M

Mastodon

Free#101 of 126 in Community PlatformsSocial Media APIs

Open-source, decentralized social networking for independent communities

—Not yet scored

Visit Mastodon

At a glance

• Editor score
  Not yet scored
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  Open, federated social communities
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  None
• Founded
  2016 · Berlin, Germany
• Facts checked
  20 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Federates communication across independently operated servers
  • Supports rich posts, chronological timelines, and visibility controls
  • Offers self-hosting, moderation tools, roles, and open APIs

• Where it doesn't

  • Less suited to structured groups and event-led communities
  • Community policies and hosting experience vary by server
  • Hosting costs vary when running through an independent provider

Our verdict on Mastodon

Mastodon is a free, open-source social networking platform for federated communities. People join an independently operated server, publish text and multimedia posts, follow accounts across compatible servers, and participate in chronological home and public timelines. It supports text, image, audio, video, and poll posts, along with followers-only and private-mention visibility. Individuals and organizations can also run Mastodon on their own infrastructure and custom domain, making it a strong fit for communities that want open participation with more control over where their social space operates.

The platform’s strongest feature set centers on federation and community administration. Server operators can define local rules and moderation policies, apply keyword and phrase filters, manage users, servers, and domains, and assign customizable administrator roles and permissions. Members get content warnings, media accessibility descriptions, and multiple visibility options. Official iOS and Android apps complement the browser interface, while open REST and OAuth APIs support broader platform access. DeepL and LibreTranslate are listed integrations. This combination suits communities that value portable participation across servers rather than a single centralized network.

Mastodon has no central pricing plan: the software is free and open source, while independently operated servers may charge for hosting or accept donations. That model keeps the software accessible but makes the operating experience depend on the selected provider or the organization’s own infrastructure. Mastodon should appeal to open communities, independent organizations, and technically capable teams that want federation, self-hosting, and administrative control. It is a less natural choice for groups centered on structured memberships, event management, or community-business workflows, where a more specialized platform may fit better.

Mastodon pricing

Mastodon fact sheet

Mastodon integrations

Mastodon lists 2 integrations on its own site.

• DeepL
• LibreTranslate

Alternatives to Mastodon

• DiscourseA mature choice for communities that need discussion, chat, moderation, and private spaces.10.0
• RedditA flexible, free home for public topic discussions with substantial moderation tools.6.8
• UNAA flexible community stack for organizations that want control over hosting, features, and mobile apps.—

See all Mastodon alternatives →

Also listed in

• Social Media APIs

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

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