Join ActivityPub!

As corporate social media keeps getting worse, people keep asking the same question: where can I post without endless hostile ads, surveillance, and billionaire platform chaos?

ActivityPub has been answering that for a long time. Its roots go back through StatusNet / GNU Social, Friendica, and later Mastodon, and the ecosystem is still alive, federated, and growing.

Where To Start

These are good jumping-off points depending on what kind of platform you want:

Mastodon

General microblogging and still one of the easiest onboarding routes.

Pleroma

Lightweight and familiar if you want a simpler microblog stack.

Misskey

Expressive posting style with a strong bulletin-board culture.

Akkoma

A highly expressive fork in the Pleroma family.

Friendica

Older Facebook-style network software with deep federation roots.

Pixelfed

Photo-first platform, closer to early Instagram than modern Meta.

PeerTube

Federated video publishing and discovery.

Lemmy

Forum-style Reddit alternative built around communities.

Wafrn

A newer Tumblr-like platform integrating with ActivityPub.

Matrix

Not ActivityPub, but still a strong open-source Discord replacement.

Choosing An Instance Without Stress

Most software homepages include server/instance directories. Instances are communities with shared software and their own moderation/rules.

Some are broad and general. Others are niche. If you are unsure, read an instance's about and rules pages first.

To quickly avoid obvious bad actors, check this public list: gardenfence blocklist.

The two biggest hurdles are usually just: 1) picking an instance, and 2) confirming it is not hosting abusive or criminal content.

Federation, Migration, and Threads Policies

Once you join, you can usually follow people across other ActivityPub software, not only users on your own instance.

Migration is generally possible (Mastodon and many others support it), so if your instance closes you can move follows/followers. You should still keep your own post backups.

Not every instance federates with Threads. Some limit it, some disable it entirely. Check the instance policy before signing up if that matters to you.

General Q&A

Can I post NSFW content?

On many instances, yes, but it is usually expected to use content warnings and media sensitivity labels.

Is it still just tech people?

No. It is much broader now: artists, writers, LGBTQ+ communities, sex workers, musicians, and plenty more.

Is there an engagement algorithm feeding my timeline?

Generally no. Your experience is mostly based on who you follow and what your instance federates with.

Can I interact with Bluesky users?

Yes, via bridges in some setups. A common route is fed.brid.gy.

Can I mute/block people or entire instances?

Yes. Most software supports user-level block/mute tools and often full instance blocks.

What if this all feels complicated?

That is normal at first. The setup is more involved than Twitter signup, but you get substantially more control over your online presence.

Mobile Apps

PeerTube native apps are still in progress in some parts of the ecosystem. For Wafrn, pinning as a home-screen web app is currently common.

Need Help?

If you have extra questions, message me at my account. If you decide to join, welcome to the open web.