Softwr

Dating · head to head

Mastodon vs Raya

Mastodon logo

Mastodon

Dating

Social networking that's not for sale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Raya logo

Raya

Dating

An exclusive community

From
$9.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mastodon has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mastodon no pricing model required; users host their own instances at infrastructure cost; Raya access requires submitting an application that is queued and reviewed, and an applicant can remain waitlisted indefinitely
  • They diverge on capability: Mastodon covers Decentralization, Raya covers Exclusive Membership.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mastodon and Raya actually diverge.

Attributes where Mastodon and Raya differ
AttributeMastodonRaya
Starting priceFree$9.99/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsIos, Android, WebIos
Founded20162015

Identical on both: 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 Mastodon

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

Only in Raya

  • Exclusive Membership
  • Committee Review
  • Privacy Protection
  • Social Networking
  • Work Networking
  • Cultural Events
  • Instagram

Both cover

  • Ios support

What people use each for

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

Mastodon

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

Raya

  • Private membership network for dating, networking and friendshipnot Mastodon
  • Meeting vetted members while controlling your visibilitynot Mastodon
  • Application-gated social access rather than open sign-upnot Mastodon

Where each one falls short

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

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

Raya

  • Access requires submitting an application that is queued and reviewed, and an applicant can remain waitlisted indefinitely
  • Full functionality of the service is only available while a paid membership is active
  • Memberships are sold only as 1, 6 or 12 month auto-renewing terms
  • Auto-renewals are charged within 24 hours before the end of the period
  • Cancelling a subscription only takes effect at the end of the current period, with no mid-term exit
  • Accounts can be suspended or terminated for conduct judged not to reflect the community guidelines
  • The iOS app requires iOS 17.0 or later

Pricing, plan by plan

Mastodon

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Toots
    • Federation
    • Custom Instances

Raya

$9.99/month
  • Membership$9.99/month
    • Access to Community
    • Dating Mode
    • Social Mode

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Raya if

  • You need exclusive membership.
  • You work on Ios.
  • You also want committee review.
Raya review

Questions people ask

Is Mastodon or Raya better?
Neither clearly leads. Mastodon starts at Free and Raya at $9.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mastodon or Raya?
Mastodon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mastodon and $9.99/month for Raya.
Does Mastodon or Raya run on more platforms?
Mastodon runs on Ios, Android, Web. Raya runs on Ios.
Can I use Mastodon for free?
Yes. Mastodon has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Raya starts at $9.99/month.
What is Mastodon best used for?
Mastodon is most often used for decentralized social networking, community-owned discussion platforms, privacy-focused communication infrastructure. Of those, decentralized social networking and community-owned discussion platforms are not what Raya is typically brought in for.
What can Mastodon do that Raya cannot?
Mastodon covers Decentralization, Custom Servers, No Ads, Chronological Feed. Raya covers Exclusive Membership, Committee Review, Privacy Protection, Social Networking. Both handle Ios support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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 Mastodon

More on Raya

Keep looking

Other head to heads