Alternatives to Tuba
A GTK desktop client for browsing and posting on Mastodon and the wider fediverse. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Tuba
A GTK desktop client for browsing and posting on Mastodon and the wider fediverse.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Tuba.
Tokodon
KDE's client for Mastodon and other fediverse servers, for Linux and Windows.
Tokodon is KDE's native client for Linux and Windows, fitting KDE Plasma rather than GNOME, but it has no Android build and focuses on Mastodon-compatible servers.
Whalebird
A single-column desktop client for Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica and other fediverse accounts.
Whalebird adds a macOS build and supports Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica, Firefish, GoToSocial and Pixelfed, but uses a single-column layout and has no mobile version.
Elk
A lightweight open-source web client for Mastodon that runs in the browser.
Elk is an open-source Mastodon web client that runs in any modern browser, replacing a native GTK app with a browser interface focused on Mastodon only.
Phanpy
A minimalistic, opinionated web client for reading and posting on Mastodon from a browser.
Phanpy is a minimal browser-based Mastodon client, which is not open source and drops features such as Tuba's scheduled posts and admin tools.
Tusky
A lightweight open-source Android client for Mastodon and other fediverse servers.
Tusky is an Android-only Mastodon client under GPL-3.0, so Linux and Windows desktop users lose a native app, though it keeps drafts, lists and custom emoji.
Fedilab
A multi-account Android client for Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica, Pixelfed and PeerTube.
Fedilab runs only on Android but handles several accounts at once and covers Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica, Pixelfed and PeerTube in one open-source app.
Ice Cubes
An open-source Mastodon client for iPhone, iPad and Mac, written in SwiftUI.
Ice Cubes is an open-source SwiftUI Mastodon client for iPhone, iPad and Mac, so it suits Apple users rather than Linux, Windows or Android.
Ivory
A Mastodon client for iPhone, iPad and Mac from the makers of Tweetbot.
Ivory is a paid, closed-source Mastodon client for iPhone, iPad and Mac from the Tweetbot makers, with timeline position syncing across devices.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Tuba as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Moshidon
A customizable Material You Mastodon client for Android, forked from Megalodon.
Tuba is a GPL-3.0 GTK client for Linux, Windows and Android with scheduled posts, polls and admin tools, feeling most at home on GNOME.
Pachli
An open-source Android client for Mastodon and compatible fediverse servers.
Tuba is a GTK client for Linux, Windows and Android with scheduled posts, polls and admin tools, feeling most at home on GNOME.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Mastodon
Federated microblogging server with no algorithmic feed.
GoToSocial
A lightweight self-hosted ActivityPub social network server written in Go.
Pleroma
Lightweight fediverse server that runs on very modest hardware.
Openvibe
A mobile app that combines Mastodon, Bluesky, Threads and Nostr timelines into one feed.
Tapestry
An iOS app that merges RSS feeds, social media, podcasts and YouTube into one chronological timeline.
Feditext
A free, open source iOS client for Mastodon and Mastodon-compatible fediverse servers.
