This is the English translation of my German article Eine Fediverse Instanz hosten lassen (eine Anbieter Liste). Both articles are updated in parallel.
The list was last updated on 21 January 2024.
Introduction
When you leave X, Facebook and Co. and enter the Fediverse, the question always arises as to which instance to choose.
It is interesting that you can even host your own instance. However, not everyone is able to carry out such an installation themselves and also maintain it, for example, by installing updates.
However, there are hosting companies that can take care of the installation and technical maintenance for you. You get a pre-installed application, mainly Mastodon, which is also technically maintained. You yourself are an admin and can do some things in the application’s admin menu, such as manage your own users. This way, you can also allow a larger group of people to access the Fediverse.
Since this question comes up again and again, I am trying to create a list of such hosters here. Below are the ones I have found so far. I appreciate any further information and will be happy to update the list. The data is taken from the websites.
Since offers can change in detail and prices again and again, I have not listed the costs in detail here. Especially the prices are very different and start at some already at a few euros per month. However, I have indicated the cost of the cheapest package for each provider.
I cannot guarantee the quality of the offers. Unless I use it myself. Then I will also mention it. The quality of the service descriptions varies greatly from provider to provider. Before you decide, you should definitely read everything carefully and compare the providers and their individual packages.
The Provider
So let’s begin. The list is in alphabetical order. Unless otherwise stated, only the Mastodon application is hosted.
elestio
https://elest.io/fully-managed-services/applications/fediverse (English-speaking)
- elestio’s office is in Dublin, Ireland
- You can use different server providers, e.g. Hetzner (Germany)
- Backups are included
- There is a wide range of Fediverse applications
- Pixelfed
- Pleroma
- Photon
- Misskey
- Sharkey
- Mastodon
- Element
- Peertube
- Castopod
- Owncast
- Friendica
- Lemmy
- KBIN
Cheapest package: around $10 per month, depending on the server used. For a server in Germany, the costs start at around $15 per month. The settings options are diverse and all have an influence on the costs.
IKNOX
https://iknox.com/products/mastodon-hosting (English-speaking)
- IKNOX is an Australian hosting provider
- There are different packages
- Backups are included
- Otherwise, there is very little information about the respective services
Cheapest package: $24.99 per month
K&T Host
https://www.knthost.com/app-cloud (English-speaking)
- hosting provider in the USA
- Several Fediverse applications are offered (but no Mastodon):
- GoToSocial
- Hubzilla
- Lemmy
- Pixelfed
- Snac2
Cheapest package: 3.75 dollars per month, individual applications start at 5.75 or 11 dollars
Masto.host
Masto.host (English-speaking)
- offers hosting of Mastodon instances.
- There are several price plans with different storage sizes.
- For an additional charge, a search function for posts can be integrated into your own instance.
- Backups can be downloaded via a management interface.
- The instance can be accessed via a subdomain.masto.host. It is possible to integrate your own (sub)domain.
My microblog.at runs on Masto.host, Hugo Gameiro operates the service as an individual, but he does so very professionally. Updates are installed quickly, and he reacts to problems just as quickly and carefully. My Mastodon instance has hardly been offline for more than two years now.
Cheapest package: 6 dollars per month
Milan Ihl
https://milan-ihl.de/edv/hosting/#mastodon (German-speaking)
- Registered office in Germany and thus a German-speaking provider (sole proprietor)
- Different packages on offer
- On 6 January 2024, the offer was still in development, but individual inquiries were already being accepted.
Cheapest package: 20 euros per month
PathConnect
Lhttps://pathconnect.de (German-speaking)
- German and therefore German-speaking provider
- Mastodon hosting is offered
- Own subdomains are possible
- Backups are included in the price
Cheapest package: 19.90 euros per month
Ossrox
https://ossrox.org/store/mastodon (German-speaking)
- Registered office in Germany and therefore German-speaking provider
- Different Mastodon packages are offered
- Your own domain is possible
- Backups are included
Cheapest package: 5 euros per month
SaaS Web Internet Solutions
https://www.saasweb.net/de/managed-hosting/managed-mastodon-server (German-speaking)
- Based in Germany and therefore a German-speaking provider
- Different packages – none of which are under 100 euros per month
- Option to use your own domain
- Backups are included
- It also offers a variant that allows you to use the glitch version of Mastodon. This is a ‘fork’, a more advanced version that offers some additional features
Cheapest package: 113 euros per month
#spacehost
https://spacehost.one/create (English-speaking)
- The location is not apparent, but #spacehost operates its own Mastodon instance, where they also offer (apparently active) support.
- There is a wide range of Fediverse applications
- Akkoma
- Mangane
- Castopod
- Firefish
- Forgejo
- Friendica
- Ghost
- Gitter
- Iceshrimp
- Kbin
- Lemmy
- Mastodon
- Pixelfed
- Pleroma
- Sharkey
Cheapest package (for Mastodon): $19 per month
Toot.io
https://toot.io/pricing.html (English-speaking)
- Various packages
- Option to use your own domain
- Backups included
Cheapest package: $24 per month
Weingärtner IT
https://weingaertner-it.de (German-speaking)
- Based in Germany and therefore a German-speaking provider.
- There are a variety of Fediverse applications for which you can rent an instance;
- Mastodon
- Akoma
- Bookwyrm
- Castopod
- Friedica
- FunkWhale
- GoToSocial
- Hubzilla
- IceShrimp
- Lemmy
- Mobilizon
- Peertube
- Pixelfed
- Sharkey
- Own subdomains are possible.
- Depending on the application, different pricing models are available, and backups are usually integrated as well.
I am also a customer of Weingärtner IT. I have always found Markus Weingärtner’s service to be pleasant. He was always willing to discuss special requests.
Cheapest package (for Mastodon): 5 euros per month