X/Twitter alternative Bluesky now available without invite

Bluesky launched its apps for iOS and Android at the beginning of 2023, but was previously only available by invitation from other users. Bluesky, which has 3 million users, can now be tried without an invite code after a one-off registration, making it an alternative to social network X (formerly Twitter), which was acquired by Elon Musk in 2022.

"Bluesky is building an open social network where anyone can contribute, while still providing an easy-to-use experience for users. For the past year, we used invite codes to help us manage growth while we built features like moderation tooling, custom feeds, and more. Now, we’re ready for anyone to join," the Bluesky team wrote in a blog post.

It should be noted that Bluesky is still actively working on further development, as two-factor authorisation is still missing and an advanced moderation and tagging service for setting your own content preferences is due to launch in a few weeks. Unlike the open source alternative Mastodon, Bluesky X/Twitter will be instantly familiar to users. This is hardly surprising, given that Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sits on Bluesky's board of directors.

Unlike the microblogging service X, Bluesky is designed as a decentralised network, like Mastodon, where several online networks coexist. However, instead of using the ActivityPub protocol on which Mastodon is based, Bluesky uses its own open source standard, the AT protocol.

Interested users can now register with Bluesky without any restrictions. Apps are available for iOS and Android, and Bluesky can also be used on desktop computers via the browser.