded in March 2010 by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp, and Paul Sciarra. Since then, they've assisted millions of individuals all around the world in discovering new recipes, parenting hacks, style inspiration, and other fun things to try. Pinterest is a social media site that allows users to aesthetically express and seek alternative interests by pinning pictures or videos to their own or others' boards (it is a compilation of 'pins' with a common subject) and viewing what other individuals have pinned. You can create an account, log in, and either like or make your own posts.

The social network is indeed focused on the idea of a particular person's lifestyle, using a visual orientation to allow you to share your hobbies and preferences with others while also discovering those of like-minded individuals. Having billions of Pins to choose from, you'll never run out of creative ideas on Pinterest.

4. Canva

Canva is a free tool that helps you create designs for Web and print. With Canva, making everything from blog graphics to presentations to Facebook covers to flyers and posters to invitations and more is as easy as drag, drop and go!

5. Tumblr

Tumblr is a social networking site that also works as an American microblogging site where its users post content and multimedia in a short-form type of blog. In this platform, users can interact with their fellow bloggers. This is a good place to explore talk-of-the-town trending topics and intriguing internet things that create fruitful conversation and interaction with its users. It is easy to create multi-media posts by posting photos, GIFs, audio and video files, and fan arts. This is where you can find bit-size content such as quotes, infographics, and clipart. It is more of a combination of "Facebook" and "Twitter and "Blog" where users can effortlessly share almost anything from post text down to music vid clips on either mobile or desktop. When it comes to freedom of content, Tumblr has a sharper edge compared to other social networking sites. This is where you can post anything you want that interest you and your viewers, tackling almost anything even your thoughts about sensitive topics too.

6. Snapchat

Snapchat is a popular app for iOS and Android devices. Founded on July 8, 2011, the service has garnered immense attention from users across the world. Bobby Murphy, Evan Spiegel, and Reggie Brown started Snapchat to encourage an instant and natural flow of communication/interaction. The beauty of Snapchat is that any video, message, or picture that you send becomes available to its receiver for a short time before it gets inaccessible.

Initially started as a person-to-person picture-sharing app, Snapchat now offers a myriad of options, including the submission of short videos, messaging, live video chatting, and creating caricature avatars and stories. Users can also tap a Discovery area that shows short-form content from leading publishers such as Buzzfeed.

Snapchat also allows you to store media in a private area. Other options include the user’s ability to add AR-based lenses and filters to photos and show live location on a world map. Despite these additions, Snapchat is all about instant communication through a cell phone.

7. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editor built for Mac OS and Windows. Originally created in 1988 by John Knoll and Thomas Knoll, the software was published on February 19, 1990, by Adobe Inc. Since then, the product has become the benchmark not only for graphics editing but also for any form of digital art. You'll hardly come across designers that don't use this cutting-edge graphics editor. The software is capable of editing and compositing raster images in various layers. Adobe Photoshop supports alpha composting, masks, and multiple color models, including CMYK, RGB, spot color, CIELAB, and duotone. The software employs its PSB and PSD file formats in support of its features. Adobe Photoshop has certain abilities to render or edit vector graphics and text (especially through the clipping path for vectors, videos, and 3D graphics). Users can expand the features of the software through plug-ins and supporting programs to get better results.

8. GIMP

GIMP is a popular open-source and free raster graphics app that is used for manipulating images and editing images, transcoding between varied image file formats, free-form drawing, and even other advanced tasks. This application is established under GPL-3.0 license and is compatible with Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. GIMP started hosting their own downloads after ending the use of Source Forge in 2013. Later, the site repossessed this application’s idle account and used it to host the advertising format of Gimp for windows operating systems. As per reviews, GIMP has been found to be a suitable application for those who haven’t started using photoshop and need the easiest way to edit images. Besides, it can also be fit to use in any professional space and if you like adobe photoshop, this has been pointed out as a good replacement. For all tools for editing, you can simply get through the toolbox, via dialogue windows and menus.

9. PhotoScape

PhotoScape is a free to download program enjoyed by many people. It can edit the photos and make them look better in real time. That is a smart strategy and one that has worked for many people. Users will get access to top rated tools that can be employed. Even pro photographers will find some use with the new program. It will be installed in a short amount of time as well. Trust that PhotoScape is well worth the time it takes to find and then download on a PC. Understand that updates are frequently issued for PhotoScape. Those same updates will keep new functions working for a longer time period. The new updates are enacted and the software becomes more useful in time. The PhotoScape program is rapidly becoming a top request among the people. New users will want to read the help files. That shows what to activate.

