What is Facebook used for?

Facebook is Meta's social network for personal profiles, groups, business pages and marketplace listings, used by individuals, communities and advertisers. It is a good fit for staying in touch with friends and family, and running a business page and community.

Is Facebook open source?

No. Facebook is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Facebook include diaspora*.

What are some alternatives to Facebook?

Facebook competes with Instagram, LinkedIn and X (Twitter). For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Facebook alternatives.

Facebook: features, pricing and alternatives

About Facebook

Facebook is a consumer social network run by Meta. People create profiles, connect with friends and family, post updates and photos, join interest groups and follow pages from businesses, public figures and organizations.

It also includes a marketplace for buying and selling local goods, event tools and messaging, and it gives businesses pages and advertising tools to reach customers. It is a hosted consumer platform that individuals use for free, while businesses can buy ads to promote content. This entry describes a social platform rather than a conventional software product you install or self-host.

Key features

Personal profiles and friend connections
Interest groups and communities
Business and public figure pages
Marketplace listings for local sales
Messaging and event tools

Good fit for

→Staying in touch with friends and family
→Running a business page and community

Tags: social-network; meta; groups; pages; marketplace; advertising; community

Facebook: questions and answers

What is Facebook used for?: Facebook is Meta's social network for personal profiles, groups, business pages and marketplace listings, used by individuals, communities and advertisers. It is a good fit for staying in touch with friends and family, and running a business page and community.
Is Facebook free?: Yes. Facebook is free to use.
Is Facebook open source?: No. Facebook is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Facebook include diaspora*.
What are some alternatives to Facebook?: Facebook competes with Instagram, LinkedIn and X (Twitter). For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Facebook alternatives.