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an anonymous app without the campus gate — a Sidechat alternative

Sidechat is locked to US college communities. hivemind brings the same anonymous, local feed to your whole town — no .edu email, no campus required.

what hivemind is

hivemind is an anonymous, hyperlocal community app. You see and post to people inside a radius you choose — 1, 5, 10, 25, or 50 km — with no profiles, no followers, and no real names. Like Sidechat, it's anonymous and local. The key difference is who it's for: Sidechat (which now also operates Yik Yak) is organised around US college campuses and typically asks for a school email to join your community. hivemind is open to anyone 18+ in your area — student or not — and supports photos, video, GIFs, memes, polls and "asks" alongside text.

hivemind vs Sidechat at a glance

FeaturehivemindSidechat
Anonymous to other usersYesYes
Open toAnyone 18+ nearbyMainly US college students (school email)
Needs a .edu / campus to joinNoUsually yes
Choose your own radius1–50 kmCampus / school community
Post formatsText, photo, video, GIF, meme, poll, askText & images
Verification before postingIdentity (private, encrypted)School email
Private archive of your postsMemoriesNo
Where it's availableCanada & beyond (launching by market)United States

Comparison reflects publicly known features of Sidechat and may change over time.

why people look for a Sidechat alternative

  • You're not at a US college. Sidechat is campus-gated; hivemind is open to anyone 18+ in your area, no school email needed.
  • You want a real town feed, not a campus one. See what's happening across your whole city, not just one school.
  • More ways to post. Video, GIFs, memes, polls, and "asks", not just text and images.
  • Anonymous, with safety built in. Posting requires private identity verification; it's 18+ and actively moderated.

common questions

Is hivemind like Sidechat?
Both are anonymous and local. The main difference is who it's for: Sidechat (which now also operates Yik Yak) is organised around US college campuses and usually asks for a school email to join your community. hivemind is open to anyone 18+ in your area — no campus or .edu email required — and supports photos, video, memes, polls and "asks" alongside text.
Do I need a school email or to be a college student to use hivemind?
No. hivemind is open to anyone 18 and older in your area. You don't need a .edu email or to be a student.
Is hivemind anonymous?
Yes. There are no profiles, no followers, and no real names shown to other users. To keep that anonymity safe, posting requires a one-time identity verification that is encrypted and never shown to anyone.
Is hivemind free?
Yes, hivemind is free to download and use. It's live on iOS, with Android in closed beta.

try hivemind

Free on iOS, with Android in beta.

Also see: vs Yik Yak · vs Fizz · all anonymous apps · FAQ