Farcaster
Farcaster is a decentralized social media protocol built on Ethereum's Optimism and Base Chain, serving Web3 and crypto-native users with user-owned identity and data. It operates the Farcaster App and Warpcast client, monetizing through transaction and storage fees, and was acquired by Neynar in February 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Farcaster does
Farcaster is a decentralized social media protocol founded in 2020-2021 by Coinbase alumni Dan Romero and Varun Srinivasan, built on Ethereum's Optimism layer-2 and Coinbase's Base Chain. The protocol enables users to own their identity and social graph on-chain, with the flagship first-party client Warpcast and third-party clients such as Supercast providing user-facing access. Core product features include Frames, which enable interactive third-party applications embedded in posts, and a crypto wallet launched in 2025 as a strategic pivot toward onchain traders after the co-founders acknowledged the social network lacked product-market fit. Distribution is primarily through iOS and Android app stores and the farcaster.xyz web platform, with community-led growth within the Web3/crypto-native ecosystem.
The business model relies on transaction fees and storage fees generated through the protocol, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers or subscription plans. The target user base is Web3 and crypto-native users seeking data ownership, censorship resistance, and creator-friendly economics (90-100% revenue retention versus an estimated 45-100% on incumbent platforms), alongside SocialFi participants interested in token-based engagement. Revenue figures have never been disclosed.
In February 2026, Merkle Manufactory sold the Farcaster protocol to Neynar, Inc., returning approximately $180 million to venture investors. The co-founders subsequently stepped back from day-to-day operations and joined stablecoin startup Tempo, marking a full change in control and operational leadership. The legal entity operating the protocol is now Neynar, Inc., domiciled in Delaware with a mailing address in Wilmington and governed by California law.
Farcaster firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Farcaster
- Legal name
- Neynar, Inc.
- Website
- https://farcaster.xyz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Farcaster is a decentralized social media protocol built on Ethereum's Optimism and Base Chain, serving Web3 and crypto-native users with user-owned identity and data. It operates the Farcaster App and Warpcast client, monetizing through transaction and storage fees, and was acquired by Neynar in February 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Farcaster industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized Social Network / Web3 Social Protocol
- akta.pro primary industry
- Niche/Genre Streaming Channels (e.g., Horror, Anime, Faith, Kids) (MPABAHAH)
Keywords
Where Farcaster is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Farcaster business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Transaction Fees: Revenue generated from transaction fees on the platform's decentralized social protocol.
- Storage Fees: Revenue generated through storage fees for data maintained on the protocol.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels1 record
Farcaster product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Farcaster operates a decentralized social network protocol built on Ethereum's Optimism and Base Chain, where users own their identity and data through blockchain technology. The consumer-facing Farcaster app is supported by the flagship first-party client Warpcast and third-party clients such as Supercast, with Frames enabling interactive third-party applications and an integrated crypto wallet added via a 2025 strategic pivot. Revenue is generated through transaction fees and storage fees on the protocol.
Product overview
Farcaster is a decentralized social media platform and protocol architecture. The core offering consists of the Farcaster App (mobile and desktop) where users own their identity and data, supported by the flagship first-party client Warpcast and third-party client Supercast. The platform operates as an open protocol built on Ethereum's Optimism and Base Chain. Additional features include Frames for third-party integrations (including interactive applications and GameFi) and a crypto wallet launched as part of a 2025 strategic pivot toward traders. Revenue is generated through transaction and storage fees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Farcaster App A decentralized social media mobile and desktop application where users own their identity and data through blockchain technology; the primary consumer-facing product for the Farcaster protocol, available on iOS, Android, and web.
- Warpcast The flagship first-party client application for the Farcaster protocol, offering the primary user interface for decentralized social interactions on Ethereum's Optimism and Base Chain.
- Supercast A third-party client application built on the Farcaster protocol, providing an alternative interface for users to access the decentralized social network.
Quantifiable outcome
- Creator revenue retention of 90-100% compared to 45-100% on traditional social media platforms
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Farcaster
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Farcaster technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature2 records
Farcaster partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- TempominorFarcaster co-founders Dan Romero and Varun Srinivasan, along with the Merkle team, joined stablecoin startup Tempo weeks after Merkle sold Farcaster to Neynar.
