Open source X rival Mastodon begins raising funds with new in-app donation feature

Open source X and Threads competitor Mastodon will begin experimenting with a new way to raise funds: in-app donations. The organization on Wednesday announced it’s launching a campaign that introduces banners inside its Android and iOS apps, prompting users to make a monetary donation.

Initially, the feature will be shown only to those on the Mastodon servers the nonprofit itself operates, Mastodon.social and Mastodon.online. These banners will be easy to dismiss, Mastodon says, and will only be shown to people who have accounts that have…