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Mastodon

A social network of independent servers with no ads and no algorithmic feed.

Instead of Instagram, X and Facebook

M · SystemOpen sourceNo adsChronological feed
joinmastodon.org
Screenshot of the Mastodon website

Screenshot from joinmastodon.org, taken 2026-10-23, shown to help you recognise the tool. It belongs to its maker. Ask us to remove it.

Mastodon is free and open-source social networking software developed by a non-profit, and its homepage says there are no algorithms or ads, with posts from the people you follow arriving in chronological order. Each Mastodon server is an independent entity, and servers connect through the open ActivityPub standard, so people on different servers can follow each other. Donations and sponsors pay for development, and the homepage says sponsorship does not equal influence.

Mastodon scores a 4 on self-direction, power and longevity and a 3 on footprint, lock-in and delivery.

You pick a server before you start, which puts people off, and the network is far smaller than Instagram's, so your friends may not be there. The homepage does not explain how to move an account between servers, so we scored Lock-in cautiously. We did not check its licence or its finances.

    What stands out

  • Independent servers that connect through the open ActivityPub standard
  • No ads and no algorithmic feed, with posts in chronological order
  • Developed by a non-profit and funded by donations and sponsors
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For comparison, we also reviewed Instagram (7/30) and TikTok (6/30) as a benchmark.

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