Bluesky vs Mastodon

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Bluesky

Open, Twitter-style social network on the AT Protocol, with custom feeds and portable accounts.

FreeOpen source

Visit Bluesky Bluesky profile

Mastodon

Free, open-source, decentralised microblogging across thousands of independently run servers.

Open sourceSelf-hostable

Visit Mastodon Mastodon profile

The short answer

Bluesky suits people leaving X who want a familiar, easy-to-join microblog with custom feeds and portable accounts. Mastodon suits people who want ad-free, chronological social media on independent, community-run servers, or who want to host their own. The biggest difference is structure: Bluesky is one main service on an open protocol, while Mastodon is a federation of many servers with no single owner.

Bluesky or Mastodon: our take

Bluesky is built on the AT Protocol and feels much like early Twitter. You sign up in one place, then choose chronological, algorithmic or community-built custom feeds, subscribe to moderation lists and labelers, and can use your own domain as a handle, which also works as verification. Accounts are portable, and technical users can host their own data server, though most people still rely on Bluesky's own infrastructure. It has over 43 million users. Mastodon is part of the fediverse, where independent servers talk through ActivityPub. You join a server run by a community, company or individual, or host your own, and can follow people across the network, including Threads users who opt in. Timelines are chronological, with no ads or engagement algorithm, and posts support content warnings.

Moderation and governance differ too. On Mastodon each server's admins set and enforce rules, so quality varies, and picking a server and finding people takes effort; discovery and search are weaker than on big platforms. You can move to another server and keep your followers. Bluesky layers optional moderation lists and labelers on top of its own moderation. On funding, Bluesky is run by Bluesky Social PBC, a public benefit company backed by investors, with paid extras planned; its app is MIT licensed. Mastodon is AGPL-3.0 software from a non-profit started in 2016, funded by donations and sponsors. Both are free and have web, iOS and Android apps.

Choose Bluesky if you want the smoothest switch from X, more choice over what your feed shows, and a larger single audience. Choose Mastodon if avoiding ads and algorithms matters most, you want a community with its own rules, or you want to run your own server today rather than when decentralisation matures. Many people keep accounts on both, since the networks attract different crowds.

Choose Bluesky if…

People leaving X who want a familiar microblog with feed choice and more control
Choose or build your own feeds and moderation lists
Use your own domain as a verified handle

Choose Mastodon if…

People who want ad-free, chronological social media without a single corporate owner
You need to host it on your own servers
You need Self-hosted, which Bluesky doesn't list
No ads or engagement algorithm
Move servers without losing followers

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky is a microblogging network that feels like early Twitter but is built on the AT Protocol, an open standard designed so that accounts, followers and posts aren't locked to one company. You can choose between chronological, algorithmic and community-built custom feeds, subscribe to moderation lists and labelers, and use your own domain name as your handle, which also acts as a form of verification. Because the network is open, other apps such as video and photo clients can use the same account, and technically minded users can host their own data server and move without losing followers. It grew quickly as people left X and now has tens of millions of users. The service is free, run by Bluesky Social PBC, a public benefit company funded by investors, with paid extras planned. It runs on the web, Android and iPhone. Most users still depend on Bluesky's own infrastructure, so decentralisation is more promise than practice for now.

What is Mastodon?

Mastodon is the best-known part of the fediverse, a network of independent servers that talk to each other through the ActivityPub standard. You join a server run by a community, company or individual, or host your own, and can follow and talk to people on any other server, including other fediverse apps and Threads users who opt in. Timelines are chronological with no ads or engagement algorithm, posts allow content warnings, and moderation is handled by each server's admins under their own rules. You can move your account to another server and keep your followers. The software is free and open source, developed by a non-profit that started in 2016 and is funded by donations and sponsors; individual servers may ask for donations. Official apps exist for Android and iPhone, plus a web interface and many third-party clients. Picking a server and finding people takes more effort than on centralised networks.

Side by side

Attribute	Bluesky	Mastodon
Pricing	Free	Open source
Open source	Yes	Yes
Self-hostable	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android, Self-hosted
Best for	People leaving X who want a familiar microblog with feed choice and more control	People who want ad-free, chronological social media without a single corporate owner
Status	Active	Active