10. Paint.NET

Paint.NET was created in 2004 by Rick Brewster and Gabe Mulder. It was originally created to replace the Microsoft Paint software that came with Windows. As a desktop software, Paint.NET is used for basic photo editing and touch-ups. What makes Paint.NET unique is the ability to edit photos and add effects in a simple and easy-to-use interface. It also has a wide range of tools, including brushes, shapes, filters, overlays, adjustment, and text tools. It also comes with numerous plugins that can be installed to add more features. It is commonly used by individuals who are not familiar with more complex photo editors, but want advanced editing features. It's an advanced version of Microsoft's Paint software and is popular among beginner and intermediate users. Over the years, it has been extensively improved to be on par with more expensive software. One of the best features that make it stand out is the warm community of users that are always willing to help.

11. Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo is a popular photo editing app for iOS devices with a simple and easy-to-use interface. It’s free, with no ads, sharing features, and automatic backups. Is it worth your time? Does it offer any unique features? Affinity Photo is an excellent app for those who want to take exciting photos without spending a lot of time or money. That said, Affinity Photo has some unique features that put it above others in the photo editing world. One of the main advantages of Affinity Photo is that it allows you to import your images directly into the software without having to go through a tedious setup process. This is especially helpful if you are new to photography and need some help learning how to take good photos. Another feature that Affinity Photo has over other photo editing apps is its automatic corrections. You can select individual colors or settings from your image and see exactly what they would look like in real life without worrying about manually adjusting them afterward.

12. Pixlr

Pixlr is a photo editor that was created in 2008 by Ola Sevandersson. It is one of the most popular photo editors in the world, with over 100 million users. What makes Pixlr unique is the ability to edit photos from the mobile device - on the go. Being one of the most versatile photo editors on the market, it is considered to be a great alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It has a wide range of features, including filters, overlays, and adjustment tools. It also allows users to create memes and collages. Pixlr is available on a variety of devices, including computers, smartphones, and tablets. It can be used for free or with a subscription plan. It has become popular for small to medium-scale businesses allowing them to edit photos without having to purchase expensive software. Since its creation, Pixlr has become one of the most popular photo editors in the world.

13. YouTube

YouTube was created in 2005 by three former employees of PayPal. It is a video-sharing website where users can upload, view, and share videos. In 2006, Google purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion. At the time, it was the largest purchase Google had ever made. Today, YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the internet. It has over a billion active users and attracts over 122 million visitors per day. YouTube is different from other video-sharing websites because it allows its users to upload videos of any length. This makes it a great platform for businesses to share their product demonstrations, tutorials, and marketing videos. In addition to being a popular video-hosting website, YouTube is also a powerful marketing tool. Businesses can use it to reach a large audience and generate leads or sales. Today, the platform is also used by vloggers, gamers, and artists to build a following and engage with their fans.

14. Pixelmator

Pixelmator is a graphics editor that was developed for macOS. It has several features such as selection, painting, color correction, retouching, layer-based image editing, and many more. Pixelmator image editor is suitable for editing images using the most professional tools. It makes use of technologies such as Automator and Core Image for the best results. Moreover, it has more than 40 tools to aid you throughout the editing process. You can use it on your iPhone or iPad. It has over 30 adjustments making it suitable for professional photographers. The only problem with Pixelmator is the fact that it does not support exporting from CYMK, which is a necessary feature each time you are printing out some work. It has a color profile that enables you to check on the emulation of colors that you would like to be printed, however, it does not cut it professionally. So, for any mobile device, you can always go for this photo editing app.

15. MyPaint

MyPaint is a graphics editor that is commonly used for digital painting. You will find this in many operating systems such as macOS, Windows, and many more. As a digital painter, this is very useful each time you need to make some quick sketches or any complex drawing on your computer. What's so interesting about this application is the fact that it is easier to use and simple therefore suitable for beginners. It no complex menus so you can concentrate on your drawings more. MyPaint also contains a wide range of brushes that are organized into varied categories. MyPaint makes it easier to configure any of the brushes to a smaller detail or come up with a new category in a more convenient way. Each brush always has a different result. It is recommended to use it on a tablet though you can as well use it with a standard mouse. Since it supports a wide range of pressure, you will be feeling like a real painter at the end.

16. Steemit

STEEMIT is a social network based on STEEM blockchain technology, a cryptocurrency that is generated by creating content within STEEMIT. The capital obtained is distributed among the users of this social network through Steem Dolars. The novelty of STEEMIT Is that it pays users for the content they created. The amount of Steem Dolars will depend on the quality of the work they did and the amount of positive votes obtained from other users.

