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Bluesky vs Mastodon: catalog facts
Bluesky	Mastodon
Free Free to use; the flagship app is a hosted service built on the open AT Protocol.	Free Free and open source under the AGPL. Hosting is separate.
Android, iOS, Web	Android, Web, Self-hosted
Built on an open protocol rather than one closed platform Lets users migrate their identity between providers	Chronological timelines with no engagement ranking Federated, so moving servers does not mean losing your network
Most users rely on the official hosted service rather than running their own infrastructure Ecosystem of alternative apps and providers is still maturing	Your experience depends heavily on which server you join Running a server has real moderation and maintenance cost
Web application, Downloadable app	Self-hosted, Web application
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: AGPL-3.0
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.