List of the Top 3 Social Networking Software for ActivityPub in 2025

Engage with friends and discover new acquaintances within an energetic network of over 4.4 million members. You can express yourself freely—whether through links, images, text, or videos—on a platform that values community ownership and does not rely on advertisements. In contrast to conventional social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook, Mastodon is a decentralized ecosystem made up of thousands of distinct communities overseen by a variety of individuals and organizations, creating a unified social media experience. The platform features strong anti-abuse measures to prioritize your safety and well-being. Thanks to its decentralized nature, there are numerous moderators ready to help, along with communities that follow stringent guidelines for user behavior. You have 500 characters to convey your thoughts, with the ability to modify image thumbnails by selecting specific parts. Custom emojis are available, and you can hide content behind spoiler alerts, as well as tailor the visibility of your posts. If you ever need to make changes, it's easy to delete and edit your content for prompt revisions. Mastodon cultivates a distraction-free atmosphere as there’s no incentive to market products, allowing you to focus on the content you cherish. Furthermore, the community-centric approach encourages a rich variety of conversations and interactions, significantly enriching the overall experience for users. This dynamic environment promotes creativity and collaboration among users.

You can start your Pleroma experience by either joining an existing instance or by following the provided installation guide to set up your own server. This software operates as a microblogging platform, enabling interaction with other servers that comply with the same federation protocols, particularly OStatus and ActivityPub. This functionality allows you to create a server tailored for personal use or for a small group of friends, which empowers you to retain control over your online identity while still connecting with users across larger networks. Pleroma is designed to work seamlessly with various other servers that utilize either OStatus or ActivityPub, including GNU Social, Friendica, Hubzilla, and Mastodon, offering a wide array of communication possibilities. By selecting Pleroma, you gain the ability to engage in a decentralized social network while effectively managing your digital presence. In addition to these features, Pleroma's customizable nature allows users to shape their online experience according to their preferences, further enhancing the appeal of the platform.

Friendica serves as a decentralized social media platform that operates without central control or ownership, promoting a unique architecture that enables connections between various compatible systems and thereby creates an extensive network of smaller sites. Users can effortlessly engage with one another through wall-to-wall posts and remote comments, maintaining interaction even when navigating across different nodes in the network. To enhance privacy, each post includes access lists to manage visibility, while private conversation groups guarantee that discussions remain exclusive to invited members. The platform also accommodates one-to-one private messaging via multiple protocols, ensuring secure communication options. Users are empowered to set their content to automatically "expire" after a chosen duration, and they have the ability to download their personal data, underscoring their ownership rights. Friendica is compatible with several protocols, such as ActivityPub, OStatus, and diaspora*, which allows for integration with other platforms including Funkwhale, Hubzilla, Mastodon, Pleroma, and Pixelfed. In addition, the platform enhances user connectivity by enabling two-way communication with email contacts through IMAP4rev1/ESMTP, broadening the interaction possibilities. This extensive array of features not only makes Friendica highly versatile but also positions it as an appealing option for individuals seeking a genuinely decentralized social networking experience that prioritizes user autonomy and privacy. With its commitment to empowering users, Friendica stands out as a forward-thinking alternative in the landscape of social media.