What is Mastodon?
Mastodon is a social media platform created by Eugen Rochko, a German developer, in 2016. Users can post, follow others, and interact, with a user experience similar to X (formerly Twitter). However, instead of being one big website, it is made up of many smaller communities called instances.
Each instance is run by its own team and follows its own rules, but they all connect, allowing users to interact across them. You can always find one that fits your interests, whether that’s art, activism, or just chatting. It’s all about people connecting without ads or algorithms getting in the way.
The biggest advantage of the platform is account portability. Your Mastodon account is on a specific server whereas the AT protocol account is owned by the user.
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At first, Mastodon mostly attracted tech-savvy users who cared about privacy and open-source software. The platform started getting more attention when people were looking for alternatives to bigger social media sites. This usually happened after things like policy changes, privacy issues, or frustration with how bigger platforms were being run.
By 2024, it had around 10 million active users around various instances. Mastodon is a non-profit, ad-free platform that runs on donations or subscriptions.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a decentralized social network designed to give users more control over their data and interactions online. Built on the AT Protocol, Bluesky supports features like self-hosting, allowing users to store and manage their data on their own servers. This flexibility ensures users can move their posts, followers, and identity to another platform if needed.
Created in 2019 by Jack Dorsey as a Twitter-funded project, Bluesky became an independent company in 2022, functioning on an invite-only system at first. While it currently offers a unified experience, the platform is moving toward a full federation network, where users can create their own servers with custom rules, offering more personalization and control.
As of 2024, Bluesky has grown to over 24 million active users. The company is now led by Jay Graber, who oversees its development and direction.
TL;DR: Mastodon and Bluesky are both representatives of the open and decentralized standard, but they approach things differently. Mastodon is built around separate servers with their own rules. It offers features like polls, content warnings, server blocking, and options to automatically delete old posts. Mastodon also has “favorites” and “boosts” for posts, making it great for community-driven users.
Bluesky, on the other hand, works as a single platform. It focuses on simplicity, offering features like custom domains for verification and curated feeds based on interests. Both have chronological feeds and direct messaging, but Mastodon gives you more control, while Bluesky is easier to use.
These are the core differences between Mastodon and Bluesky:
- Both platforms have strict character limits
- Mastodon lets you share polls, but Bluesky doesn’t
- Both platforms support hashtags and tagging
- Mastodon lets you customize your profile more
- Both platforms provide chronological feeds
- Neither platform lets you schedule content directly
- Mastodon also lets users block entire servers
- Only Mastodon includes content warnings for posts
- Mastodon includes a “favorite” and “boost” option
- Neither platform offers direct monetization or paid subscriptions.
- Bluesky offers custom domains as a form of verification
- Mastodon lets you automatically delete older posts
- Both platforms support two-factor authentication
- Neither platform provides built-in analytics
- Both platforms are decentralized but differ in structure
- Mastodon prioritizes moderation with customizable server rules
- Both platforms support direct messaging
1. Both platforms have strict character limits
Bluesky has a 300-character limit per post. In comparison, Mastodon gives you 500 characters by default. However, since Mastodon is made up of different servers run by various admins, some of them might allow more or fewer characters depending on their settings.
2. Mastodon lets you share polls, but Bluesky doesn’t
Mastodon and Bluesky both let you share text, images, and videos, but they handle content sharing in different ways. On Mastodon, you can upload your own GIFs, which gives you more options, while Bluesky relies on Tenor, so you’re limited to what’s available there.
Mastodon also has a poll feature, making it simple to ask questions and get feedback from followers, but Bluesky doesn’t have this yet, which makes it a bit less interactive.
When it comes to threads, Bluesky makes it easy to organize longer conversations. Mastodon supports threads too, but the experience depends on the server you’re using.
3. Both platforms support hashtags and tagging
Both Mastodon and Bluesky let you use hashtags and tag other users in posts. To tag someone on Mastodon, type “@” followed by their full username, like @[email protected]. On Bluesky, just type @username to tag them.
To add a hashtag, type “#” followed by a word or phrase without spaces, like #Example. Once you post it, the hashtag becomes clickable so others can find related posts.
When it comes to locations, neither platform currently offers built-in location tagging. However, users can mention locations in their text or hashtags (e.g., #NewYork), and Mastodon’s community instances sometimes focus on specific regions or cities, creating a localized feel that Bluesky doesn’t replicate.
4. Mastodon lets you customize your profile more
Bluesky makes it easy to set up and customize your profile with features like starter packs and lists. Starter packs are groups of accounts or feeds tailored to your interests.
You can create your own or ask Bluesky to generate one for you, making it simpler to find and follow accounts that match your preferences right away. Lists help you organize the accounts you follow by topics, like work or personal interests, so it’s easier to focus on what matters to you.
Bluesky also lets you add a profile picture, cover photo, and a bio of up to 300 characters. You can even use your own website as your username, showing that your account is official without needing platform approval.
Mastodon, on the other hand, ties your profile to the instance you join, which can limit some options. While you can still add a profile picture, cover photo, and bio, the level of customization depends on the specific instance’s rules. Mastodon also has lists, but they only allow you to organize accounts you already follow.
Unlike Bluesky’s starter packs, there’s no feature to help you find or follow accounts quickly. This means building your network on Mastodon requires more manual effort, making it highly customizable but less streamlined compared to Bluesky.
5. Both platforms provide chronological and custom feeds
On Bluesky, the Home page offers different algorithmic feeds like “Following,” “Discover,” and “For You.” The “Following” feed shows posts only from accounts you follow, keeping things simple. In contrast, the “Discover” feed recommends posts based on who you follow and the content you engage with.
Bluesky also has a #Feeds section where you can explore customized feeds on topics like “Art,” “Science,” or “News,” giving you more control over what appears in your timeline.
Mastodon, on the other hand, organizes content through its Home, Explore, and Live Feeds sections. The Home feed shows posts from accounts you follow, while Explore highlights popular posts, hashtags, people, and news across different instances. The Live Feeds section allows you to see posts from servers in real-time, offering a broader view of the Mastodon network.
Both platforms keep things straightforward without relying heavily on algorithms, but they give you different ways to shape your feed based on your preferences.
6. Neither platform lets you schedule content directly
Neither Bluesky nor Mastodon lets you schedule posts directly on the platform. If you want to schedule content, you’ll need to use third-party services.
