Decentralized social network Mastodon is seeing a resurgence, fueled by users leaving Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). Founder Eugen Rochko announced that Mastodon’s iOS downloads increased by 47%, while its Android downloads rose by 17%. Monthly active users across all servers grew to 894,000, with 90,000 new accounts registered in November.
Although Mastodon’s user base remains smaller than competitors like Bluesky, which recently hit 19.4 million users, Rochko emphasized Mastodon’s independence.
Unlike Bluesky, which raised $15 million in venture capital, Mastodon relies on crowdfunding and grants, avoiding pressure for venture-level returns. This approach appeals to some former X users wary of Bluesky’s commercial model.
Despite this growth, Mastodon’s user activity is still below its November 2022 peak, when it surpassed 1 million active users amid controversies surrounding X’s moderation policies.
Rochko maintains that Mastodon’s federated approach, powered by the ActivityPub protocol, positions it for long-term success in the evolving social media landscape.
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