Elon Musk’s takeover of X (previously Twitter) has encouraged people to explore new social networks like Threads, Mastodon, and Bluesky, although it can be difficult to manage several accounts on several platforms. Developers have created cross-posting applications to solve this problem, enabling users to post on several networks at once. Openvibe is one such software that has recently added support for Meta’s Threads, Instagram’s substitute for X.
Launched this past summer, Openvibe initially allowed users to browse a combined timeline and share material across Mastodon, Nostr, and Bluesky by offering cross-posting for these networks. Similar to this idea, Trillian once integrated multiple instant messaging services into a single program in the early 2000s. Matej Svancer, the CEO of Openvibe, states that the company wants to provide a smooth “gateway” to the open social web, which includes technologies like ActivityPub (used by Threads and Mastodon), AT Protocol (Bluesky), and Nostr. There are network-to-network bridge solutions, but many of them need additional setups, user opt-ins, and mirror accounts. Svancer thinks that Openvibe’s simplified cross-posting is a simpler way to welcome new users to open social spaces.
Now that iOS and Android support Threads, Openvibe users may access unified feeds from all supported networks, cross-post, and reply. Openvibe has made the most of Threads’ API despite its limitations to provide a cost-free and user-friendly experience. According to Svancer, as Threads’ API advances, more functionalities will be added. The latest update caused some minor technical problems, but Openvibe has offered a troubleshooting guide to help.
Although it’s now free to download, Openvibe plans to charge for a desktop version and a membership plan in the future. Subscriptions are already available for other cross-posting apps, like Croissant, which supports Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon. Croissant’s membership starts at $2.99 per month.