PixelFed: Instagram Alternative
Official website pixelfed.org
Our take
The photo-sharing corner of the fediverse, and the most natural Instagram alternative for people who want images without ad targeting or an engagement algorithm. The familiar fediverse caveats apply: instances vary in size and reliability, and the audience is far smaller, so reach is modest. Choose it to post photos on infrastructure you can actually leave; manage expectations if you are chasing a large following.
GitHub at a glance
pixelfed/pixelfed
Stars
7,009
+ 7 this week
Last commit
12d ago
healthy
License
AGPL-3.0
Latest release
v0.12.7
4mo ago
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PixelFed alternatives
PixelFed license, in plain English
AGPL-3.0 Strong copyleft · network
Free to use, even commercially. Changes must be published under the same license, and running a modified version as a network service counts as distributing it.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Patent use
- Private use
Requires
- Disclose source
- Network use is distribution
- Same license
- State changes
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: The network clause is the point. Anyone who runs a modified version as a hosted service has to publish those changes, so the code handling your data stays inspectable. This is why privacy-first projects reach for AGPL.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.