Whereas Nostr was based in 2020/2021, it solely actually gained preliminary traction as soon as Will Caserin launched Damus and Jack Dorsey tweeted about it. Just a few months later, the primary Nostr world convention was held in Costa Rica (Nostrica), and issues actually began to maneuver. Over the subsequent 18 months, many — myself included — had been satisfied Nostr was going to take off.
Sadly, fast-forward to late 2025, and progress appears to have stalled. The information means that exercise on Nostr has not solely flatlined however might have even declined, regardless of important enhancements within the high quality of apps and shoppers constructed on the protocol.
I say that is an remark of the info, not a criticism, as a result of I would like this protocol to succeed and I’m fascinated by what’s occurred.
So… Why Has Nostr Not Lived Up To Its Potential?
I imagine there are two foremost causes:
- Competing for content material is troublesome: Content material creators wish to go the place the viewers is and content material shoppers wish to go the place the perfect creators are. It is a very exhausting cycle to interrupt, particularly when TikTok, Instagram and X are so good at what they do. I’ve seen firsthand how a lot of a chore it’s for individuals to publish on “one more platform,” even when it’s simply copy-pasting the identical content material. It’s too excessive friction for too little reward (therefore the huge drop-off in retention we see on the Nostr stats).
- The censorship resistance boat has sailed. The wanting it’s that not sufficient individuals care. Those that do are on X, Substack and Rumble, not as a result of these platforms are extra censorship resistant, however as a result of they’ve higher advertising and marketing departments and might win the narrative warfare. Even Instagram has modified: It’s stuffed with memes and fact bombs that might have gotten you perma-banned solely 6 months in the past. The reality is that folks’s recollections are brief and most of them simply don’t have the technical prowess to know why Nostr is superior on this division.
The circumstances for these components might change.
If, for no matter motive, the incumbent merchandise degrade and their creator bases collapse, whereas Nostr apps concurrently turn out to be 10 instances higher than the incumbents, then it would result in a mass migration of creators. Nonetheless, I discover this extremely inconceivable. The groups at X, Meta and ByteDance are too rattling good, their merchandise are too rattling partaking, their prime creators get manner too many advantages, and their audiences are manner too addicted for this to realistically occur.
How concerning the censorship resistance angle? Certain, the panorama may shift once more sooner or later. There might be one other wave of widespread web censorship, and people on Substack, Rumble and X may be taught the exhausting manner. However when may that happen? Two, 5, ten years from now, when the political local weather swings again? The place will Nostr companies and due to this fact Nostr be then — particularly if funding for the perfect merchandise dries up as a consequence of stalled progress? There was a golden window of alternative for this narrative, however for my part, it’s now closed.
As such, I imagine there must be a better, extra sly, roundabout manner to do that*.
*A minimum of for us as a enterprise — as a result of whereas Nostr is a protocol and might survive lengthy sufficient for an excellent product to come back alongside and revive it 10 years from now; we’re a enterprise and we function on a unique timeline. We should discover product-market-fit in a a lot shorter timeframe, or we’re toast.
The Chilly Begin Downside
Andrew Chen is certainly one of my favourite thinkers on community results. He was beforehand the pinnacle of Rider Progress at Uber and authored “The Cold Start Problem” — top-of-the-line books on the subject of community results and market merchandise and platforms.
I’ve learn this e book twice, and each instances it bolstered how difficult this downside is to resolve and the way highly effective the outcomes will be if you do.
In it, Chen discusses 4 foremost methods for fixing the chilly begin downside and reaching preliminary important mass:
- Invite-only / Waitlists (e.g., Raya, LinkedIn and Fb within the early days)
- Come for the software, keep for the community (DropBox, Yelp, IG)
- Shopping for the exhausting facet (Uber, Coca-Cola)
- Flintstoning / Simulating Customers (DoorDash, Reddit)
I imagine Nostr, as a community, unintentionally employed the invite-only technique by capturing the Bitcoin group, creating a robust, concentrated early community (what Chen calls an atomic community). It was area of interest sufficient that it solely attracted particular varieties of individuals (with no need an express invite-only strategy) and there have been sufficient of us there to make the connections and expertise significant. My guess is that that is additionally why it stays energetic right this moment.
