Meet the Open Source Avengers Taking on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp

Imagine a world where YOU control your social media experience. No algorithms manipulating your feed, no billionaires selling your data, and no shadowy corporations pulling the strings. That’s the promise of the fediverse—a decentralized, open-source social web powered by the ActivityPub protocol. And now, the developer behind three of its most exciting apps—Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup—is rallying the troops on Kickstarter to take the fight to Big Tech.

“Help us put control back into the hands of the people!”

Daniel Supernault, Developer of Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup

Why the Fediverse is the Future

Remember the chaos when Elon Musk took over Twitter? Or the endless scandals surrounding Meta’s data practices? That’s when the fediverse started gaining traction. Apps like Mastodon and Bluesky exploded in popularity as users sought alternatives to centralized platforms. Even Meta saw the writing on the wall and launched Instagram Threads, which is now integrating with ActivityPub. But the real heroes of this story are the open-source developers building the tools to take back the internet.

The Kickstarter Campaign: Fueling the Fediverse’s Growth

Daniel Supernault, the Canadian developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to supercharge his projects. And guess what? It’s already crushing its goals, with over $58,383 raised at the time of writing. Here’s what’s at stake:

• Pixelfed: The Instagram alternative just launched its 1.0 mobile app and boasts over 200,000 users on its main instance.
• Loops: The TikTok rival is in alpha testing on Apple’s TestFlight, with a full release coming soon.
• Sup: The WhatsApp challenger is still under wraps but promises to shake up messaging.

What’s Next for the Fediverse?

Supernault isn’t stopping there. The Kickstarter campaign also aims to fund:

• Pubkit: A developer toolkit for building in the fediverse, complete with testing frameworks and real-time debugging tools.
• Pixelfed Foundation: A not-for-profit organization to support the growth of open-source social media.
• E2E Encryption: A game-changer for privacy and security in the fediverse.

Why This Matters

This isn’t just about building apps—it’s about reclaiming the internet. With every dollar raised, Supernault and his team are one step closer to creating a social web that’s by the people, for the people. So, if you’re tired of being a product in Big Tech’s profit machine, now’s your chance to fight back.

“The fediverse isn’t just an alternative—it’s a revolution.”

TechCrunch

Join the Movement

The Kickstarter campaign is live, and the fediverse is calling. Will you answer? Let’s build a better internet together.