Mastodon

Free, open-source decentralized social networking over ActivityPub

About Mastodon

Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on the ActivityPub protocol. Anyone can host an instance, and users on different instances follow, reply to and share posts with each other across the federated Fediverse, with 500-character posts, media attachments, content warnings and strong moderation tools. There is no central company, advertising or algorithmic feed. Mastodon is aimed at communities, organizations and individuals who want social media that is collectively owned and interoperable by design.

Mastodon website preview

Live preview of joinmastodon.org via the WordPress mShots service — it can take a few seconds to generate on a first visit.

Mastodon: strengths & things to check

Strengths

Completely free to use — this directory lists no paid plan for it.
Covers social network, fediverse, microblogging, activitypub — see the focus areas listed in its key facts.
Has 6 close alternatives in the same category on this page, so switching or comparing is easy.

Things to check

Free tools can change their model or shut down — avoid locking critical work into it without an export path.
Current plan prices are not listed here (they change too often to print reliably) — confirm the exact price on the official site.
It is one of 565 tools in the Communication & Collaboration category here — compare it against the alternatives below before you commit.

Derived from this listing's own data (pricing model, focus areas and category) — not a hands-on review score.

Mastodon pricing

Pricing model	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Free access	Yes — fully free
Current plan prices	Listed on the official site — prices change, so this directory links out instead of printing a number that may already be stale.
Official site	joinmastodon.org

Mastodon key facts

Category: Communication & Collaboration
Pricing: Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas: social network, fediverse, microblogging, activitypub
Official site: joinmastodon.org

Mastodon FAQ

How much does Mastodon cost?

Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it. Current plans and prices are listed on the official site (joinmastodon.org).

What is Mastodon used for?

Free, open-source decentralized social networking over ActivityPub Its focus areas in the Communication & Collaboration category: social network, fediverse, microblogging, activitypub.

Where can I try Mastodon?

On its official site, joinmastodon.org — the Visit Official Site button above goes straight there.

Mastodon vs alternatives

	Mastodon	Akkoma	Friendica	GoToSocial
Pricing	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas	social network, fediverse, microblogging, activitypub	fediverse, activitypub, microblogging, self hosted, open source	social network, fediverse, decentralized, activitypub	fediverse, activitypub, social network, self hosted
Official site	joinmastodon.org	akkoma.social	friendi.ca	gotosocial.org
Directory status	Listed	Listed	Listed	Listed

Side-by-side from each listing's own directory data. Full alternative cards are below.

About the Communication & Collaboration category

Chat, video meetings, and messaging apps that keep teams connected. The Communication & Collaboration category on Tools Hub currently lists 565 tools. Alongside Mastodon, it includes Movim, phpBB, Pleroma, Scoold.

FreeCommunication & Collaborationsocial-networkfediversemicrobloggingactivitypub

Alternatives to Mastodon

Tools in the same Communication & Collaboration category that share focus areas with Mastodon — worth comparing before you commit:

Communication & Collaboration

Akkoma

Magically expressive federated social media server software

Freefediverseactivitypubmicrobloggingself-hosted

Communication & Collaboration

Friendica

A decentralized social network that connects you across the Fediverse

Freesocial-networkfediversedecentralizedactivitypub

Communication & Collaboration

GoToSocial

Fast, fun, ActivityPub server, powered by Go

Freefediverseactivitypubsocial-networkself-hosted

Communication & Collaboration

Iceshrimp.NET

Federated microblogging server that communicates over ActivityPub

Freemicrobloggingfediverseactivitypubself-hosted

Communication & Collaboration

Pleroma

Free, federated social networking server built on open protocols

Freefediversemicrobloggingactivitypubself-hosted

Communication & Collaboration

diaspora*

Decentralized social network where you own your data.

Freesocial-networkdecentralizedfediverseopen-source

More in Communication & Collaboration

Comparing tools in the Communication & Collaboration category? These related listings are worth a look: Movim — A responsive, web-based, cross-platform XMPP client and social platform; phpBB — The most widely used open-source bulletin board system in the world; Pleroma — Free, federated social networking server built on open protocols.