Facebook is one of the most popular apps. However, if you don’t want to use their service without using the official app, there are some great Facebook alternatives for Android devices in the Google Play Store. Today, we will be checking some of the best alternative apps.
Facebook is almost as popular today as Google search. You don’t have to tell people what it is or why they should to use it. It took Facebook 8 years from (2004 to 2012) to bring in its first billion users. It only took them 5 more years to add another. As of the third quarter of 2017, Facebook had 2.07 billion monthly active users. Out of those, about 1.37 billion log onto Facebook daily as per data from September 2017. Of the 1.37 billion daily active users, 1.15 billion access the social networking service via mobile phones. This number was around 300 to 400 million 5 years ago. But not everyone is a fan of Facebook’s official app for Android. It’s resource-hungry for one. If you’re looking for alternatives, here are the best Facebook alternatives for Android.
Note: In case you’re looking for lightweight alternatives to the Facebook app, we do have a list of light-weight Facebook app alternatives that you can check out. That’s not to say you won’t find any better suggestions on this list.
1. Swipe for Facebook
Swipe for Facebook is a personal favorite of mine because it is one of the most powerful Facebook apps out there. It is not as resource hungry as the original Facebook app but it does give it some competition in that department. But that’s okay because it also offers a bucketload of features. It has built-in support for Facebook messages so you don’t need another app for it. The app also makes sure you don’t miss out on chat-heads. It has a built-in ad blocker, supports various color themes and over 30 different languages. Best of all, unlike the old Facebook app UI, this one is based on Material Design. A single $2.99 in-app purchase will get you all of the app’s features that the free version does not have.
2. SlimSocial for Facebook
This one should probably be on top of the list of the light-weight alternatives up there with Facebook Lite. It’s a newer app compared to the others on this list. The one and only feature (if you’d call it that) you get is that the app is really small in size. Only about 100KB to be precise. Also, the app is open source so you can see its code if you’re into those things and also contribute.
Everything else about this app is just not worth talking about because there is nothing else about this app. But we’re not complaining here because it is absolutely free and does not have any ads either. Well, no ads of its own. Why it makes our list is because this is the perfect Facebook app for those who don’t use Facebook regularly. No background notifications even and you can actually forget about it being there. This is really one of the best Facebook alternatives for Android available now.
3. Puffin for Facebook
[googleplay url=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cloudmosa.puffinFB”/]Puffin for Facebook is actually a browser app made around Facebook. But then, aren’t all other Facebook apps the same? Puffin for Facebook is actually made by the same developers that created the Puffin browser. In case you didn’t know, Puffin browser has been proven to be wicked fast provided your device has the RAM. In contrast, Puffin for Facebook is actually designed to consume fewer data and less memory. The difference is much clearly visible on lower-end devices. The app is totally free and there are no in-app purchases either.
4. Fast
If you’ve looked for alternatives to the Facebook app ever there is a very good chance you’ve come across fast. It is one of the oldest apps of its kind. It has most of the basic features of the official Facebook app including posting, commenting on things, resharing, and access to Groups and Pages. But the app manages to stand out from the crowd with some exclusive features that include viewing YouTube videos directly in the app, a built-in news reader and support for Facebook chat. Because it is one of the oldest apps and is trying to stand out, it can feel vastly different from the Facebook UI you are used to at times. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask.
Also see: How to Limit Data Usage on Facebook and WhatsApp
5. Tinfoil for Facebook
Tinfoil for Facebook is for those that are so concerned about their privacy that they’ll not use the original Facebook app. In the words of the developer, “It creates a sandbox for Facebook’s mobile site in order to protect your privacy and to avoid the ability others to track your browsing history.” And it does manage to do that because Tinfoil does not require any permissions at all. Except, of course, the INTERNET permission. It will also need to allow the COARSE_LOCATION permission which the developer promises is not used unless you enable “Allow Check-ins” on the preferences.
What do you think about the above Facebook alternatives for Android? Let us know via comments!
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