Mastodon
Open-source, decentralized microblogging social network software that federates via ActivityPub.
Liked as a non-corporate, ad-free alternative to Twitter123 where many tech accounts now post,45 with the option to pick an instance or self-host.678 The most common complaints are weak search and discovery910 and losing posts, history and connections when leaving an instance.1112
Why people recommend it
Non-corporate alternative · 3
Commenters moved to it to escape ad-driven, corporate social media and Twitter.
“I'm quite happy with the value I'm getting from it and the people I follow.”
“in the case of Mastodon it actually is as good [or better] product-wise as Twitter.”
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“moved from Twitter to Mastodon/Fediverse, at least in part hosted in the EU”
Instance choice · 3
You pick a server that suits you, or self-host one that keeps federating if big instances disappear.
“I sign up for a Mastodon account on a server that suits my tastes.”
“My self-hosted mastodon server continues working, and can continue federating with e.g. chaos.social”
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“General worldwide website: mastodon.social”
Tech community · 3
Many tech and IT people commenters want to follow now post there.
“Practically every tech account I used to follow has migrated to Bluesky or Mastodon by now.”
“most of the IT people whose ideas I'm interested in either have RSS feeds or Mastodon accounts”
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“The success and growth of Mastodon proves that this model works”
Signal to noise · 3
Long-time users report a higher signal-to-noise ratio and good value from the people they follow.
“The signal to noise ratio on mastodon is higher than any other competing platform I've used.”
“I'm quite happy with the value I'm getting from it and the people I follow.”
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“I use a small Mastodon instance, follow people who are interesting.”
Small communities · 3
Small instances and close-knit communities are seen as part of the quieter, older-style internet.
“close-knit communities on Mastodon and Lemmy”
“I use a small Mastodon instance, follow people who are interesting.”
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“I still find the old Internet in a few ways. Mastodon, Signal group chats”
Chronological feed · 1
Followed accounts show up in chronological order, viewable through third-party clients like Ivory.
“I sign up for a Mastodon account on a server that suits my tastes.”
Caveats and dissent
Search and discovery · 2
Search is largely limited to your own instance and tags are seen as unhelpful, making people hard to find.
“Mastodon has a serious discovery problem.”
“Mastodon both has busted search and useless tags.”
Instance lock-in · 3
Moving accounts does not carry over old posts or media, and a rogue or vanishing admin can cost your presence.
“I feel like that's a big blind spot of Mastodon to this day”
“If your Mastodon admin goes rogue, you a) have to get your data out of their hands, and b) have to rebuild your Mastodon presence in a new location”
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“Decentralisation on Mastodon is an illusion.”
Moderation and bans · 2
Some say instance admins can ban you or block other instances, and call it censorious.
“the Masto side seems rather fond of censorship themselves”
“Decentralisation on Mastodon is an illusion.”
Usability · 2
Usability gaps, including the lack of threaded discussion, are blamed for driving new users away.
“See the nearly immediate mastodon mass-exodus after getting millions of people to give it a shot.”
“I absolutely hate how there is no threaded discussion on Bluesky or Mastodon”
Network effect · 2
Many people you may want to follow are not on it.
“in the case of Mastodon it actually is as good [or better] product-wise as Twitter.”
“I'm on still on X, and on Bluesky and Mastodon.”
Self-hosting costs · 1
Personal hosted instances require watching media usage and using relays sparingly.
“Mastodon has its issues but one benefit of decentralization is you don't really have to commit to anything.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Ask HN: Alternatives to Twitter/X? 3 mentions
- Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app 2 mentions
- Ask HN: Have you managed to switch to Bluesky for tech people? 2 mentions
- The federated code forge 1 mention
- Tell HN: I'm going on strike this November 1 mention
- The No Kings Takedown Is Why You Shouldn't Rent Your Megaphone from Zuck 1 mention
Data: mastodon.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 36
“I've run a Mastodon instance for about 10 years”
“no, Mastadon ain't it; wish it were, but...”
“Mastodon has a serious discovery problem.”
“Mastodon has its issues but one benefit of decentralization is you don't really have to commit to anything.”
“Mastodon posts are syndicated to other networks.”
“the Masto side seems rather fond of censorship themselves”
“The signal to noise ratio on mastodon is higher than any other competing platform I've used.”
“except for Mastodon which I use very rarely”
“Ever heard of something called Mastodon? Fediverse? Check it out”
“many people also use Mastodon and RSS”
“My friends and furs are on mastodon, tumblr, and Bluesky”
“I sign up for a Mastodon account on a server that suits my tastes.”
“I still find the old Internet in a few ways. Mastodon, Signal group chats”
“Don't get me started on some of the things Mastodon accepted payment for...”
“The success and growth of Mastodon proves that this model works”
“I'm quite happy with the value I'm getting from it and the people I follow.”
“I'm on still on X, and on Bluesky and Mastodon.”
“I use Mastodon which has a 500 limit, and even that sometimes is not enough.”
“See the nearly immediate mastodon mass-exodus after getting millions of people to give it a shot.”
“I feel like that's a big blind spot of Mastodon to this day”
“in the case of Mastodon it actually is as good [or better] product-wise as Twitter.”
“If your Mastodon admin goes rogue, you a) have to get your data out of their hands, and b) have to rebuild your Mastodon presence in a new location”
“I use Mastodon, Pixelfed, and Lemmy every single day.”
“Mostly spending time on Mastodon these days”
“Practically every tech account I used to follow has migrated to Bluesky or Mastodon by now.”
“My self-hosted mastodon server continues working, and can continue federating with e.g. chaos.social”
“Mastodon both has busted search and useless tags.”
“I absolutely hate how there is no threaded discussion on Bluesky or Mastodon”
“General worldwide website: mastodon.social”
“close-knit communities on Mastodon and Lemmy”
“most of the IT people whose ideas I'm interested in either have RSS feeds or Mastodon accounts”
“I'm only really active on Mastodon now, however.”
“moved from Twitter to Mastodon/Fediverse, at least in part hosted in the EU”
“I use mostly Mastodon”
“Decentralisation on Mastodon is an illusion.”
“I use a small Mastodon instance, follow people who are interesting.”