Pixelfed
The official Pixelfed app for Android: sign in to a Pixelfed server, browse your feed and share photos.
Android
Open source
Federated photo sharing: pick a Pixelfed server, post pictures and albums, follow people on Pixelfed and the wider fediverse.
Open
pixelfed.org
Rate Pixelfed
Average 0.0 · ratings: 0
Thank you! Your rating is saved; you can change it. Could not save the rating. Please try again later. Too many ratings from your network today. Please try again tomorrow. The average appears after 5 ratings.
About Pixelfed
Pixelfed is a photo sharing network that you open in the browser; there is no program to download on a computer. Version 0.14.3 is the current server release. It looks familiar to anyone who has used Instagram — a grid profile, a feed, stories, likes and comments — but it runs on independent servers that federate with each other and with the rest of the fediverse.
At a glance
| Type | Federated photo sharing network (web service) |
|---|---|
| Current version | 0.14.3 |
| Developer | Pixelfed, open-source project |
| Licence | GNU AGPLv3, source code on GitHub |
| Price | Free to use |
| Where to start | pixelfed.org/servers |
| Mobile | Official Android app (separate page) |
| Replaces | Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat |
How to get started
The Open button takes you to the official server list. Pick a server whose language and rules suit you, create an account there and you are ready — no installation. Your profile address includes the server name, and the server's admins moderate it. You can still follow people on other Pixelfed servers, and Mastodon users can follow you and see your photos in their timelines. One account does not mean an account everywhere: to post on another server, you register there.
What you can do
- post single photos or albums, add alt text and content warnings;
- follow hashtags and people across servers;
- keep a private account and approve followers;
- use collections to group posts on your profile.
The home feed is chronological. There are no ads and no sponsored posts, and the server does not build an advertising profile of you. That is the practical difference from Instagram, where one company decides what you see and runs the whole network; on Pixelfed, the rules of your server and your own follows decide it. The trade-off is a smaller audience and less polished discovery.
Requirements
A current browser on a desktop or phone. For the phone, the official Pixelfed Android app is another option.
Safety and privacy
Photos you upload are stored on your server, and the admins of that server can access them. Strip location data from pictures you do not want to share publicly, and read the server's privacy policy before signing up.
Alternatives in the fediverse
If photos are only part of what you post, Mastodon handles images too and is the larger network; Pixelfed is the better fit when the photo grid and albums are the point. For short clips, look at Loops. Instead of Pinterest or Snapchat, Pixelfed offers a calmer, follow-based space rather than a feed optimised for time spent in the app.
Pros and cons
- Pro: ad-free, chronological, familiar layout.
- Pro: open source and part of the wider fediverse.
- Con: smaller communities than on commercial photo apps.
- Con: features differ slightly from server to server, depending on updates.