Minds
minds.com
What it is
Minds is an open-source social networking platform available on the web, Android and iOS. Its features include a newsfeed, search, groups, chat, blogs, video, photos, tips, memberships, paid replies, notifications and monetization tools. Users may sign up anonymously, and Minds says observational analytics are not shared with outside companies for tracking. Free includes groups, encrypted chat, ActivityPub federation and YouTube sync, with 20-minute video uploads and 30-day storage. Plus and Pro list 60-minute video uploads. Minds+ adds channel verification, comment spotlight, premium creator content and publishing to its feed. Minds Networks offers branded community plans for teams, communities and businesses, with stated audiences from 20–250+ users for Team through unlimited users for Business. Networks describes interoperability with ActivityPub, RSS, DNS, Bitcoin, Ethereum and Stripe; it also supports embedding videos from YouTube, Livepeer and other third-party sources. Minds says monetization and NSFW features are limited on mobile, and NSFW content is unavailable in the iOS App Store and Google Play versions. The platform and mobile app use the AGPLv3 license.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Minds is a decentralized social network and software platform for launching branded community apps.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Product
- Minds describes itself as a free, open-source social networking platform where users can earn digital currency for activity.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Free plan
- YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · help.minds.com
- API
- The backend exposes CLI and REST controllers, with newer endpoints under API v2 and older endpoints under API v1.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- Integrations
- Minds states that it interoperates with ActivityPub, RSS, DNS, Bitcoin, Ethereum and Stripe, among other protocols and services.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Mobile apps
- bothRead 20 Sep 2026 · help.minds.com
- Security
- Minds' security page asks people who identify a vulnerability to contact its security email address.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Privacy
- Minds says signup can be anonymous and that a phone number is only required for rewards verification, where it is converted to a SHA-256 hash rather than stored directly.Read 15 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Support
- Minds directs users to Chatwoot support or email support and provides a help center with product and troubleshooting articles.Read 15 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Founded
- 2011Read 28 Sep 2026 · minds.com
- Apple app requirements
- The iOS app requires iOS or iPadOS 15.1 or later and is rated 16+ with in-app purchases.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Authentication
- Developer documentation describes session-cookie and OAuth authentication, with OAuth used by mobile clients.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- Chat architecture
- Minds Chat is a Matrix fork with calls and federation restricted, and users authenticate with their Minds.com credentials through OIDC.Read 15 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Community apps
- Organizations can launch custom-domain web, Android and iOS community apps and keep control of code, data, contacts, content and communications.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Company founded
- Minds was founded in 2011 by Bill Ottman, according to its help center.Read 15 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Company headquarters and size
- LinkedIn lists headquarters in Wilton, Connecticut and a company size of 11–50 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Company legal name
- The company is identified as Minds, Inc., a privately held Delaware corporation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
- Core features
- The service lists feeds, discovery, search, groups, chat, blogs, video, photos, tips, memberships, paid replies, notifications, Boost, affiliate tools, rewards, analytics and monetization.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Custom domain
- YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · help.minds.com
- Documentation depth
- The developer site includes installation, architecture, backend, deployment, frontend, GraphQL, mobile, platform, infrastructure, plugin, decentralization and testing guides.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- Funding
- Minds says it raised more than $1 million from over 1,500 investors through a Regulation CF crowdfunding campaign.Read 15 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Licence
- The Minds repositories state that the software is released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com
- Limit: low activity
- Reviewers complain that Minds has a small or declining user base, making it difficult to find friends and sustained audience activity.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Limit: missing or buggy features
- Reviewers cite bugs, slow updates, notification failures, poor polish and missing social functions such as polls, multi-image posts and comment sharing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Limit: mobile restrictions
- Apple reviewers mention limited feeds or difficulty accessing some content, while official documentation confirms monetization and NSFW restrictions on mobile.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Limit: moderation and abuse
- Trustpilot reviewers report harassment, ideological echo chambers, bullying and dissatisfaction with account bans or abuse handling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Minds+ creator tools
