Softwr

Dating · head to head

LinkedIn vs Mastodon

LinkedIn logo

LinkedIn

Dating

Connect with the world's professionals

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mastodon logo

Mastodon

Dating

Social networking that's not for sale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: LinkedIn account creation required for full functionality access; Mastodon no pricing model required; users host their own instances at infrastructure cost
  • They diverge on capability: LinkedIn covers Professional Profiles, Mastodon covers Decentralization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LinkedIn and Mastodon actually diverge.

Attributes where LinkedIn and Mastodon differ
AttributeLinkedInMastodon
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
Founded20022016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Ios, Android, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Dating).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in LinkedIn

  • Professional Profiles
  • Job Search
  • InMail
  • LinkedIn Learning
  • Company Pages
  • LinkedIn Groups
  • Microsoft 365
  • Salesforce

Only in Mastodon

  • Decentralization
  • Custom Servers
  • No Ads
  • Chronological Feed
  • Content Warnings
  • Federation
  • ActivityPub
  • Fediverse

Both cover

  • Ios support
  • Android support
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

LinkedIn

  • Job seekers finding employment opportunities across various industriesnot Mastodon
  • Recruiters posting positions to reach millions of candidatesnot Mastodon
  • Professionals developing skills through thousands of coursesnot Mastodon
  • Networking with industry peers to maintain professional relationshipsnot Mastodon
  • Staying informed on industry trends via curated contentnot Mastodon

Mastodon

  • Decentralized social networkingnot LinkedIn
  • Community-owned discussion platformsnot LinkedIn
  • Privacy-focused communication infrastructurenot LinkedIn

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

LinkedIn

  • Account creation required for full functionality access
  • LinkedIn Learning requires separate subscription beyond free platform
  • No offline access; all features require internet connectivity

Mastodon

  • No pricing model required; users host their own instances at infrastructure cost
  • Decentralized funding model relies on voluntary donations with no guaranteed revenue
  • Self-hosting requires technical expertise and operational overhead for smaller communities

Pricing, plan by plan

LinkedIn

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Profile
    • Networking
    • Job Search
  • Premium Career$29.99/month
    • InMail
    • See Who Viewed
    • Applicant Insights
  • Premium Business$59.99/month
    • Unlimited Search
    • Business Insights
    • Learning Courses

Mastodon

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Toots
    • Federation
    • Custom Instances

Which should you pick?

Choose LinkedIn if

  • You need professional profiles.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want job search.
LinkedIn review

Choose Mastodon if

  • You need decentralization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want custom servers.
Mastodon review

Questions people ask

Is LinkedIn or Mastodon better?
Neither clearly leads. LinkedIn starts at Free and Mastodon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LinkedIn or Mastodon?
LinkedIn starts at Free and Mastodon at Free.
Does LinkedIn or Mastodon run on more platforms?
Both run on Ios, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use LinkedIn for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is LinkedIn best used for?
LinkedIn is most often used for job seekers finding employment opportunities across various industries, recruiters posting positions to reach millions of candidates, professionals developing skills through thousands of courses, networking with industry peers to maintain professional relationships. Of those, job seekers finding employment opportunities across various industries and recruiters posting positions to reach millions of candidates are not what Mastodon is typically brought in for.
What can LinkedIn do that Mastodon cannot?
LinkedIn covers Professional Profiles, Job Search, InMail, LinkedIn Learning. Mastodon covers Decentralization, Custom Servers, No Ads, Chronological Feed. Both handle Ios support, Android support, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LinkedIn: Does LinkedIn offer a free version?

LinkedIn offers a free plan but requires account creation. Guests can browse limited content without signing in, but full functionality requires login.

Source
Mastodon: Does Mastodon charge any fees to join or use the platform?

No, Mastodon is free and open-source software developed by a non-profit organization. Users can join existing servers or host their own without software licensing fees.

Source
LinkedIn: What does LinkedIn Learning cost?

LinkedIn Learning requires a separate subscription beyond free LinkedIn platform access. Pricing details are not displayed on the main LinkedIn website.

Source
Mastodon: How is Mastodon development funded?

Mastodon is developed by a non-profit and accepts optional voluntary donations through Patreon and direct Stripe donations. These are presented as support contributions rather than required fees.

Source
LinkedIn: Are there geolocation restrictions on job searches?

Job search results appear to be geographically filtered, potentially restricting discovery to specific regions.

Source
Mastodon: What are typical costs for self-hosting a Mastodon instance?

Mastodon website does not publish hosting costs. Self-hosting requires paying for cloud infrastructure (VPS, storage, bandwidth) through providers like AWS, DigitalOcean, or Linode, with costs varying by instance size and user count.

Source
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