However, as I stated, as a result of the timing of the merchandise, the tradition and the protocol’s maturity had been barely misaligned, progress has stalled out and for now it’s caught on the identical stage it was 12 months in the past — a bit just like the valence stage for electrons round a nucleus.
To increase the analogy, we now want to spice up this “valence” to unlock a brand new quantum vitality state, and I imagine this requires a new strategy excessive of the present content-focused strategy (one should construct atop the opposite).
Come for the Instrument, Keep for the Community
We’re in a brand new period of tech, which is driving a renaissance in shopper purposes and instruments.
That is largely due to the AI revolution, however Nostr and Bitcoin can play a big position if utilized accurately as instruments within the stack.
Chen, in his e book, highlights a few key community purposes that had been initially instruments and later turned networks, together with Instagram, DropBox and Yelp. The story of Instagram is especially attention-grabbing to me as a result of it was an inspiration for us at Satlantis. It displaced Hipstamatic, a $3.99/month picture filter app that allowed customers to use filters to, and save images to their telephones, which they might later publish to Fb.
Instagram not solely provided related performance free of charge but in addition enabled customers to share these edited images natively on their very own Instagram profiles whereas additionally making it straightforward to publish to different social media platforms (Twitter and Fb on the time), from the app.
It went viral as a software (images with cool filters shared off-platform) and remained sticky as a result of individuals started constructing profiles and establishing networks on-platform.
I imagine the elements for the subsequent Nostr unlock may lie on this technique (not less than for us and our product).
We’ve been constructing Satlantis as a sort of travel-centric social community à la Nostr: based mostly on TripAdvisor, crossed with meetup.com and with an Instagram really feel.
Since releasing the beta at BTCPrague in June, we’ve obtained invaluable consumer suggestions, analyzed utilization patterns and deeply thought-about the true worth of our product.
I need to admit, it hasn’t been a simple course of, because it revealed a number of uncomfortable truths.
First, we got down to construct an excessive amount of, too early. This not solely created an immense workload for ourselves (growing a number of apps with distinct performance throughout each net and desktop) but in addition made it extremely troublesome to articulate our product in easy phrases.
Second, I imagine we made an error by prioritizing social options first, and specifically, content material creation. I spotted this late final yr, however I used to be nonetheless considerably captivated by the attract of constructing a social app — as a result of, hey, Nostr is a social protocol, proper?
However right here’s the reality, and the massive breakthrough for us: Folks don’t really want one other social app, no matter whether or not it’s constructed on Nostr. Posting content material is a chore, and having one more place to do it provides extra friction, not much less. When you must push all however essentially the most devoted customers to have interaction (versus them being pulled towards it), you understand it’s not true product-market match.
Nonetheless, it’s not all dangerous information! In any case, Nostr isn’t just about “notes,” is it? We additionally found that there was actual worth in two very distinct instruments amid the cacophony of options we’d constructed. Instruments that aren’t solely extra slim, clear and express, however which can be additionally enhanced by their relationship to a social community.
Let’s discover what these are and what I imply.
Feeds are highly effective, however they’re additionally very exhausting.
That is an space the place we’ve struggled to distinguish ourselves. I didn’t wish to construct one other Nostr clone with the identical feed, crammed with the identical content material from the identical individuals you already comply with.
So… as an alternative of replicating present fashions, we experimented. We began with media-only posts first, however discovered that missing so added again textual content, video and pictures. We then integrated a really light-touch algorithm that weights content material not solely by who you comply with but in addition by the pursuits you choose throughout onboarding. This supplies a mix of “for you” content material alongside content material from these you comply with, providing each discoverability and connection.
We additionally made our feed extra multifaceted — a bit like Fb. You’ll be able to share extra than simply textual content, pictures and video on Satlantis, together with locations and retailers, occasions and exquisite collections in a carousel type (extra on this beneath).
We even determined to keep away from zaps as a result of they aren’t a differentiator amongst Nostr apps, and we needed to create an expertise that might additionally attraction to non-Bitcoiners, hoping to open the doorways to a brand new market. The aim was to make zaps the icing on the cake, not the draw card itself.
The consequence? Effectively, it’s nonetheless early days, and whereas some customers respect the extra dynamic nature of our feed and the power to share various content material, if I’m being sincere, it hasn’t “popped.”
