Is MeWe a Good Alternative to Facebook Amid Privacy Concerns?

Facebook has been in the news over the last year mainly for negative reasons. Many people have been apprehensive about social media giants due to pesky targeted ads and how they handle users’ data. This year, there were calls to boycott Facebook when the company didn't curb hate speech. Is MeWe a good alternative to Facebook? Is the platform free?

Facebook is the leader in the social media space. It also owns Instagram and WhatsApp. More advertisers were drawn to companies like Snap amid calls to boycott Facebook. There are also alternate social media companies like MeWe and Parler, which play on data privacy and free speech.

The social media business model revolves around targeted advertisements and customized content. Most platforms offer a free to use platform. The platforms sometimes charge for premium features. Ad revenues are the bedrock for social media companies like Facebook.

What separates MeWe from other social media companies? The company doesn't have ads on its platform let alone targeted ads. MeWe also claims that there isn't any manipulation of the newsfeed on its platform, unlike Facebook. The platform also claims to be politically neutral.

Most social media companies have been accused of stifling conservative voices. MeWe claims to be a platform that doesn't censor content. However, MeWe has policies related to pornographic and obscene content. Both MeWe and Parler are popular among conservatives.

The one metric where Facebook scores above other social media platforms, like MeWe and Parler, is its reach. In Facebook's third-quarter earnings release, the company said that its daily active users were 1.82 billion in September. Despite all of the calls to boycott Facebook, the daily active users actually increased by 197 million in the month compared to the last year.

In contrast, MeWe crossed 9 million subscribers in October 2020. Having a high user base brings critical mass and acts as a barrier to entry for new entrants. Simply put, there's a high probability that you will find your friends on Facebook instead of on MeWe.

However, it doesn't mean that MeWe isn't a good alternative for Facebook. The platform has features like private chats and group chats that you would expect from a social media platform. MeWe also offers cloud storage, which is ahead of what Facebook offers. 

With data privacy increasingly becoming a concern, MeWe looks like a good alternative to Facebook especially if you're concerned about the way Big Tech companies manage your data.

MeWe is a subscription-based social media platform that’s based on the freemium model. While the basic service is free, some other premium services are chargeable. Like Facebook, MeWe also advertises itself as free forever.

While MeWe offers free storage up to 8 GB, you can buy storage up to 50 GB at $3.99 per month. Live voice and video calls are chargeable at $1.99 per month. There are other chargeable services like custom emojis and stickers, MeWe pages, Dark Mode, and exclusive MeWe journals. You can also opt for the bundle at $4.99 per month.

Having a mobile app is more of a necessity than a competitive advantage now. MeWe has an app and it has gained a lot of popularity over the last few months. A lot of Trump supporters have apparently joined the platform even though Parler is more popular among conservatives.

Similar to Facebook, you would need your email id or mobile number to set up a MeWe account. To open an account with MeWe, you need to certify that you are over 16 years old. In contrast, 13 years old is the minimum age required to open a Facebook account.