Bridgy Fed connects profiles across social networks, bridging Mastodon and other decentralized social platforms.
Friendica
Friendica connects users across decentralized social networks without a central authority.
About Friendica
Friendica is a decentralized social network that runs without a central authority or ownership. Instead of one site, it is made up of many smaller nodes that can connect to each other, so relationships and conversations can span compatible systems. Posts can be written and edited, commented on, liked or disliked, and shared wall-to-wall with remote comments. The software also supports photos, events and profiles that can be public or restricted, plus access lists for individual items and private conversation groups where communication is limited to members. One-to-one private messaging is available on supported protocols, and old content can optionally be set to expire.
Friendica federates through ActivityPub, OStatus and diaspora* protocols, and can also handle two-way email contacts via IMAP4rev1/ESMTP and pull in websites and blogs through RSS/Atom feeds. It is extensible through third-party plugins and themes, and users can download their personal data. People who do not want to install a server can create an account on one of the public servers that accept new users; running a personal node is possible on shared hosts, and the project states that if you can run WordPress you can run Friendica, since it uses PHP with MySQL. No pricing details are listed.
Key features
- Decentralized architecture with no central authority or ownership
- Cross-network relationships and wall-to-wall posts with remote comments
- Access lists per item and private groups restricted to members
- ActivityPub, OStatus and diaspora* protocol support for federation
- Two-way email contacts and communications via IMAP4rev1/ESMTP
- Import websites and blogs into the social stream via RSS/Atom
Best for: People who want a federated social presence that reaches across multiple networks and can be used either through an existing public server or a self-hosted node.
Good for
- Users without server administration skills can create an account on a public server that accepts new users
- Runs on PHP with MySQL; the project states that if you can run WordPress, you can run Friendica
- Connects to several fediverse protocols as well as email contacts and RSS/Atom feeds
Watch out for
- Installing and running a server requires technical knowledge, so non-technical users must rely on an existing public server
- One-to-one private messaging is only available on supported protocols
Friendica at a glance
- Website
- friendi.ca
- Category
- Social & Communities › Fediverse
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Friendica alternatives
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Friendica FAQ
Do I need technical knowledge to use Friendica?
No. You can create an account on one of the public servers that accept new users. Running your own server is optional and requires more technical knowledge, though the project says a personal node can run on shared hosts.
Can I take my personal data with me?
Yes, Friendica lets you download your personal data, which the project says belongs to you.
Which networks and protocols can Friendica connect to?
It has built-in support for ActivityPub, OStatus and diaspora* protocols, plus two-way email contacts and communications and RSS/Atom feed imports. Additional services can be connected through plugins.
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