Mastodon introduces email newsletters, allowing those who prefer not to have an account to still keep up with creators on the open social web.

      Mastodon 4.6 introduces email newsletters for creators, Collections for user profile discovery, and revamped profiles, all aimed at increasing its user base beyond 735K monthly active users (MAU). The open-source social platform is betting on email, the oldest internet communication protocol, to address its main challenge: reaching potential users who will not create a fediverse account. Released on Tuesday, version 4.6's key feature enables creators to send posts directly to email subscribers, allowing followers to stay updated without needing to join the platform; they simply need an email inbox.

      The email newsletter feature isn’t activated by default due to concerns about operational costs for Mastodon servers. Developers have limited availability, requiring creators to have specific roles and permissions, meaning they need either to run their own server, use one from Mastodon’s paid service, or arrange access through their current server operator.

      This limitation serves a purpose, as Mastodon indicates that the feature is primarily aimed at institutional users, referencing hosting and moderation services that started in September 2025. Current clients include the European Commission, the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and the city of Blois in France, while independent journalists and bloggers with their own servers can also take advantage of it.

      This feature tackles a significant growth challenge. Mastodon currently has around 735,000 monthly active users, as stated in its server directory, while the wider fediverse exceeds a million active accounts. In contrast, Bluesky boasts 44.8 million registered users, Threads has over 450 million monthly active users, highlighting Mastodon’s comparatively smaller audience.

      Email newsletters have the potential to circumvent these limitations entirely. A media organization that operates its own Mastodon server could simultaneously publish posts that reach both fediverse users and email subscribers, without requiring subscribers to understand fediverse servers. Additionally, the anonymity offered by email subscriptions may attract users who are wary of newsletter platforms that monitor reading habits for advertising.

      Since Mastodon accounts are portable, creators who gather email subscribers through the platform can shift to different servers without losing their audience. This portability is one of the few structural advantages of the fediverse over centralized platforms where moving often results in losing followers.

      The 4.6 update also introduces Collections, which are Mastodon's equivalent to curated account lists popularized by Bluesky as Starter Packs and adapted by Threads. Users can compile shareable lists of up to 25 recommended profiles, with mechanisms for any listed user to remove themselves anytime. Collections appear on the creator’s profile under a “Featured” tab.

      Mastodon designed this feature with abuse prevention in mind. Users who have not opted into the “Feature me in discovery experiences” setting cannot be included in any collection, and notifications are sent to users upon being added. Any changes to a collection's title or description trigger another notification, and there is no “follow all” option, compelling users to evaluate profiles individually instead of bulk-following lists that may include spam.

      Profile pages have been redesigned to highlight the information that users value most, based on community feedback. The editing process now takes place directly on the profile page, eliminating the need to navigate to a separate settings area, and users can crop photos and headers while adding alt text for better accessibility. New controls allow users to hide or customize the media tab, including whether it displays attachments from replies.

      Accessibility enhancements extend beyond profiles. The release brings improvements in keyboard navigation, focus management, color contrast, and screen reader functionality across the interface. Notably, a significant portion of this initiative was sponsored by the Dutch government, according to the Mastodon team.

      Mastodon does not engage in venture capital, sell advertisements, or user data, a stance that appeals to privacy-conscious users but restricts available resources for expansion. The institutional hosting service launched last year represents its first serious attempt at creating a commercial revenue stream. The newsletter feature enhances this institutional strategy by providing organizations with an incentive to choose Mastodon over alternative publishing platforms.

      Whether email can effectively broaden the fediverse remains uncertain. While the feature lowers the barrier for following creators, it doesn’t resolve the network effects challenge that has kept Mastodon's user count stable amid growth of centralized competitors. However, it does provide a connection, allowing the open social web to reach users through an infrastructure that predates all social networks and will likely endure beyond them.