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Pixelfed
Mastodon
Misskey
117 questions
Feature support for Pixelfed, Mastodon, Misskey
Question
Pixelfed
58 yes · 36 unknown
Mastodon
89 yes · 11 unknown
Misskey
76 yes · 20 unknown
Accounts and profiles
Move to another server with followersFEP-7628 Move actorYes

Outgoing and incoming Move both handled. Admins can turn migration off.

Source
Yes

Outgoing moves via account migration and incoming Move activities are both supported.

Source
Yes Source
Accept followers moving inFEP-7628 Move actorYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Export your dataFEP-6fcd Account Export Container FormatFEP-9091 Export Actor Service EndpointYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Import follows, blocks and mutesUnknownYes

Follows, blocks, mutes, domain blocks, bookmarks, lists and filters.

Source
Partial

Import of follows, blocks, mutes and lists exists but is off by default; admins enable it per role.

Source
Delete your own accountYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Two-factor authenticationYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Passkeys and security keysNo

Second factor is TOTP only; no WebAuthn code in 0.15.0.

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Yes

WebAuthn security keys work as a second factor after TOTP is enabled.

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Yes Source
Sign in with an external providerYes

OpenID Connect, configured with PF_OIDC_* environment variables.

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Yes

OIDC, SAML, CAS and LDAP via environment configuration.

Source
Unknown
Profile metadata fieldsFEP-fb2a Actor metadataNo

Profiles have fixed bio, website, pronouns and location fields only.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Verified profile linksUnknownYes Source Yes Source
Profile header imageNo

No header image; the API returns a placeholder.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Bot accountsNo

Actors are always Person and the API reports bot as false.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Several identities under one loginUnknownUnknownUnknown
Posting
Edit published postsYes Source Yes Source No

Notes cannot be edited locally and incoming Note updates are skipped.

Source
Content warningsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Formatted text in postsUnknownPartial

Formatting in posts from other servers is shown; local posts are plain text.

Source
Yes Source
Write in MarkdownUnknownNo Source Partial

MFM accepts some Markdown syntax such as bold, code, quotes and links, but it is not full Markdown.

Source
Posts over 500 charactersYes

Admin can set any limit beyond 500 characters.

Source
No Source Yes Source
Admin-configurable post lengthUnknownNo

Limit is a hardcoded constant of 500.

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No

Limit is a hardcoded constant (3000).

Source
PollsFEP-9967 PollsUnknownYes Source Yes Source
Scheduled postsUnknownPartial

Only through the API and third-party apps; the web interface has no scheduler.

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Yes2025.10.0+

One scheduled note per user by default; admins can raise the limit per role.

Source
DraftsUnknownUnknownYes2025.7.0+ Source
Quote postsFEP-044f Consent-respecting quote postsFEP-dd4b Quote PostsFEP-e232 Object LinksUnknownYes4.5+ Source Yes Source
Control who can quote youFEP-044f Consent-respecting quote postsUnknownYes4.5+ Source No Source
Control who can replyPartial

Comments can only be turned off for a post, not limited to followers.

Source
UnknownNo Source
Custom emojiFEP-9098 Custom emojisPartial

Off by default (admin setting). Works in posts, not in display names.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Post languageUnknownYes Source No Source
Pin posts to a profilePartial

Pins show on the profile but are not published as a featured collection.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Local-only postsUnknownNo Source Yes Source
Automatically delete old postsUnknownYes Source No

Old notes can be hidden or made followers-only automatically, but not deleted.

Source
Long-form articlesFEP-b2b8 Long-form TextUnknownNo

Local posts are always Note or Question; remote Articles are displayed.

Source
Unknown
HashtagsFEP-eb48 HashtagsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Link previewsFEP-8967 Generating link previews for attached linksNo

The preview card endpoint always returns an empty result.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Translate postsNo

Instance config reports translation as disabled.

Source
Partial

Admin must configure DeepL or LibreTranslate.

Source
Partial

Needs an admin to set a DeepL API key.

Source
Media
Upload JPEG imagesYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Upload PNG imagesYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Upload animated GIFsYes

GIFs are stored without re-encoding, so they keep animating.

Source
Yes

GIFs are converted to looping MP4 (gifv).

Source
Yes Source
Upload WebP imagesYes

Off by default; admins enable it in settings.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Upload HEIC imagesPartial

Off by default; converted to JPEG and needs libvips with HEIF support.

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Yes

Converted to JPEG on upload.

Source
Unknown
Upload AVIF imagesYes

Off by default; admins enable it. Converted to JPEG.

Source
Yes

Converted to JPEG on upload.

Source
Yes Source
Upload MP4 videoYes

Off by default; admins enable it in settings.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Upload WebM videoNo

Not in the allowed media types list.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Upload audioNo

Not in the allowed media types list.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Several attachments per postFEP-1311 Media AttachmentsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
More than four attachments per postNo

Default limit is 4 per post; admins can raise it.

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No

Limit is 4 attachments per post.

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Yes

Up to 16 files per note.

Source
Image descriptions (alt text)Yes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Image focal pointNo

Focus is always reported as 0,0.

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Yes Source No Source
Sensitive mediaYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Removes location data from photosYes

Metadata is stripped when images are re-encoded, which is on by default.

Source
Yes Source Yes

Images with EXIF get a re-encoded public copy without metadata; the original stays on the server.

Source
Albums or collectionsYes Source UnknownUnknown
Photo filtersYes Source UnknownUnknown
Video and audio
Video transcodingPartial

Only with the optional HLS setting; otherwise the uploaded MP4 is served.

Source
Yes Source No

Server only generates video thumbnails.

