crann.ai vs Bluesky and Mastodon
Bluesky and Mastodon proved that social media does not have to belong to one company. They are important work. But they are still timelines — and crann.ai asks whether you need a timeline at all.
What Bluesky and Mastodon does well
- Open protocols and decentralisation.
- Portable identity that is not locked to one company.
- Fast, public conversation with large, engaged communities.
Where crann.ai is different
Spaces, not a stream
You build leaves — spaces with their own pages, posts, events and look — rather than posting into a feed that scrolls away.
Explore, don’t scroll
There is no home timeline. You pick an interest, visit a space, follow a thread to another, and stop when you are done.
Privacy per space
Each leaf can be public, connections-only, or private. Different parts of your life get different audiences.
No numbers to chase
No ads, no tracking, no algorithm deciding what you see, and nothing designed to keep you here longer than you meant to stay.
The honest bit
If you want quick public conversation and a big network today, Bluesky and Mastodon deliver that and crann.ai does not. crann.ai is also a single service rather than an open protocol — what we offer instead is full export and your own domain. Plenty of people will happily use both.
Choose Bluesky and Mastodon if…
You want real-time public conversation, a large network, and the guarantees of an open protocol.
Choose crann.ai if…
You want a quieter home base: a few spaces that are yours, shared with who you choose, found through shared interests.
Bluesky and Mastodon decentralised the feed. crann.ai questions whether you need a feed at all.
Free to start. No credit card. Or have a look around first.