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Reddit vs Mastodon: Which Guards Your Data Better?

Explore how the US-based Reddit and the EU's Mastodon handle your data privacy and security concerns. Make an informed choice today!

Last updated: February 18, 2026โ€ขReviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to Mastodon?

What You Gain

Gain privacy, decentralization, and EU server location

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

Loss of Reddit's extensive community and features

Reddit has more features
Bottom Line

Switch if privacy is priority; stay for Reddit's features/community

At a Glance

Data Location
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUS

US data laws

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บEU

GDPR protected

Pricing

Reddit

Contact

Mastodon

free

Migration
Medium difficulty~2-3 hours

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaRedditMastodon
Server Location
USEU
GDPR Compliance
Partial (SCCs)Full
Open Source
E2E Encryption
Optional
Data Portability
PartialFull export

CLOUD Act Notice

Reddit is a US company and must comply with CLOUD Act data requests, even for data stored in EU data centers. Mastodon is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
Reddit logo

Reddit

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Reddit Inc.

VS
Switching to
Mastodon logo

Mastodon

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ

US Data Storage

Data subject to US CLOUD Act and may be accessed by US authorities

EU Data Protection

Data protected under GDPR with EU-only data residency

Certifications & Compliance

No certifications listed

Open Source
Self-Hostable
EU-hosted

Reasons to Switch

  • โœ“Decentralized; no single point of failure
  • โœ“Full GDPR compliance; EU-hosted servers
  • โœ“Open-source; customizable and transparent
  • โœ“Optional E2E encryption for privacy

Things to Consider

  • !Migration pain; data transfer is manual
  • !Learning curve; new interface and features
  • !Fewer users; smaller community engagement
Migration difficulty:
Medium
~2-3 hours

Migration Overview

Full guide
Difficulty
Medium
Time Estimate
~2-3 hours

Depends on data size and complexity

Quick Steps

1

Create Mastodon account and configure settings

2

Export and prepare data from Reddit

3

Import data, test integrations, and migrate users

Other alternatives to Reddit

Ready to make the switch?

Start using Mastodon today and take control of your data privacy.