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On the recordRead 8 Oct 202620 facts
Mastodon
Mastodon · Berlin, Germany · founded 2016
Plans and prices
Mastodon software
Free
Free and open-source software; server hosting and operation are managed by independent providers or by the user
Read 8 Oct 2026 · joinmastodon.org
Institutional hosting and support
Priced on request
Paid hosting, moderation, and support for larger organisations; contact Mastodon to discuss options
Read 8 Oct 2026 · blog.joinmastodon.org
On the record
- Account portability
- Users can move their profile to another server without losing followers, according to the servers page.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- API
- Mastodon describes its API as open and well documented and available to everyone for building apps.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Apps
- Mastodon provides official iOS and Android apps, a progressive web app, and a directory of third-party apps for mobile, web, and desktop.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Custom domain
- Yesjoinmastodon.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Federation
- Users can follow people across Mastodon servers, and Mastodon can interoperate with platforms that implement ActivityPub.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Independent servers
- Users join through a server operated by an independent organization or individual, and servers can have different moderation policies.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Institutional services
- Mastodon offers organisations paid server hosting, moderation on request, and support contracts for in-house operations teams.blog.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Mobile apps
- bothjoinmastodon.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Moderation
- Each server sets and enforces its own rules locally, and users may choose a server or host their own.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Moderation tools
- Yesjoinmastodon.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Organization
- Mastodon says it began as an open-source project in 2016 and was incorporated as a German gGmbH in 2021; the About page describes a foundation transition process begun in 2025.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Posting features
- Posts can include audio, video, images, accessibility descriptions, polls, content warnings, animated avatars, custom emojis, and thumbnail crop controls.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Product
- Mastodon is free, open-source decentralized social media software for short-form social networking.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Security
- Mastodon requires HTTP signatures to validate that received activity was authored by the actor generating it.docs.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Self-hosting
- Users can run Mastodon on their own infrastructure, while the documentation notes that server operation involves technical requirements such as email delivery.docs.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- Mastodon lists separate contact addresses for business hosting, security reports, legal matters, and general inquiries.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
- Timeline
- The home feed shows followed posts in chronological order without algorithmic recommendations or ads, according to Mastodon’s site.joinmastodon.org · read 8 Oct 2026
