Loops (video)
Federated, open-source short-video app from the Pixelfed project, a TikTok-style feed without ads.
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About Loops (video)
Loops is a short-video platform built by the team behind Pixelfed. It offers the familiar vertical, swipeable feed with a For You page and a chronological Following feed, a simple camera for recording and captioning clips, comments, likes, reposts, hashtags and search. Unlike TikTok, it is part of the fediverse: it speaks ActivityPub, so videos can be followed and discussed from Mastodon, Pixelfed and other compatible services, and anyone can run their own Loops server. There are no ads, and the project describes its recommendation feed as driven by engagement, hashtags and social connections rather than advertising. The server software is open source under the AGPL. You can watch in a browser or use the official mobile app, which is now on Google Play. Loops is still young, so the creator base and features are limited compared with TikTok or Reels, and some features such as push notifications are still arriving.
Best for: Creators and viewers who want short video without ads or a single corporate owner.
Pros and cons
What works
- TikTok-style feed without ads
- Federates with Mastodon and Pixelfed
- Open source and self-hostable
Why people leave
- Young project with a small creator base
- Fewer editing tools than TikTok
- Some features, like push notifications, still arriving
Top Loops (video) alternatives
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Why people left Loops (video)
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Loops (video): common questions
Is Loops (video) free?
Yes. Loops (video) is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.
Is Loops (video) open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at joinloops/loops-server. You can also run it on your own server.
What platforms does Loops (video) run on?
Loops (video) is available for Web, Android and Self-hosted.
What are the best alternatives to Loops (video)?
The highest-ranked Loops (video) alternatives right now are TikTok, Instagram and Pixelfed. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.