Mastodon keeps betting on its community to stay independent. After restructuring as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) at the end of 2025, the platform just launched two new t-shirts in its online shop. The designs come from artist Dopatwo, and the messaging was crowdsourced directly from users.

T-shirts with messaging from the community

The two designs feature slogans like “My friends are not for sale” and “I add alt text to images.” Both reflect core values of the network: privacy protection and accessibility. The shirts are printed on quality organic cotton with limited production that prioritizes durability over volume.

Merch isn’t Mastodon’s main revenue stream. Direct donations remain the economic backbone, as the team confirmed in the same announcement. The platform funds itself through community crowdfunding, with no outside investors, ads, or aggressive monetization schemes. Selling these products helps finance future projects, from additional clothing to accessories like hoodies and beanies.

Printable posters for offline promotion

Beyond t-shirts, enamel pins with “Live, laugh, federate” are back in stock, available in glitter editions. Other previous items remain available too. For anyone wanting to promote Mastodon offline, printable posters are now available in multiple languages, ready for physical distribution.

Italian-language instance with more breathing room

For those seeking an Italian-language home in the Fediverse, Poliversity is a Mastodon instance born as a spin-off of the Poliverso project and dedicated to academia, research, education, and journalism. The catch? The character limit per post is set at 4999, well beyond the standard 500 on most servers. That extra space allows for more nuanced discussions, fitting with the instance’s focus on quality content.

An alternative model that holds

Mastodon’s alternative model keeps drawing people seeking more transparent digital spaces. Without algorithms pushing content or data sold to third parties, the platform maintains decentralized governance where each server is autonomous yet interconnected. Merch becomes both a visibility tool and economic support.