Mastodon has a new plan to make money: Open Social Web Hosting and Support Services

Mastodon, a nonprofit organization that maintains software with decentralized alternatives to social networks such as Threads and X, has a new plan to make money.

Instead of relying entirely on donations and grants as before, the company announced Friday it would provide paid hosting, moderation and support services to organizations that want to participate in the open social web.

Also known as Fediverse, this network provides a way for individuals and organizations to set up their own servers that interconnect with others who run ActivityPub, which is the same protocol.

ActivityPub has powered a variety of software applications including Mastodon, Meta threads, Pixelfed, Peertube, Misskey, Lemmy and more, and is integrated through plugins to larger platforms such as WordPress, Ghost, Drupal and more.

Anyone can establish an account on a public Mastodon server, but some organizations and entities prefer to set their own rules and allow them to manage services they think are appropriate. However, setting up and managing your server requires at least some technical knowledge. Perhaps it’s equivalent to choosing a hosted version of WordPress from services like WordPress.com, BlueHost, DreamHost, and deciding to perform your own installation of WordPress.

To solve this problem and generate revenue to potentially maintain its operation, Mastodon will launch a hosting service. Customers can choose to run their own servers through this model, where Mastodon’s team manages the servers and optionally provides moderated services.

Another option is that Mastodon offers a support agreement to help you with your client’s in-house technical team focused on server management and maintenance. The latter is the option for businesses and organizations that already have their own IT department, but are the first to run Mastodon’s alliance software.

Mastodon says the servers they offer are often run brand and institutional accounts and are not generic servers with external open sign-ups.

The company did not share prices, but it points out that it offers flexible custom billing models depending on the options selected, such as hosting, support and moderation.

However, hosted customers can define their own rules and policies.

Mastodon is already investigating the solution ahead of today’s launch by partnering with clients such as the European Commission, Germany’s province of Schleswig-Holstein, France, and Altstore, software company that manufactures alternative app stores. Through these relationships, Mastodon was able to establish a more predictable revenue stream compared to Patreon’s contributions.

However, the company emphasizes that its goal is to diversify Mastodon’s revenue streams and not replace current models of donations, grants and sometimes products. The company will also continue to operate its own server, Mastodon.social, as an established entry point for consumers interested in exploring Fediverse.

“We look forward to expanding our services to organizations that share a free, open, decentralized social web vision,” Mastodon Chief Financial Officer Felix Hlatky said in a statement prepared.

“These offerings ensure that Fediverse remains a resilient, community-driven ecosystem while providing financial stability to our team.”