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Photo-only Instagram alternative Foto officially launches on Android and iOS

After months of testing and a public beta, Foto, the chronological feed-focused photography app that aims to rival Instagram, is now officially available on Android and iOS.

Designed from the ground up to be a place solely for photography and photo sharing, Foto is eerily reminiscent of the early Instagram experience—but with some notable alterations. Firstly, the team behind Foto wants to rid us of the “noise of traditional social media,” which is a bold but somewhat noble place to start.

Algorithmically driven content is another reason services like Instagram have put many off in recent years. While a rise in Reels and video-first content has also proliferated many similar content-sharing applications. Foto instead only has options to share images. Even profile follower counts and like counts for uploaded content are hidden. You can also search using specific terms or tags to find content that you like the most.

The Foto team has also resolved one of the biggest complaints leveled at many social media applications in recent years. The main feed is chronological, which means you scroll back to see older images. There are zero ads here too, which makes the experience quite different to other alternatives. Your profile is considered a “Portfolio” to which you can add images and content. To get more options you’ll need to subscribe.

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This is a free app by default, but there are options to become a Foto “Ambassador” which has a $5 per month tier, $50 yearly plan, plus a $500 lifetime membership. This nets you a profile badge, early access to new service updates and functions, plus Pro-specific features as they are introduced. These prices will increase to $6, $60, and $600 respectively from March 8, 2025. After that date, Foto will introduce a $10 per month “Pro+” tier which provides unlimited Portfolio creation options.

A full Foto roadmap outlines upcoming functions that will be coming as the service progresses.

It must be said that even despite having an 18 month beta phase and over 16,000 users; at the moment, Foto is a quiet social media experience but if you want to try it for yourself then head over to the Google Play Store and download it now.

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Avatar for Damien Wilde Damien Wilde

Damien is a UK-based video producer for 9to5Google.

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