- Minds+ includes channel verification, a spotlight for comments, access to premium creator content, and the ability to publish to the Minds+ feed.Read 11 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Minds+ reach
- Plus subscribers receive access to the Minds+ feed and up to $7 in monthly Boost credits.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Minds+ verification
- Minds+ includes channel verification, premium badges, comment spotlighting and access to subscriber-only content.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Mobile limits
- Minds says monetization and NSFW features are limited on mobile, and its mobile download page says NSFW content is unavailable in the iOS App Store and Google Play.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Mobile support
- Minds officially supports the latest three Android and iOS operating-system versions, while monetization and NSFW functions are limited on mobile.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- Moderation tools
- YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · help.minds.com
- Monetization
- Plans include affiliate and Boost partner programs, token rewards, cash and crypto payments, memberships, tips and Supermind features.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Networks audience
- Minds Networks positions Team for 20–250+ users, Community for 250–5,000+ users, and Business for unlimited users.Read 11 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Networks integrations
- Minds Networks describes interoperability with ActivityPub, RSS, DNS, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Stripe.Read 11 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Open source
- Minds says its platform and mobile app are licensed under AGPLv3.Read 11 Oct 2026 · help.minds.com
- Praise: creator reach and rewards
- Reviewers praise Minds as a place where small creators can gain visibility and use crypto rewards or Boost to promote posts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Praise: free expression
- Trustpilot and Apple reviewers repeatedly praise Minds for allowing speech and artwork they believe mainstream platforms would censor.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Private spaces
- YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · help.minds.com
- Rating on Apple App Store
- 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratingsRead 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Rating on G2
- No rating; 0 reviews, and G2 says there are not enough reviews to provide buying insight.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Rating on Trustpilot
- 3.0 out of 5 from 59 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- SDKs and code
- The public repositories cover Engine backend APIs, the Angular web client, WebSocket services and React Native mobile apps.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Security practices
- Internal security guidance requires strong passwords and two-factor authentication for Minds accounts, email and SSO, and uses Bitwarden for shared credentials.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- Self-hosting
- Deployment documentation provides Docker images and Kubernetes Helm deployment instructions for running Minds stacks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- Social features
- The Minds site lists newsfeed, explore, search, groups, chat, blogs, video, photos, tips, memberships, paid replies, notifications, Boost, affiliate, rewards, analytics, and monetization.Read 11 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Status page
- The status page lists core services, API, web, Boost, feeds, notifications, video, federation and Networks as operational when opened.Read 15 Oct 2026 · status.minds.com
- Supported browsers
- Officially supported browsers include current Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Brave, plus Chromium or WebKit-based browsers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- System requirements
- Local deployment documentation says Cassandra needs at least 4 GB of memory and Docker may need increased CPU and memory allocations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · developers.minds.com
- Video limits
- The comparison page lists 20-minute uploads and 30-day storage on Free, versus 60-minute uploads and included storage on Plus and Pro.Read 15 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Video upload
- The Minds+ page says subscribers can upload 1080p videos up to 95 minutes, while its plan comparison lists 60-minute video upload limits for Plus and Pro.Read 11 Oct 2026 · minds.com
- Who it serves
- Minds describes Minds+ as an upgrade designed for creators and Minds Networks as a way for creators and community leads to run a branded community app.Read 11 Oct 2026 · minds.com
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Available on web, Android and iOS
- Free plan includes encrypted chat
- Supports ActivityPub federation and YouTube sync
- Platform and app use AGPLv3
Limits
- Monetization features are limited on mobile
- NSFW content is unavailable in the mobile stores
- Plus costs $8 a month
- Networks plans start at $50 a month
Who it suits
Minds suits people looking for a social network with groups, chat, media and monetization features, including creators considering Minds+. Minds Networks is positioned for creators and community leads running branded community apps.
Verdict
Minds combines social features with creator subscriptions and branded community options. Check the plan-specific upload limits and mobile restrictions if video or monetization is central to your use.
Where Specifiction places it
- Community Platforms#6 of 1269.3