Open-Source Social Media Pixelfed and Loops Raise Funds on Kickstarter to Compete with Instagram and TikTok

The developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, open-source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, is raising funds on Kickstarter to expand these apps.

These platforms are part of the fediverse, using the ActivityPub protocol, the same technology behind Mastodon.

After the Twitter sale to Elon Musk in 2022, users turned to decentralized platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky. In response, Meta launched Instagram Threads in 2023, attempting to join the fediverse.

Daniel Supernault, the developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, is seeking $1 million to scale his decentralized apps. As of now, the campaign has raised $58,383.

Pixelfed launched its 1.0 mobile app in January 2025, Loops is in alpha, and Sup is coming soon. A fourth project, PubKit, will support developers in the fediverse.

The funds will help scale infrastructure, improve security, privacy, and moderation, and introduce end-to-end encryption. Supernault also aims to transition the Pixelfed Foundation into a nonprofit organization.