Softwr

Dating · head to head

Badoo vs Mastodon

Badoo logo

Badoo

Dating

Make the first move

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: Badoo less popular than Tinder in developed Western markets; Mastodon no pricing model required; users host their own instances at infrastructure cost
  • They diverge on capability: Badoo covers Encounters, Mastodon covers Decentralization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Badoo and Mastodon actually diverge.

Attributes where Badoo and Mastodon differ
AttributeBadooMastodon
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
Founded20062016

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 Badoo

  • Encounters
  • People Nearby
  • Live Video
  • Photo Verification
  • Spotlight
  • Super Powers
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

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.

Badoo

No use cases recorded yet. See the Badoo review.

Mastodon

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

Where each one falls short

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

Badoo

  • Less popular than Tinder in developed Western markets
  • Profile verification process is weaker than competitors, leading to more fake profiles

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

Badoo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Encounters
    • Messaging
    • People Nearby
  • Premium$12.99/month
    • See Who Likes You
    • Invisible Browsing
    • Popularity Boost

Mastodon

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Toots
    • Federation
    • Custom Instances

Which should you pick?

Choose Badoo if

  • You need encounters.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want people nearby.
Badoo 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 Badoo or Mastodon better?
Neither clearly leads. Badoo 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, Badoo or Mastodon?
Badoo starts at Free and Mastodon at Free.
Does Badoo or Mastodon run on more platforms?
Badoo runs on iOS, Android, Web. Mastodon runs on Ios, Android, Web.
Can I use Badoo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What can Badoo do that Mastodon cannot?
Badoo covers Encounters, People Nearby, Live Video, Photo Verification. Mastodon covers Decentralization, Custom Servers, No Ads, Chronological Feed. Both handle Ios support, Android support, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Badoo: When was Badoo founded?

Badoo was founded in April 2006 in London by Russian entrepreneur Andrey Andreev and is available in 190 countries in 47 languages.

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
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
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
Share

Related pages

More on Badoo

More on Mastodon

Keep looking

Other head to heads