You can create any type of content, as long as it is aesthetic and respectful. This social network is open and anyone can see the content created. To register on STEEMIT you just need to go to that website and enter your personal data. Then you have to wait for STEEMIT to approve your application, something that happens a few days later. Once this social network accepts you, they send you a secure password for you to use on the platform.

17. Venmo

Venmo is a payment platform that belongs to PayPal but differs by allowing users to have more control over their payments and collections. This platform was launched in 2009 to allow people to send and receive money more easily through a mobile application and function at the same time as a social network. On Venmo, you can add contacts who also have an account within the platform, make posts and even interact with other people. This feature revolutionized the payment service industry since a person can share on their profile their transactions or those of another user, and their contacts can comment on the publication and react with emojis. Thanks to its versatility, Venmo has become one of the most used payment platforms in the United States, in fact, the most used function of the platform is to split bills, for example, a group of friends who all have a Venmo account can split a restaurant bill, a cab fare, and much more, so that each one pays their share more simply.

18. Flote

FLOTE, also called FLOTE.app, is a social network that allows users to create content and be rewarded through cryptocurrencies. Users can create videos, articles, audios, songs, images, among others. They can also make streaming, which can be publicly accessible or exclusively for the followers of the content creator. The platform has a wallet to send and receive bitcoins. Flote's goal is for content creators to achieve the fame they seek, which is relative.

FLOTE is still a short range social network, but it is growing day by day. The platform is quite intuitive and easy to use. FLOTE Is very similar to Patreon, since in both platforms you earn money through subscriptions. Even if content creators do not achieve the recognition they are looking for, at least they can gain prestige as they work on their specialty. The majority of FLOTE users are young men under the age of 35, with an interest in news and opinion articles.

19. VK

VK, whose full name is Vkontakte, is a Russian social network that has been on the market for more than ten years. VK Is also known as the _Russian Facebook _and is currently under the control of the Russian government. This social network boasts more than 650 million users worldwide and is available in 85 languages. VK also has a mobile app that facilitates user interaction with the platform, which is present in iOS and Android devices.

VK has a fairly easy functionality, as it has sought to simplify the platform over time. The platform's goal is to maintain the social network's high engagement with users.

The interface is intuitive and lacks complicated functions. VK has a wall where you can share all kinds of content. The Russian social network has different categories within the platform such as friends, communities, music, videos, games, videos and messages. VK Is the leading social network in Russia, Belarus, and all Eastern European countries.

20. Dribbble

Dribble is a social bookmarking application that allows designers to exhibit their work to a broader audience. It is both costless and straightforward to use, and it has a community of designers that is quite active. These designers share their work and engage in conversation by commenting and "liking" the designs of other users.

Dribble is an excellent platform for networking with other designers, getting feedback on your work, learning about emerging design trends, and finding freelance or full-time employment if you're ready to make a career switch.

If you're searching for a talented graphic designer, one of the finest tools you can use is Dribble; this is particularly true if you're looking for someone in your immediate area. You may also use Dribble to discover inspiration for your next project, or you can use it to browse through some of the most stunning designs created by people all around the globe.

21. Reddit

REDDIT is a social network of massive reach and one of the most visited websites in the world. REDDIT also offers a very functional mobile app that facilitates user interaction with the platform. This social network is a content aggregator, where users make various posts and other users vote up or down. Posts with more positive votes gain visibility and those with fewer votes tend to disappear. REDDIT carefully monitors each post made.

REDDIT is composed of many subreddits, i.e. diverse communities on various topics: cryptocurrencies, technology, cats, sports, etc. The majority of REDDIT users are men, but more and more women are joining every day. REDDIT is like a giant forum that contains smaller forums, which are highly controlled. Profiles created on REDDIT maintain anonymity, as only an email address, password and username are required. However, this social network keeps track of what each user posts and if it sees inappropriate behavior, it will delete your account.

22. Telegram

Telegram is a free messaging app with a focus on security and speed. It was created by two Russian brothers, Nikolai and Pavel Durov, in August of 2013. What makes Telegram stand out from other messaging apps is its emphasis on security. Messages are encrypted using a powerful algorithm that makes them virtually impossible to hack, and there is an option to set a self-destruct timer for messages so that they are automatically deleted after a certain amount of time.

Telegram also claims to be the fastest messaging app in the world, with messages being sent and received almost instantly. It's available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, MacOS, and Linux. This messaging app is being widely used by businesses for its speed and security features. It's a great option for anyone who wants to keep their communications private. Its open API also makes it possible to create custom bots and integrations.