Source
Interactions
LikesYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
BoostsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Emoji reactionsFEP-c0e0 Emoji reactionsUnknownNo

No EmojiReact handling; Misskey style reactions arrive as plain favourites.

Source
Yes Source
Direct messagesYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Approve followers manuallyYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Follow hashtagsYes Source Yes Source Unknown
ListsUnknownYes Source Yes Source
BookmarksFEP-4772 Representing bookmarksYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Join fediverse groupsFEP-1b12 Group federationUnknownUnknownUnknown
Host groups or communitiesFEP-1b12 Group federationUnknownUnknownNo

Channels exist but are local-only and do not federate.

Source
Interact from another serverFEP-3b86 Activity IntentsUnknownYes Source Yes Source
EventsFEP-8a8e A common approach to using the Event object typeUnknownNo

Remote Events are shown as posts but cannot be created.

Source
No Source
Privacy and safety
Followers-only postsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Unlisted postsYes Source Yes Source Yes

Called home visibility.

Source
Block accountsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Mute accountsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Block whole servers (personal)Yes Source Yes Source Yes

Instance mute hides a server for that person.

Source
Word filtersYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Hide follower and following listsYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Choose whether posts are searchableFEP-5feb Search indexing consent for actorsFEP-268d Search consent signals for objectsYes Source Yes Source No Source
Hide from search enginesYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Signed fetches required (secure mode)FEP-7502 Limiting visibility to authenticated actorsUnknownYes Source No

Signatures are only checked on inbox POSTs.

Source
Moderation
Report contentYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Forward reports to other serversPartial

Incoming Flag reports are received; local reports are not forwarded.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Block servers (admin)Yes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Limit serversYes

Servers can be unlisted or have their media auto-marked sensitive.

Source
Yes Source Yes

Silenced instances.

Source
Allowlist federationUnknownYes Source Yes Source
Import server blocklistsPartial

Imports only Pixelfed's own JSON moderation backup, not CSV blocklists.

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Yes Source Unknown
Approve sign-upsYes

Curated registration mode.

Source
Yes Source Unknown
Invite linksYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
CAPTCHA on sign upPartial

Needs hCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile or a Cap server.

Source
Partial

Uses hCaptcha, a third-party service.

Source
Partial

Needs hCaptcha, reCAPTCHA, Turnstile or a self-hosted mCaptcha server.

Source
Moderation audit logYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Appeal moderation decisionsYes Source Yes Source Unknown
Custom content rulesUnknownUnknownYes

Prohibited words reject notes and sensitive words force home visibility, for local and remote notes.

Source
Discovery
Full-text searchNo

Post search is disabled; only accounts and hashtags are searched.

Source
Partial

Needs Elasticsearch or OpenSearch; covers opted-in posts and posts you interacted with.

Source
Partial

Note search is off by default and must be allowed per role; Meilisearch optional.

Source
Trending contentYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Profile directoryYes

Opt-in directory shown on the landing page.

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Yes Source Yes Source
Local timelineYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Federated timelineYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
RSS feedsYes Source Yes Source Yes

Per-user Atom and RSS feeds.

Source
Relay supportFEP-ae0c Fediverse Relay Protocols: Mastodon and LitePubUnknownYes Source Yes Source
Federation and protocols
NodeInfoFEP-f1d5 NodeInfo in Fediverse SoftwareFEP-0151 NodeInfo in Fediverse Software (2025 edition)Yes Source Yes Source Yes Source
RFC 9421 HTTP signaturesNo

Only draft-cavage signatures are implemented.

Source
Yes

Inbound since 4.5; outbound as a fallback since 4.7.

Source
No

Signs and verifies draft-cavage signatures only.

Source
Object integrity proofsFEP-8b32 Object Integrity ProofsUnknownYes4.7+

Verifies incoming FEP-8b32 proofs; does not emit them.

Source
Unknown
Group federation (FEP-1b12)FEP-1b12 Group federationUnknownUnknownUnknown
Fetches missing repliesFEP-f228 Backfilling conversationsFEP-7458 Using the replies collectionUnknownYes Source Unknown
Diaspora protocolNo

NodeInfo lists ActivityPub as the only protocol.

Source
No Source Unknown
Nomadic identityFEP-ef61 Portable ObjectsUnknownUnknownUnknown
ActivityPub client-to-server APIFEP-d8c2 OAuth 2.0 Profile for the ActivityPub APIUnknownNo

Only ActivityPub server-to-server is supported.

Source
Unknown
Apps and API
Mastodon-compatible APIPartial

Mastodon apps can sign in, but text-only posts and direct visibility are rejected.

Source
Yes Source No

Not in Misskey; Sharkey adds it as a fork feature.

Source
Official mobile appYes

Apps for iOS and Android.

Source
Yes Source Unknown
Installable web appYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
Push notificationsPartial

Mobile app push needs the admin to set a push gateway API key.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
WebhooksUnknownYes Source Yes Source
Documented APIYes0.15.0+

Developer API documentation at developers.pixelfed.org.

Source
Yes Source Yes Source
Running a server
Official Docker imageYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
S3-compatible object storageYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
PostgreSQLYes Source Yes Source Yes Source
MySQL or MariaDBYes Source No Source No

PostgreSQL only.

Source
SQLiteUnknownNo Source No

PostgreSQL only.

Source
Single-user modeUnknownYes Source Yes Source
Handles on a different domainUnknownYes Source Unknown
Custom themes or CSSYes

Admins can add custom CSS.

Source
Yes Source Yes

Admins set default light and dark themes; users can install themes.

Source
Cleans up cached remote mediaUnknownYes Source Yes Source
Plugins or extensionsUnknownUnknownUnknown

Answers are contributed and sourced. See something wrong or missing? Use “Unknown” links or a software's Feature support section to fix it.