When Facebook purchased
Instagram earlier this year, we suggested
some alternatives just in case the social network destroyed the popular photo-sharing service. It looks like that time is upon us.
In due course, Facebook plans on
adding ads to Instagram. In addition, the social network has released an
outlandish new Terms of Service that basically allows them to do anything they want with our personal photos.
Worthy Alternatives
On our previous report, we listed
Camera+,
Hipstamatic,
Camera Awesome, and
Snapbucket, as worthy Instagram replacements. A fifth alternative, Picplz, is no longer available. Soon after, we added
Tracks to this list. We would like to add three more alternative to our list:
Pictorama,
Flickr, and
Twitter.
First released in May,
Tracks lets users share photos and videos privately. It include iOS 6 filters, animations, and push notifications. And yes, Tracks is free.
Hipstamatic is all about giving users choices. Standard equipment includes a nice supply of lenses, films, and flashes. In-app purchases, called “Hipstapaks,” offer additional tools to further personalize your favorite photos. Photos can be shared with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Flickr.
Ironically, just earlier this year,
Instagram and Hipstamatic announced a new partnership wherein Hipstamatic photos can now be ported into Instagram’s network with just a click.
First released in June 2010,
Camera+ includes a 6x digital zoom, a stabilizer to help you avoid blurry shots and enough modes and effects to make even Instagram blush. On the downside, Camera+ wasn’t built for social photography, although you can share photos via Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.
Camera Awesome includes Instagram integration and some amazing professional effects. Sharing possibilities include: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, SmugMug, Picasa, Photobucket, and Flickr.
Around even before Instagram arrived,
Snapbucket is powered by Photobucket.com and makes sharing photos with others
simple. Users can change filters, effects, vignettes, and frames.
Recently updated,
Flickr could reasonably be called the best Instagram alternative currently available. Created by Yahoo, the free app has seen a complete redesign, and now includes an easier sign-up and registration process. Flickr also includes 16 camera filters, full group capabilities, and more.
Pictorama allows you to make money on the photos you take. In doing so, users receive $0.25 for every single photo they upload to the Pictorama marketplace for sale, plus a percentage of the revenues.
Finally, there is
Twitter, which recently added
photo-editing tools to the company's iPhone app. Currently, users are able to add one of eight photo filters, ranging from black and white, to vintage. Additionally, an auto-enhance feature adds balanced light and colors.
Keeping your Instagram photos
Before heading for the exits, it is important to note that Instagram photos are retrievable as long as you do so before canceling the service. This can be accomplished by going to
Instaport and signing into your Instagram account. Next, export your photos to a .zip file.
Please note that the Instaport website is being hit quite heavily right now. If you find the service unresponsive, try again later.
Canceling your service
Once you're ready to cancel your Instagram service,
visit this page. Be sure to tell Facebook why you are canceling.
We hope that you find this article useful. If you use another Instagram alternative, please let us know.
