The internet’s two most beloved ghosts are coming back to life. Friendster already relaunched in 2026, and MySpace has officially confirmed a comeback is in the works.
For Filipinos, this is personal. Friendster was our first social network, the thing that defined the internet cafe era, and MySpace was the soundtrack of the same generation. Here is everything new about both revivals, verified against the Friendster and MySpace records, and how they stack up against the apps we use today.
Friendster is back, and it is nothing like the old Friendster
Friendster relaunched as an iOS app in April 2026, followed by Android in June 2026. It is now owned by Friendster Labs Inc., which acquired the domain back in October 2023.
The new Friendster is a private, ad free mobile app focused on in person connections. The owners describe it as “entertainment and fun,” and they say it is not trying to compete with Facebook at all.
Here is the catch that will hurt: there is no access to your old account. The company says it has no data, photos, or profiles from the 2000s era platform. Your old testimonials are gone forever.
CEO Mike Carson is leading the project, and the app is available worldwide on both iOS and Android today.
MySpace is coming back, minus Tom
MySpace’s owners, brothers Tim and Chris Vanderhook, have confirmed a full relaunch is in active development. No official date has been announced yet.
The plan is to bring back the features people loved: customizable profiles, the Top 8 friend ranking, profile songs, and a strong music focus. The pitch is a social network with no algorithms, just curation and personality.
The bad news for nostalgics: Tom Anderson, the original first friend of the internet, will not be part of it. The relaunch comes without the man whose default friend request started a million friendships.
Interesting side note: MySpace has quietly grown from around 200,000 monthly users in 2023 to 6 million in 2026, almost entirely Millennials looking for a quieter corner of the internet.
Why now? The algorithm fatigue is real
Both revivals are betting on the same thing: people are exhausted by algorithm driven feeds. The endless scroll, the forced content, the engagement bait.
MySpace’s owners put it plainly in interviews: everything is programmed to you and what you are going to like, and that is exactly what people are tired of.
Friendster’s new owners are making the same bet, minus the algorithms and the ads entirely. The old platforms were messy, personal, and slow, and that is suddenly the appeal.
Friendster vs MySpace: the revival matchup
| Feature | Friendster 2026 | MySpace 2026 (planned) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Live since April 2026 | Confirmed, no date yet |
| Platform | iOS + Android app | Web (expected) |
| Ads | None, ad free | Not confirmed |
| Focus | In person connections | Music + profiles |
| Old data | None, clean slate | Likely clean slate |
| Owner | Friendster Labs, Mike Carson | Viant Technology, Vanderhook brothers |
| Signature feature | Private, invite based feel | Top 8 + profile songs |
Friendster is a mobile first, private app with zero ads. MySpace is aiming for the full nostalgia package: custom profiles, music, and friend rankings, on the web.
How the revivals compare to today’s platforms
| Platform | Algorithm feed | Ads | Profile customization | Music focus | Primary audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendster 2026 | No | No | Minimal | No | Nostalgic Millennials |
| MySpace (planned) | No | TBD | Yes, heavy | Yes | Nostalgic Millennials |
| Yes | Yes | Low | No | Everyone, 3 billion | |
| Yes | Yes | Low | Reels only | Gen Z + Millennials | |
| TikTok | Yes, extreme | Yes | None | Viral sound only | Gen Z |
| X (Twitter) | Mixed | Yes | Low | No | News + discourse |
| Threads | Yes | Yes | Low | No | Text conversation |
The pattern is clear: every current platform runs an algorithm, serves ads, and offers almost no way to make your profile feel like yours. That is the exact void the revivals are aiming for.
What the revivals are not doing
Neither revival is trying to become the next Facebook or TikTok. Friendster’s owners have said outright they want to complement, not compete with, the big platforms.
MySpace is positioning itself as the anti algorithm space, a place where the feed is yours, not the machine’s. It is a niche play, not a conquest play.
Both are also starting from zero on users. No imported friend lists, no old photos, no inherited networks. You rebuild your world from scratch.
Will they work?
The honest answer: nobody knows. Nostalgia launches have a history of early hype and fast decline, and the people who loved Friendster and MySpace are now adults with jobs and inboxes.
But the 6 million monthly users MySpace has already quietly accumulated suggest the demand is real. People are actively looking for a calmer internet.
For Filipinos, the appeal is especially strong. Friendster was our internet origin story, and the chance to revisit it, even with a clean slate, is a powerful draw.
The bottom line
Friendster is back and live now, ad free and private. MySpace is coming, with Top 8, profile songs, and no algorithms, but without Tom.
Neither will kill Instagram or TikTok. They do not need to. They just need to be the quiet corner where the internet feels personal again.
And honestly, after years of algorithm soup, that sounds pretty good.
