Mastodon Launches Paid Hosting & Support Services

Mastodon's New Revenue Strategy

The non-profit organization behind Mastodon, the decentralized social networking software, is implementing a new financial plan.

Previously reliant on donations and grants, Mastodon announced on Friday a shift towards offering paid services.

Introducing Paid Hosting and Support

These services are designed for organizations seeking to participate in the open social web, known as the fediverse.

The fediverse allows individuals and organizations to create interconnected servers utilizing the ActivityPub protocol.

Understanding ActivityPub

ActivityPub is the foundation for various applications, including Mastodon, Meta’s Threads, Pixelfed, PeerTube, Misskey, and Lemmy.

Furthermore, it has been integrated into popular platforms like WordPress, Ghost, and Drupal via plugins.

Self-Hosting vs. Managed Services

While public Mastodon servers are readily accessible, some entities prefer self-hosting for greater control over rules and service management.

However, server setup and maintenance demand technical expertise, similar to the choice between self-managed WordPress and a hosted solution like WordPress.com.

Mastodon's Solution: Managed Hosting

To address this challenge and generate revenue, Mastodon will provide hosting services.

Customers can opt for fully managed servers, with Mastodon’s team handling server administration and optional moderation.

Support Contracts for Existing IT Teams

Alternatively, Mastodon will offer support contracts to assist organizations with in-house tech teams already managing servers.

This option caters to companies with existing IT infrastructure new to Mastodon’s federated software.

Targeted Servers

Mastodon clarifies that the servers offered typically host accounts for brands or institutions, rather than serving as general-purpose, openly accessible servers.

Flexible Pricing Model

The company has not yet disclosed specific pricing details, stating that billing will be customized based on selected options, including hosting, support, and moderation.

Customers will retain the ability to define their own rules and policies on hosted servers.

Early Adoption and Revenue Streams

Mastodon has been piloting this approach through partnerships with organizations like the European Commission, the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the city of Blois, and AltStore.

These collaborations have established a more consistent revenue flow compared to relying solely on Patreon donations.

Diversification, Not Replacement

Mastodon emphasizes that this initiative aims to diversify revenue streams, not replace existing funding sources like donations, grants, and merchandise sales.

The company will continue operating its public server, mastodon.social, as an accessible entry point to the fediverse.

Looking Ahead

“We are excited to expand our services to organisations that share our vision of a free, open, and decentralised social web,” stated Felix Hlatky, Mastodon’s CFO.

“These offerings will provide financial stability for our team while ensuring the Fediverse remains a resilient, community-driven ecosystem.”