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Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Web App

Mastodon

A free, open-source social network made of independent servers.

Visit Mastodon4.3

  • Rating

    4.3 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Beginner

  • Works on

    Web, iOS, Android

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

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What is Mastodon?

Mastodon is free and open-source decentralised social media software developed by a non-profit. Each server is independent but can interoperate with others, so you can follow people on any server from one account. Feeds are in time order, with no algorithms or ads. It is built on open web protocols and works with platforms that support ActivityPub, and it supports audio, video, pictures, polls and content warnings. You can also run your own server.

Pros: what Mastodon does well

  • Chronological feeds with no ads or algorithms
  • Follow people across many servers from one account
  • Free and open source, with self-hosting

Cons: where it falls short

  • Choosing a server can confuse new users
  • Moderation rules differ from server to server

Who Mastodon is for

People who want a calmer social feed they have more control over.

Who can skip it

People who want the biggest possible audience from day one.

Mastodon alternatives

Not sold on Mastodon? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Communication resources

Lemmy

Focus: forum and communities. Shares fediverse and open source with Mastodon. Rated 4.2 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb, iOS
4.2Visit

PrivateBin

Focus: pastebin, encryption and privacy. Also in Communication and Digital Minimalism, like Mastodon. Rated 4.5 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb
4.5Visit

Hey.com Email

Focus: Email, Productivity and Inbox Management. Also in Communication and Digital Minimalism, like Mastodon. Paid but Affordable (Mastodon: Free). Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.1 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppPaid but AffordableWeb, iOS
4.1Visit

Glance

Focus: dashboard, start page and rss. Shares open source with Mastodon. Rated 4.7 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.7Visit

Navidrome

Focus: music, streaming and self-hosted. Shares open source with Mastodon. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.7 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb, macOS
4.7Visit

Pi-hole

Focus: ad blocker, dns and privacy. Shares open source with Mastodon. Adds Linux. Rated 4.7 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeLinux, Web
4.7Visit

Free alternatives to Mastodon

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

Shields.io

Focus: badges, readme and developer tools. Shares open source with Mastodon. Rated 4.7 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb
4.7Visit

FreshRSS

Focus: rss reader, news aggregator and feeds. Shares open source with Mastodon. Rated 4.6 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit

listmonk

Focus: newsletter, self-hosted and mailing list. Shares open source with Mastodon. Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeCross-Platform, Linux
4.6Visit

Miniflux

Focus: rss reader, news and self-hosted. Shares open source with Mastodon. Rated 4.6 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit

LibreTranslate

Focus: translation, self-hosted and privacy. Shares open source with Mastodon. Adds Linux. Rated 4.5 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb, Linux
4.5Visit

OpenWA

Focus: whatsapp, api and self-hosted. Shares open source with Mastodon. Adds Linux. Rated 4.5 (Mastodon: 4.3).

Web AppFreeWeb, Linux
4.5Visit
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