About 8 months ago, we published Chapter 1.4 of the Privacy Cookbook covering FOSS to replace Google apps and services.
Privacy Advocate
Today I want to go into FOSS frontends.
I see it daily, even contributors to DT are using YouTube, Twitter and the likes. Nothing wrong as both services have excellent content. We even have Tweetstorms covered here on decentralize.today. The problem is, of course, ads, tracking, data mining and profiling conducted by these services.
However, even though we have already covered some of the alternatives in today's Cookbook, I want to get all of these solutions into one Cookbook entry.
YouTube
The best known solution for a YouTube frontend is Invidious
On Android, you can use UntrackMe to have shared YouTube links redirected to Invidious instances.
On iOS you can handle it with this shortcut:
On Android, you also have NewPipe, which is a privacy respecting app for YouTube. It removes not only trackers and ads, but lets you also download videos or mp3 files to your phone. NewPipe also allows PeerTube instances to be added, and can be used not only for YouTube but also for PeerTube.
- SkyTube is an open-source YouTube app for Android, and works similarly to NewPipe
- Piped works on any browser. Piped is an alternative privacy-friendly YouTube frontend and if you are on iOS could be your best choice as of now
- Cloudtube is a frontend for Invidious
The instance runs on https://tube.cadence.moe/
- Invuedious An alternative frontend for invidious built with vue.js
The official instance runs on https://bocchilorenzo.github.io/invuedious/
- nvidious-viewer is a Python application to watch YouTube videos through the Invidious API, this runs within the terminal on Linux
- straw-viewer is a lightweight YouTube client for Linux, using the API of Invidious
- FreeTube is a desktop client running on macOS, Linux and Windows
- youtube-local this one is browser based
- yt-local browser-based client for watching YouTube anonymously without forcing javascript (Fork of youtube-local)
- Youtube-dl is downloading YouTube content via the terminal
- Youtube-dl-gui is a cross-platform GUI for youtube-dl made in Electron and node.js
- ytdl-gui a GUI for youtube-dl what is beginner friendly and simple to use
- Alltube is a Web GUI for youtube-dl, and let you download YouTube content directly from the browser
- Vividl another Windows only GUI for youtube-dl
- Tartube a GUI front-end for youtube-dl, partly based on youtube-dl-gui and written in Python 3 / Gtk 3
- ytmdl a simple app to get songs from YouTube in mp3 format with artist name, album name etc
- ViewTube: An alternative front-end for YouTube, written in Vue.js, uses Plyr video player; supports SponsorBlock, with multiple Invidious instances support
- Plumber this little tool let youtrim parts of video without downloading whole video, utilizes youtube-dl, it also allows conversion to GIFs
- Yotter is a YouTube/Twitter frontend
- Nitter is by far the best Twitter frontend, you can find a working nitter instance here: https://github.com/zedeus/nitter/wiki/Instances
If you are on Android you can use UntrackMe what redirects you to a nitter instance if anyone sends you a Twitter link.
On Android, you can also use Fritter which is a fantastic app, and lets you follow Twitter users, it is basically a Twitter client without the need to log in.
- Shitter is another way to have a lightweight client to follow Twitter users and hashtags
nuclearfog- Harpy is an Android, alternative front-end for Twitter, built with Flutter/Dart
- Twidere X is Android, alternative frontend for Twitter, built mostly with Kotlin, this client is in early stage development
On iOS, Fritter is advertising an iOS app, but it is not yet in the App store. The best solution you have at the moment is bookmarking Nitter. via shortcuts, you can handle Twitter to Nitter links.
- Tweeterr is a tool to use Twitter from the terminal
- Tweet-app is built for desktop (Linux, Windows and macOS) and lets you tweet and your timeline never shows up
- Tweepy is Twitter for Python
Another great way, you can follow Twitter users is via Nitter and RSS. This way you can make your favorite RSS reader a Twitter reader. For example if you want to follow decentralize.today on nitter via RSS - https://twitter.com/decentraltoday becomes https://nitter.ggc-project.de/decentraltoday/rss
- Libreddit is a great-looking frontend for Reddit with no tracking. You can subscribe but not log in or post.
- Teddit does the same as Libreddit
- RedditSharp is an online Reddit client written using Angular 11
- eddrit is inspired by Nitter and written in Python + Starlette
On Android
- Stealth is an account free, privacy-focused Reddit client
- Infinity is an Android client for Reddit, you can even loggin or follow subredits without the need of logging in
- Dawn is a Fork of Dank and an open-source Android client
On iOS
I keep searching, but at the moment all clients I have found are only allowing you to subscribe to Sub-Reddits if you are logged in. This makes Nitter the best solution on iOS.
Another solution is to subscribe to Subreddits via RSS, just visit your favorite Subreddit and end the URL with /.rss, and you have your RSS feed.
- Bibliogram is a Nitter like alternative frontend for Instagram
- Barinsta is an Android frontend for Instagram
Note: On desktop, you can also get the browser add-on Privacy-redirect, just like UntrackMe on Android it redirects you to Invidious, Biblogram and Nitter as well as to privacy Google Maps replacements.
Stay safe and stay secure!
