Softwr

Dating · head to head

Mastodon vs Ship

Mastodon logo

Mastodon

Dating

Social networking that's not for sale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

Ship

Dating

Date better with the help of friends

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: Mastodon covers Decentralization, Ship covers Crew Swiping.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mastodon and Ship actually diverge.

Attributes where Mastodon and Ship differ
AttributeMastodonShip
Pricing modelfreefreemium
PlatformsIos, Android, WebIos, Android
Founded20162019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Ship

  • Crew Swiping
  • Friend Recommendations
  • Group Chat
  • Profile Sharing
  • Dating on Behalf
  • Social Matching
  • Facebook

Both cover

  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Mastodon

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

Ship

No use cases recorded yet. See the Ship review.

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

Ship

Nothing recorded yet. See the Ship review.

Pricing, plan by plan

Mastodon

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Toots
    • Federation
    • Custom Instances

Ship

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Crew Swiping
    • Messaging
    • Friend Recommendations

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 Ship if

  • You need crew swiping.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want friend recommendations.
Ship review

Questions people ask

Is Mastodon or Ship better?
Neither clearly leads. Mastodon starts at Free and Ship at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mastodon or Ship?
Mastodon starts at Free and Ship at Free.
Does Mastodon or Ship run on more platforms?
Mastodon runs on Ios, Android, Web. Ship runs on Ios, Android.
Can I use Mastodon for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Ship is typically brought in for.
What can Mastodon do that Ship cannot?
Mastodon covers Decentralization, Custom Servers, No Ads, Chronological Feed. Ship covers Crew Swiping, Friend Recommendations, Group Chat, Profile Sharing. Both handle Ios support, Android 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
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Related pages

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