Our feeds are neither compelling nor differentiated sufficient. The incumbents are just too good at what they do: Individuals are usually completely happy to affix and take a look at Satlantis, however they wind up again on IG, X and TikTok as a result of that’s the place all of the motion is. Alternatively, if we’re all being sincere, Nostr already has a transparent winner within the feed division with Primal, and two sturdy runners-up in Damus and Amethyst. So although the Satlantis feed feels a bit totally different, it’s nonetheless simply too shut to each different Nostr-client feed — so why ought to anybody change? Living proof:
As such, the feed sport, not less than for us, is presently not price enjoying. On one hand, it’s an uphill battle in opposition to incumbents, and on the opposite, there isn’t sufficient differentiation. Primal, Damus and Amethyst are all doing this nicely and I want all of them the success of their endeavours. I hope they will slowly chip away on the legacy social networks.
So at Satlantis, the query stays: if we’re not going to do a feed, might we nonetheless use the social graph for one thing totally different and extra distinctive? After a very long time spent experimenting and iterating, it appears the reply isn’t solely “sure” however that it was there all alongside, buried below the entire feed, social networking and content material noise.
Enter… the Social Discovery Expertise
As a substitute of simply giving individuals extra content material, what if we used the social relationships amongst them to assist floor info like “which of my mates went to or advisable Restaurant X” or “which ones bookmarked place Y” or “which ones are going to occasion Z?”
Ackshually, since an image says greater than 1,000 phrases, as an alternative of me explaining it, let me present you:
As you may see, as an alternative of one other feed, this discovery strategy blends the “social graph intelligence” (I can’t consider a greater time period right here) into the precise software, making it extra helpful.
The result’s an expertise that’s much less like Instagram or X, and, curiously sufficient, extra like Spotify. The uncover tab, which is able to turn out to be our default expertise, will aid you immediately see who out of your connections goes to which occasion, advisable a spot, created a set, bookmarked a venue, and so forth. What’s cool about that is that we will nonetheless have a feed, however as an alternative of a content material feed, we will make an “exercise feed.” Bear in mind when Fb was cool, and within the early days your wall had updates alongside content material from your pals? Issues like “Aleks simply checked in at ‘x’ place” or made ‘y’ motion.” That is in step with the transfer away from social media and again to social networks as I’ve written about beforehand.
By shifting the social component into the background we make the core options of the appliance (the map and occasions) the main focus, however over time, extra invaluable and sticky as extra individuals be part of.
One other solution to say it: The instruments are helpful standalone, however made much more helpful due to the social info embedded into every of them.
And that proper there’s the unlock: The social graph is the GLUE, not the first materials.
Extra Than Simply Extra Content material
One among our guiding rules is to get individuals off their telephones and again into the true world. This new shift in product technique helps us try this as a result of, as an alternative of specializing in extra content material and thus incentivizing individuals to spend extra time on their gadgets, we will drive the performance towards precise utility for curators, tastemakers and expertise or occasion hosts.
There are a number of items to this puzzle and it’ll develop, however at first, we’re going to concentrate on two major areas since they’re the strongest options in our app:
1. Locations and Collections
A Place is something that may be pinned on a map. In time, our map will assist each sort of place — be it a café or restaurant, a lodge, a lookout, a mountaineering path or a monument — however presently, it helps the next six classes:
- Cafes and eating places
- Well being and wellness
- Co-working and occasion areas
- Points of interest (pure or man-made, like museums)
- Native markets and specialty meals
- Nightlife
You’ll be able to already uncover 20,000+ locations in any of those classes, in over 300 cities around the globe, every with wealthy profiles, evaluation summaries, imagery and, most significantly, wealthy interest-tagging (for those who’re a Bitcoiner for instance, you may simply discover locations that settle for bitcoin, or for those who’re a seed oil disrespector, yow will discover locations which can be seed oil free, and so forth).
It’s also possible to type and filter by class, by vibe, by weight loss plan and delicacies and a lot extra. (FWIW, we even have the most important and most correct record of bitcoin-accepting and seed oil-free locations worldwide).
