Friendica is a sort of Swiss Army knife of the Fediverse: it lets you follow and interact with Mastodon accounts, but it also lets you do a lot of things that other Fediverse server types can’t do. It can be more complicated to use, but if you can get the hang of it it offers features that other server types don’t have.
Friendica on the web
The website version of Friendica has an interface a bit like Facebook from a few years ago. It lets you make long posts with no character limits, and follow accounts from all across the Fediverse including Mastodon etc. As well as posts, Friendica lets you create and share calendars, photo galleries and groups (though the groups work very differently to those on Facebook).
RSS on Friendica
You can also follow RSS feeds, and each RSS post will appear in your home timeline as if it was from a normal account on the Fediverse, so it can be replied to or shared with others (the original RSS feed creator will not know about it though). Additionally, you can turn RSS feeds into specific Fediverse accounts that people on other Fedi server types can follow.
Diaspora on Friendica
If you’re on the old Diaspora social network, you can use Friendica as a stepping stone to the Fediverse as it has compatibility with both. From Friendica you can follow Fedi accounts on Mastodon etc. and also Diaspora accounts, with everything displayed in one feed.
Other networks on Friendica
The idea of Friendica is to put lots of different social networks (including the Fediverse) in one place. If a social network support open standards, Friendica tends to add compatibility with it.
Is there an app for Friendica?
Yes! There is now a dedicated third party Friendica app called Raccoon which is available on Google Play ⧉ and F-Droid ⧉.
You can use the Fedilab app ⧉.
Where can I get help and support with using Friendica?
- More info is available from the official Friendica website ⧉
- There are lists of servers to join on the Friendica directory ⧉
- There is an official Friendica support forum for asking questions ⧉