23. Lemmy

LEMMY is a social network quite similar to Reddit, although it contains important differences that make it unique. Lemmy works as a link aggregator where you can subscribe to all the forums and topics that interest you. From there you can comment, discuss and vote for the posts you like the most. LEMMY has a marked difference with other social networks, since it is connected to the Fediverse, a decentralized network that enjoys greater freedom than other platforms.

LEMMY is not an overly controlling platform like Reddit, nor does it manage or meddle with the posts made by users. Each LEMMY Server has independence to decide its own moderators and administrators of each community, providing a healthy environment, excluding any kind of virtual toxicity.

LEMMY belongs to the Fediverse, that means that all servers are interconnected. Each user can subscribe to other forums on other servers and maintain communication with users registered elsewhere.

24. Gab

GAB is a social network that manifests itself as a powerful alternative to Twitter. GAB is used by individuals of conservative ideology and its main goal is to spread freedom of expression. To use it you need to register and then the user is allowed to follow and be followed by other users. GAB is quite controversial as it has been accused of being racist, neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic.

The creators of the social network defend themselves by arguing that GAB is a space for people to say what they want. GAB lacks content moderators and that attracts a lot of people. Several companies such as Amazon, Google Play and PayPal have refused to work with GAB. However, the platform managed to get Epik to host it on their servers and thanks to that it was able to continue working. The problem is that the lack of moderation limits has allowed harmful messages to leak out that can harm others.

25. Ello

Ello is a hub for creators that helps to discover, publish, discuss and promote sharing the things you are strongly fated and passionate about. It is also a service that runs socially on the network-based created as an ad-free alternative social network and was founded by Todd Berger and Paul Budnitz. Ello, formally a creators' network, is a marketplace and a publishing platform that gives its creators a strategy to build an audience with a wide variety of views to encourage sharing and selling their artwork. Furthermore, it is a software platform that depicts and creates reusable food and beverage products that complement what you want to stick into a product like travel mugs, thus making it a sense of art and style.

Ello as a group is an everlasting agency that connects brands and consumers to give customers a good brand at a glance. Additionally, Ello's expertise in engagement and acquiring loyalty to consumers of a legitimate brand offered by the creator. Ello group company limited engages people with experiences and1 love for a product because of the diverse product portfolio.

26. Mastodon

MASTODON is a free and federated social network that manifests itself as a successful alternative to Twitter. The platform is characterized by promoting freedom of expression. MASTODON is a microblogging social network with an aesthetic very similar to that of Twitter.

The platform is controlled by a decentralized federation of servers, which run its free and open-source code that is published on its Github profile. Users can create multiple servers, which are called communities.

MASTODON was released in 2016 through mastodon.social and was developed from GNU Social. MASTODON is a concept developed from the GNU project aimed at creating decentralized social networks using the Ostatus open standard. This structure allows users from different nodes or servers to interact with each other. Users can write and receive messages. Some messages can be read exclusively by members of the same community while others can be read by all the federated communities that make up MASTODON.

27. Quora

Quora is one of the most popular social networks in recent years, which was born as a platform to help the community to find information. Quora is a free social network where users can ask questions and other users can answer them. It was launched in 2009, and since then, it has been gaining more and more users thanks to the fact that it is a question and answer platform much more organized than other platforms of this type, such as Yahoo Answers or Reddit. In fact, in 2021, Quora announced that it had more than 320 million active users per month, making it one of the most used social networks today.

As a platform for searching for questions and answers, the biggest concern for many first-time visitors is whether the content is reliable and the answers are correct. To do this, users can view the profile and credentials of other users to verify if the person answering the question has experience in that field, as well as see how many answers they have provided. Quora is a platform that can be accessed from any web browser.

28. Twitch

Twitch is a live video streaming service that mainly focuses on game streaming. The service was launched on June 6, 2011. Emmett shear, Justin Kan, Kevin Lin, Kyle Vogt, and Michael Seibel are the founders of this superb service. Twitch also broadcasts sports besides offering music and creative content broadcasts. The beauty of the service lies in its “in real life” streams. Users can broadcast themselves live in various ways. They may stream themselves cooking, playing video games, or doing just about anything they can film using a camera. Due to its huge gaming-based crowd, the service was renamed from Justin TV to Twitch Interactive when Amazon acquired the company in 2014 (for 970 million dollars). The Twitch site had around 45 million unique viewers in October 2003. Later in February 2014, it was termed the fourth biggest source of Internet traffic in the US. By 2015, the service had over 100 million viewers per month. Due to its interactive nature, Twitch is all set to surpass other video platforms in the coming years.