- Base (Coinbase L2)coreFarcaster is deeply integrated with Base, Coinbase's Ethereum layer 2 blockchain. Base deepened ties to Farcaster through wallet rebranding to Base App and integration into Coinbase's consumer ecosystem.
- OptimismcoreFarcaster is built on Optimism's OP Stack, utilizing Ethereum's Optimism layer 2 blockchain for its decentralized social protocol.
- NeynarcoreNeynar acquired Farcaster from Merkle Manufactory and currently operates the platform, providing the mobile app, cloud services, and maintaining the protocol infrastructure.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Farcaster competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
Direct peers
- Lens Protocol: Decentralized social graph protocol built on Polygon/zkSync, the closest direct competitor to Farcaster in Web3 social networking. Both target user-owned identity and follow graphs on-chain with profile NFTs and portable social graphs.
- Bluesky: Decentralized social network built on the AT Protocol, offering user-owned identity and portable accounts as a Twitter alternative. Comparable to Farcaster in targeting users seeking decentralized alternatives to incumbent social media.
- Mastodon: Federated, decentralized social network using ActivityPub. Comparable to Farcaster as a non-blockchain decentralized social alternative pursuing user ownership and interoperability across independent servers.
- DeSo (Decentralized Social): Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for decentralized social media applications. Directly comparable as a blockchain-native social infrastructure play competing for the same DeSoc mindshare and developers.
- Steemit: One of the earliest blockchain-based social media platforms using token rewards for content. Comparable to Farcaster in pioneering the SocialFi / crypto-incentivized social model, though engagement has declined.
- Minds: Open-source, decentralized social network with token-based rewards. Comparable to Farcaster in targeting users seeking censorship-resistant, user-controlled alternatives to mainstream social media.
Emerging players
- Mirror.xyz: Web3 publishing platform built on Optimism (the same L2 as Farcaster). Comparable in targeting crypto-native creators with onchain content and tokenization, though focused on long-form publishing rather than social feeds.
- friend.tech: SocialFi application on Base (the same L2 as Farcaster) that tokenizes social graphs via creator "keys." Comparable in pursuing onchain social monetization on the Base ecosystem and overlapping user base.
Broad incumbents
- X (Twitter): Dominant microblogging social network and primary incumbent Farcaster positions against. Comparable in core use case (real-time public social feed, identity, follow graph) but differs in centralized ownership and ad-driven model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Farcaster social profiles
Digital presenceFarcaster financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Farcaster leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Farcaster funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors25 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Farcaster M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Farcaster
What does Farcaster do?
Farcaster operates a decentralized social network protocol built on Ethereum's Optimism and Base Chain, where users own their identity and data through blockchain technology. The consumer-facing Farcaster app is supported by the flagship first-party client Warpcast and third-party clients such as Supercast, with Frames enabling interactive third-party applications and an integrated crypto wallet added via a 2025 strategic pivot. Revenue is generated through transaction fees and storage fees on the protocol.
Is Farcaster a public or private company?
Farcaster is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Farcaster founded?
Farcaster was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Farcaster based?
Farcaster is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Farcaster make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are storage Fees.
Who are Farcaster's main competitors?
Threads (Meta) is listed as an others. Direct peers are Lens Protocol, Bluesky, Mastodon, DeSo (Decentralized Social), Steemit and Minds. Emerging players are Mirror.xyz and friend.tech. X (Twitter) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Farcaster have an API?
Yes. Farcaster offers developer documentation and an open protocol for building applications. The sources reference https://docs.farcaster.xyz as the developer portal. No specific API type (REST, GraphQL), authentication method, rate limits, or sandbox availability details are provided in the source material. Developer documentation is at docs.farcaster.xyz.
What industry is Farcaster in?
Farcaster's product category is Decentralized Social Network / Web3 Social Protocol. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAHAH, Niche/Genre Streaming Channels (e.g., Horror, Anime, Faith, Kids).