10 best Facebook apps for Android
Facebook is the most popular social media site on planet Earth. It has over a billion registered users, most of which are active on almost a daily basis. Unfortunately, the official Facebook app is a data using, resource hogging, battery draining catastrophe of an app that a lot of people don’t want. It’s always good to have options so we’re going to take a look at the best Facebook apps for Android. If these aren’t doing it for you, we have a second list of Facebook alternatives here that’s a little bit more in-depth!
Here are some more social media apps you might find useful.
We realize you’re likely on this list to get away from this app. However, sometimes it's unavoidable. Whenever Facebook rolls out a new feature, the official app will have it long before the third party Facebook apps. Facebook’s official suite of apps include Facebook Messenger, Facebook Groups, Facebook at Work, and Facebook Mentions (if you’re famous). They aren’t great for battery life, but they’ll always get the new features first. Facebook Messenger is also notoriously hard to use outside of the official app. Consequently, Facebook also makes Facebook Lite. It's a super light, simple, and surprisingly good alternative to its larger, battery swilling sibling.
Fast is one of the oldest Facebook apps available. The developers had a lot of time to make this one good. It has most of the same features as the official Facebook app, including posting, commenting on things, resharing, and access to Groups and Pages. It boasts Facebook chat support although we’re not sure how long that will hold out. In any case, Fast has its issues, but it’s a good effort and works well for basic Facebook use. There is also a Fast Lite option that provides a more basic, but lighter experience. The pro version is a separate app and runs for $1.49.
Friendly for Facebook is one of the newer Facebook apps. It has a pretty decent set of features as well. That includes theming, Facebook Messenger support, the ability to customize your news feed, and more. You can also download videos from Facebook. The News Feed customization allows you to filter out things like keywords. That's a great way to get rid of nonsense you don't want to see. This is definitely among the best third party Facebook apps. The pro version unlocks some of the feature and goes for $1.99.
Metal for Facebook and Twitter is one of the up-and-coming Facebook apps. There has been a lot of positive press over the last couple of years. Like most, this is a web-wrapper (the mobile website inside of an app) with some tweaks and additional features included to improve the experience. It boasts an ad-free experience, advanced notifications, a few UI tweaks, and there are even theming options. The developer has had a good track record with updating the app with new Facebook features (along with fingerprint support) and it’s a pleasant overall experience.
We have some more app list recommendations for you!
Puffin for Facebook is by the same developers that made Puffin Browser. This is a browser app specifically made for Facebook. It features data compression that allows you to surf Facebook while using less data and also includes a tweaked UI for more enjoyable browsing. It works better on lower-end devices on slower network connections. Those with faster connections and newer phones may have a better experience with a different app. It's completely free with no in-app purchases.
Simple for Facebook keeps true to its namesake. It's a simple web-wrapper for the Facebook mobile site. It includes all of the basic features. That includes interacting with posts, uploading photo and video, and all of that. It also boasts support for Facebook Messenger. About the only other noteworthy thing about the app is the small selection of themes. Like we said, this one is really simple. The free version has ads. You can purchase the full version for $1.49 to get rid of them.
SlimSocial is a newer Facebook app that keeps it wicked simple. Its claim to fame is its intensely small size (100KB), that it shows no ads, and that it’s open source so you can go view the source code and contribute to its development if you want to. Aside from that, there isn’t much to talk about. It'll be a little slow and clunky like many third party apps. It's not that bad, though. The developer has also expressed interest in adding new features down the road like background notifications along with more stuff. .
Swift for Facebook Lite is among the lightest Android Facebook options. It boasts an install size of 30MB and 20MB of RAM use. The install size isn't that impressive but the RAM use is. It also boasts Facebook and Facebook Messenger features. You can do the basic stuff. That includes uploading photo/video, tagging friends, posting updates, and interacting with posts. It's not going to blow you out of the water. However, it gets you to where you need to go without taking up too many of your phone resources. You can get rid of the ads for a single $0.99 in-app purchase.
Swipe for Facebook is one of the more powerful Facebook apps. It has a laundry list of features, including an ad blocker, Facebook Messenger support, themes, chat heads, Material Design, and support for over 30 languages. It's less resource intensive than the stock Facebook app. However, it is a little larger than something like SlimSocial. The app even includes multiple layouts that mock the stock Facebook app, Google+, and other setups. The free version has most of the basic features. A single $2.99 in-app purchase gets you the complete experience.
Tinfoil is a little bit older, but many people still swear by it. Tinfoil’s claim to fame is being a Facebook app that doesn’t ask for any of your permissions, hence the name. It’s a web-wrapper like many of these. Thus, most of its features are similar to the web version. The update schedule is a tad unpredictable. It's completely free with no ads and no in-app purchases. That makes it hard to complain too much.
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If we missed any great Facebook apps, tell us about them in the comments!You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!
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