Seven Instagram alternatives for iOS

19.04.2012
The dust has yet to settle from last week’s , with many users still wondering what’s in store for the photo-sharing service now that it’s owned by the social networking giant. Facebook says it plans to keep Instagram as an independent service—“Our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last week—but that doesn’t mean changes aren’t a possibility. Just the notion of Instagram adopting a Facebook-style privacy policy has some users wondering if they should take their photo sharing elsewhere.

Fortunately, Instagram users unsure about a Facebook future have plenty of options, especially on the iOS platform. Several iOS apps promised mobility, social features, and filters and effects of their own. Consider these apps as possible ways to fill the Instagram void.

: The free and iOS-only wants to be the new Instagram: The banner on welcomes Instagram users with a friendly greeting and a link to easily import all of their Instagram photos straight to a new via.me profile.

Via.me is actually an app that requires integration with either Facebook or Twitter to work—so for many people, this isn’t the best Instagram alternative. But for the Twitter-happy crowd, this may be the way to go. Once your via.me profile is linked to either your Facebook or Twitter profile, you can opt out of posting to either account—just tap either button before you hit “post.”

If you don’t post to Twitter or Facebook, your photo still goes to your via.me feed, which is similar to Instagram’s. You can follow friends, keep track of everyone’s posts on a centralized feed, explore other user’s profiles, and comment on other user’s photos from your iOS device. Additionally, you can upload video and sound clips, too—giving this app more of a Tumblr-feel, but with Instagram-like features, including 17 filters named after major cities.

: If you love filters, Kiwiple’s $2 is definitely worth looking into. This app gives you 40 filters to start with, plus access to an in-app Filter Market, where you can download additional filters at no additional cost. Magic Hour also lets you customize your own filters and share them with others through the Filter Market.