After recent news of data breaches from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and Elon Musk's surprise buyout of Twitter, social media users are beginning to search elsewhere for a refreshing experience. In response to this digital dissatisfaction, two new platforms are challenging the status quo and offering alternatives to mainstream networks.

Two such platforms are Bluesky and Mastodon. These platforms focus on being decentralized, giving users more control and privacy. But how do they compare? And how should you decide which one is right for you? This article will cover the differences of Bluesky vs Mastodon, giving you a full look at the features, pros and cons, and security of each platform.

We'll also look at how automation tools like IFTTT can enhance the user experience on these platforms. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a privacy-conscious individual, or just curious about alternative social media, this guide is for you.

Why are people choosing alternative social media?

The landscape of social media has dramatically shifted in recent years. Users are becoming more aware of how their data is handled, as well as an overall change in what they expect from a social media experience.

Instead of finding somewhere to fit within the algorithm, people are gravitating toward platforms that offer niche communities (or "instances" in Mastodon's case) where they can engage on their own terms.

Here are another few reasons people are considering alternative social media:

Privacy & data ownership

Alternative platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky emphasize decentralization and give users more control over their personal information. There’s a growing desire for spaces where data isn't harvested and sold to third parties.

Transparency & trust

Decentralized platforms offer transparency in governance and often allow communities to set their own moderation rules.

Algorithm-free experiences

Mastodon and Bluesky offer feeds in chronological order with fewer distractions, by default.

Resilience against censorship & shutdowns

Decentralized networks aren’t controlled by a single entity. This means they’re less vulnerable to top-down censorship or sudden shutdowns based on the decision of a corporation or stakeholder.

What is Bluesky and Mastodon?

Bluesky

Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform that started as an internal project at X (Twitter) in 2019 and became an independent company in 2021. Backed by Jack Dorsey (Twitter’s co-founder), Bluesky was designed to rethink social media from the ground up, focusing on user control and operability between different social apps.

Bluesky runs on something called the AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol). Unlike traditional social media, where one company controls everything, Bluesky allows multiple independently-run services to connect to each other, giving users more freedom and choice over how they experience social media.

The interface is a lot like Twitter: short posts (called “skeets”), follows, likes, and reposts. Users own their accounts and data. If you switch servers, you can take your followers and identity with you.

As of early 2025, Bluesky is gradually opening to the public, ending its invite-only stage. This means that it can integrate with IFTTT, our free automation platform that has helped millions across the world change how they use social media for the better.

Mastodon

Mastodon is another decentralized social network, launched in 2016 by Eugen Rochko. It is part of the Fediverse (federated universe), a collection of interconnected servers that run on open protocols like ActivityPub.

Instead of one central site, it is made up of thousands of independently run servers called instances. Each instance has its own rules, community guidelines, and moderation policies, but they can all interact with each other. It is kind of like email. It does not matter which provider you use, you can still message people on other email providers.

Mastodon is technically a non-profit, being built by a community of developers and not controlled by any one company. You can follow users across different instances, with global, local, and personal timelines. Each instance enforces its own moderation policies, which helps maintain safer, more curated communities.

Bluesky vs Mastodon

Setup

Setting up an account with Bluesky is very easy. If you’ve ever signed up for Twitter, you’ll feel right at home. You just enter your email, create a handle, and you are in.

No need to pick a server or learn about decentralized protocols right away. By default, users start on the Bluesky Social server, but the platform plans to offer more choices in the future. This makes onboarding simple for new users.

Mastodon also offers a simple setup but gives users a few more choices to make. Since it’s fully decentralized, the first decision you make is which instance (server) to join. Some instances focus on specific topics, languages, or moderation policies.

Once you choose an instance, you create an account, but you can still follow and interact with people across other instances. This flexibility is a big plus for people who want more control, but it can be confusing for beginners.

User experience

Bluesky

Bluesky’s interface looks and feels very similar to classic Twitter. You get a simple timeline, posts (up to 300 characters), likes, reposts, and replies.

There is also an algorithmic feed selection, where you can choose or create different feeds based on your preferences. This is something Mastodon does not offer natively. This algorithm works differently than what you may be used to. The user gets to strictly select their interests instead of the algorithm analyzing your activity and choosing for you.

However, being a newer platform, Bluesky lacks some common social media features. Direct messaging was just released, but there is currently no support yet for polls, content warnings, or native video uploads. Many users also point out that there is no option to create private posts or limit who can see your content. Everything on Bluesky is public by default.

Mastodon

Mastodon’s interface can vary depending on which app you use (official Mastodon app, Tusky, Ivory, etc.). The web interface has a multi-column option, which can feel more like TweetDeck. Mastodon users seem to enjoy being able to choose their interface, giving them control over how their social media looks and feels.

You get multiple timelines: Home (your follows), Local (posts from your instance), and Federated (posts from the wider Fediverse). This can be a lot to take in at first, but it offers more depth. As a bonus to this complexity, Mastodon also offers content warnings, polls, media uploads and an ecosystem of third-party apps.

Privacy and control

Bluesky

Bluesky’s decentralization is still evolving. Right now, most users are on the main bsky.social server, but soon, users will be able to move freely between servers and even host their own. Bluesky gives users control over their identity and data, with portable accounts that can move between servers without losing followers.

As far as safety is concerned, Bluesky plans to decentralize moderation through different services you can opt into. Currently, moderation is handled by the Bluesky Social team, but their vision includes letting users select or add moderation layers, tailored to their preferences.

Mastodon

Mastodon is fully decentralized already. Anyone can create an instance and make their own rules. Users own their data and can export their account data or move to another instance (although moving followers can be tricky).

In contrast to Bluesky, Mastodon puts moderation in the hands of individual instances. Some instances are super strict, others more lenient. You can join communities with moderation policies that match your comfort level.

Blocking entire instances (called defederation) is common when communities want to distance themselves from harmful content. This is a good option to be in control of how you interact with content without the need for full censorship.

Automating social media with IFTTT

Here at IFTTT, we believe everyone should have access to automation, no matter your level of expertise or which social media platform you choose. Whether you're a content creator looking to save time, a business wanting to streamline engagement or just someone who loves efficiency, IFTTT makes it simple.

The basic idea behind IFTTT is to create Applets that trigger when certain conditions are met. This can be as simple as turning on the lights automatically when you enter your house or automatically posting from an RSS feed to Mastodon.

How to automate Mastodon and Bluesky

Currently, IFTTT does not offer direct integrations with Bluesky. However, you can still automate the platform using RSS Feed which you can read about here. Although the setup is a bit more complex, you can still connect Bluesky to Twitter, Discord, and even Mastodon.

On the other hand, IFTTT currently supports a direct integration with Mastodon. This means you can click on any of the Applet bubbles below to get started or create your own Applet.

Join IFTTT

You can connect Mastodon and Bluesky with over 1000 of your favorite apps and services on IFTTT. It is free to start, so join today to automate your favorite social media tools!