It’s also possible to add locations to the map. That is a part of why we’ve got such numerous listings. You click on the little floating button (storefront with a + image) and simply sort the identify of the place you wish to add. We’re plugged into the Google API, so so long as it’s on there, it is going to come up and all you must do is say why you prefer it. Our AI pipelines will then go scour the net and create a wealthy profile for it, full with evaluation summaries and pictures inside 24 hours.
Then… my favourite function of all is Collections.
Collections are high-powered bookmark folders that you would be able to create, share and save. Consider them as curated lists — just like playlists on Spotify or temper boards on Pinterest — that you should utilize privately (like an itinerary of locations you wish to see) or publicly as a tastemaker or curator (i.e., prime 10 co-working cafés in Bali, prime 10 hikes in Boulder, and so forth).
Collections are designed to be social, so, like playlists on Spotify, they are often saved and shared, with the perfect ones trending on our discovery tabs. I might say a lot extra, however I already lined it in this article right here, so test that out.
Lastly, and really quickly, additionally, you will be capable to advocate locations. It is a bit totally different to Google evaluations as a result of we’re not doing star rankings however thumbs up or down and tagging.
That is very highly effective on Satlantis as a result of we will floor the social info (i.e., six of your pals advisable this place) to offer you instantaneous insights. We are able to additionally make the invention expertise really feel extra magical by surfacing the kinds of Locations and Collections which can be most advisable by individuals in your social community with whom you share tastes and preferences.
This truly emulates actual life and is, for my part, a sport changer for a way we’ll all expertise maps and the world. See what I’ve circled within the pictures beneath.
Occasions and Calendars
Occasions is self-explanatory, so as an alternative of explaining it intimately, I’ll simply say that what we’re cooking goes to be as easy and polished as Lu.ma with the entire highly effective options that it has, however will even provide you with:
- Ticketing in each bitcoin and fiat (with Bitcoin being native, in-app, and very frictionless). This unlocks actually international ticketing in a manner that’s by no means been completed earlier than.
- The power to affiliate a spot or a set to an occasion (assume: steered locations from the occasion organiser and even, 10% off these 10 locations throughout our convention/retreat for those who use a selected code)
- Occasion discovery by way of our social market, which signifies that it’s not simply “what’s taking place close to me” however “what’s taking place close to me that my mates and group care about.” That is the place the magic of social discovery lies.
- Calendars are collections of occasions. Think about you’re a big convention and also you wish to have official satellite tv for pc occasions operating. You’ll be able to create a calendar with a novel URL (e.g., satlantis.io/wob-2025) and have everybody who desires to host a facet occasion create it by way of there. On this manner, all official facet occasions are tied to the principle occasion. That is highly effective for a lot of causes — together with high quality management, ease of discovery, profile progress for the organizer and related Nostr community progress (each new attendee turns into a Nostr consumer and follower).
Sooner or later, we’ll tie off the product expertise with Golf equipment and Communities and full the three pillars of Satlantis: Folks, Locations and Occasions.
However since there is sufficient to do with simply Locations and Occasions, and Folks is considerably taken care of by the social component inherent within the app (you may comply with individuals, interact, chat [soon] and so forth), we’ll fear about it later.
In Closing
Nostr has the potential to turn out to be the social layer of the web and beat the incumbents at their very own sport, however that can take time.
It’s going to additionally require the “lead bullets” strategy, that means that nobody strategy might be sufficient. Some apps will take the social angle, like Primal, Damus, and so forth whereas others, like Satlantis, will take the utility-first strategy.
The fantastic thing about Nostr is that every of those merchandise has a typical social layer and profile ID (nPub) so customers can accrue advantages throughout the entire protocol.
For Satlantis, this new strategy is about creating a completely new class of software that quietly turns into indispensable, the place the social graph enhances utility as an alternative of demanding consideration. We’re extra on the “different stuff” facet of the equation, even when we’re not but ready to suggest full-on NIPs for Occasions and Locations simply but (we’ll as soon as we’ve fleshed out the options extra).
By shifting from feeds and content material to discovery and context, we will create a product that enhances actual life and real-world experiences, whereas purple-pilling everyone below the hood.
That’s the sly, roundabout path ahead: constructing instruments individuals really need, then letting the community emerge as a pure consequence of utilizing these superior instruments.
If you wish to see it in motion, you may obtain the app here.