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Mastodon vs GoToSocial: catalog facts
Mastodon	GoToSocial
Free Free and open source under the AGPL. Hosting is separate.	Free Free to self-host.
Android, Web, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Chronological timelines with no engagement ranking Federated, so moving servers does not mean losing your network	Lightweight server written in Go Federates with other ActivityPub software
Your experience depends heavily on which server you join Running a server has real moderation and maintenance cost	Fewer features than Mastodon by design Not intended for very large follower counts
Self-hosted, Web application	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License not stated
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 23, 2026

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