Instagram is the undisputed king of cell images, for higher or worse. And whereas there’s been no scarcity of opponents through the years, none has gotten anyplace close to the recognition of the OG IG, thanks in no small half to it having the may of Meta (nee Fb) behind it.
One which I’ve been utilizing for a lot of 2023, nevertheless, is Glass. It’s been round since August 2021 and payments itself as “a real group platform for photographers.” And as such, it’s actually good. It’s not meant for taking photos within the second and spewing them out in actual time — it’s for importing and viewing solely, with no digital camera functionality within the app. Nor does it have a behavior of stealing options from Snapchat and TikTok, so no Tales or Reels. And pictures are in a lot greater decision than what you’ll discover on Instagram.
It additionally doesn’t have any promoting. Or influencers. Or public like counts. It’s all images, on a regular basis, with cool options for looking out by class, member, cameras, and even particular person lenses, which makes it attainable to simply discover some remarkably uncommon photographs. And Glass is obtainable just about anyplace you’d need it, from cellphone and tablets (sure, the pill expertise is superb, one thing Instagram nonetheless hasn’t bothered with),to an internet browser at Glass.picture.
These are a number of the largest variations between Glass and Instagram. One other — in all probability the largest — is that it’s important to pay to submit or truly comply with anybody on Glass (you may view particular person accounts — right here’s mine, as an illustration). And beginning in 2024, the price of membership goes up a bit, from $30 a yr to $40 a yr. There’s additionally a “Patron” membership that will get you early entry to options as they’re being labored on, and three annual memberships to share with buddies. That’s going up from $99 to $130 yearly.
Should you enroll earlier than December 31, you may lock in these 2023 costs for yet one more yr. (And Glass is providing a $10 credit score to present members in the event that they ask, which at the least extends the transition.)
Is any of that price it? I suppose it relies upon. Should you’re an expert photographer, or a semi-pro who likes to see cool stuff and share cool stuff — or in the event you’re simply over the entire Instagram factor at this level, which is totally comprehensible — it could be.
Editors’ Suggestions