GoToSocial★★★★☆A lightweight Fediverse server, with a clean web interface for viewing public posts. Compatible with Mastodon apps and interacts with other ActivityPub platforms.
Instagram★★☆☆☆Like checking out your friends’ vacation photos, but every other photo is an ad, and half of your friends’ pics are full of product placement.
Manyverse★★★★☆Takes the pain out of setting up and running SSB. Unfortunately it doesn’t overcome SSB’s inherent challenges of discovery, data size or multiple devices. (So far?)
Mastodon (Mobile App)★★★☆☆Good for someone new to Mastodon, but lacks advanced features found in other apps like Tusky.
Mastodon – Simplified Federation★★★★★A Firefox add-on that automatically opens remote Mastodon users or posts in your home server when you interact with them.
Phanpy (Mastodon App)★★★★★An app for Mastodon (and other Fediverse sites) that cuts through the clutter. Runs anywhere in a web browser, or can be installed to your device’s home page as a PWA.
PixelDroid★★★★★Optimized for photo sharing and viewing, works smoothly and integrates well with the system. FOSS, won’t vacuum up your personal data.
Snac★★★★☆Extremely bare-bones social networking server that runs on low-resource machines, works on the web without cookies or JavaScript, and still interacts through ActivityPub with Mastodon, GoToSocial and other Fediverse software.
Tusky for Mastodon★★★★★Impressed at how smoothly the app works, especially with multiple accounts.
Under the Influence★★★★☆
Trey Ratcliff Trey Ratcliff details a fascinating look at a side of Instagram that I’ve mostly ignored.