If you’ve ever wished for social media platforms that aren’t controlled by big corporations, you’re not alone. The creator behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup—open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp—is now turning to Kickstarter to help grow these apps. And guess what? The campaign is already off to a strong start, surpassing its initial funding goal.

These apps are part of the “fediverse,” a decentralized network of social platforms powered by the ActivityPub protocol. You might recognize ActivityPub from Mastodon, the popular X alternative that gained traction after Elon Musk took over Twitter. With more people seeking alternatives to billionaire-run platforms, apps like these are becoming increasingly popular.

Daniel Supernault, the Canadian developer behind these projects, is aiming high. He wants his apps to reach a billion users, though they’ve got a long way to go. Pixelfed, for example, just launched its 1.0 mobile app this month, while Loops is still in alpha testing. Sup, on the other hand, hasn’t been released yet but is “coming soon,” according to its Instagram page.

The Kickstarter campaign, which launched recently, has already raised over $58,000. The funds will help Supernault expand storage, improve moderation tools, and even introduce end-to-end encryption to the fediverse. Plus, supporters will get early access to Loops and Sup once they’re ready.

But that’s not all. Supernault is also working on Pubkit, a toolkit for developers building apps in the fediverse. It includes tools for testing, debugging, and verifying activities in real-time, making it easier for others to join the open social web movement.

With over 200,000 users on Pixelfed.social alone, the demand for these alternatives is clearly growing. If the campaign succeeds, it could also fund a blogging app to rival Tumblr or Livejournal in the future.

So, if you’re tired of the same old social media giants, this might be your chance to support something different. After all, who doesn’t love a good underdog story?