Facebook is the largest and most popular social network on the entire Internet and let’s be honest, we are really addicted to it. This social network has over a billion registered users and many of them are active daily. The problem with official Facebook app is that it is big in size, requires more resources to run, drains much battery and in some cases even slows down your device. Therefore in this article, we have listed out the best Facebook app alternatives for Android platform.
On Reddit, there are many threads where users advise to stop using the official Facebook app, and some even say that after uninstalling Facebook app, they have saved up to 20% of their Android battery life, and their device now runs speedier.
Well, so why not try out these below Facebook apps for Android and find it out yourself.
Facebook’s mobile site
Let’s start with the most easiest way ever to access Facebook on your Android, which is by using Chrome browser. You can directly visit Facebook on Chrome and you would be served Facebook’s mobile site which looks and works really well. The plus point of using this method to access Facebook is that you won’t need to install any app on your device.
Also you can directly place a shortcut of Facebook in your Home screen. To do this, visit Facebook.com, hit the Options button in Chrome and then select “Add to Home screen.” Next time you want to visit Facebook, just directly tap on this shortcut; no need to launch Chrome first and then the site.
You would also get notifications if you use this method. In your Chrome, visit Settings > Site Settings > Notifications and enable notifications from here. You would now receive new message, friend request, comment and other notifications.
Swipe for Facebook
Swipe is one of the most user friendly app out there, and resembles much to the Facebook app. It focuses much on user interface and user experience, and is also highly customizable, and lightweight. The app offers day/night theme, and you can also switch the look from default to Facebook classic if that’s what you prefer.
One feature that stands out is that Swipe for Facebook offers a security feature where you can lock access to the app with a 4-digit PIN code, or via fingerprint (if your phone supports). There’s also a Pro version of this app, but the free version offers enough features.
Metal for Facebook & Twitter
If you are searching for the best of both worlds then this app is for you. It supports Facebook as well as Twitter, which means you can use and control both the social networks from just one single app.
Metal offers an ad-free experience, notifications (which you can configure), different modes such as white, dark and blue, and other data saving features. The app is lightweight, supports fingerprint security to lock down the app, and with its Metal bar, it can also be used while using other apps.
Tinfoil for Facebook
Tinfoil is a wrapper for Facebook’s mobile site, and is a very lightweight, fast and smooth running app. Tinfoil creates a sandbox for Facebook’s mobile site to protect your privacy and your browsing history.
The app doesn’t update often, and is around just half MB in size, which means it’s a perfect app for those who have low storage on their Android devices. This is perhaps the most simple, no eye-candy app in this entire list but if you don’t mind it, then it’s worth trying it out.
Puffin for Facebook
Puffin for Facebook is also one very good alternative app, and it’s based on the Puffin web browser which is optimized for Facebook. It claims that it will run faster on low-end devices and slower internet connection.
Also Puffin features data compression which means it will consume less data compared to the official app. If you are thinking to save data when browsing Facebook, then this app is worth trying out.
Over to you
As you have read, most of these apps are lightweight, battery saving and won’t slow down your Android smartphone or tablet. If your Android device is slowing down or if the battery depletes fast, then you should try out these Facebook app alternatives for Android.
Thoughts? Have you tried out any of these apps in the past? Or are you using any other Facebook app? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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