A Mastodon scheduler that works with your instance
Mastodon is lots of servers, not one company, so many tools skip it. TallyReel connects to whichever instance you’re on, mastodon.social, fosstodon.org, your own, and schedules posts there like anywhere else.
- Character limit
- 500
- Media
- Images or videos, up to 4 per post
- Connects with
- OAuth on your own instance
- Per-post options
- None needed
What you can schedule
On Mastodon, TallyReel handles
- Posts up to 500 characters (links always count as 23)
- Up to 4 images or videos, with alt text
- Posts to any Mastodon-compatible instance
Connect
Connecting Mastodon
- Open Settings → Channels, choose Mastodon and type your instance’s domain.
- Sign in on your own instance and approve TallyReel.
- Your account appears in the composer.
Mastodon lets you connect your own account directly, so there’s nothing to wait for.
When to post
Best time to post on Mastodon
Home timelines on Mastodon are chronological and there’s no algorithm to rescue a post that goes out at 3 a.m. Match the timezone of your instance’s community, a European instance behaves very differently from a US one.
TallyReel starts every account from the same baseline, weekday peaks at 8 AM, 12 PM, 5 PM, 6 PM, weekend peaks at 10 AM, 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM, in your audience’s local time, and after about 20 published posts shifts it toward the hours that actually work for you.
See the full weekly gridWrite it well
Mastodon posts that land
- Use CamelCase hashtags for accessibility; content warnings for sensitive topics.
- Write hashtags in CamelCase (#BlackLivesMatter, not #blacklivesmatter) so screen readers read them properly.
- Hashtags are how posts get found on Mastodon, use a few relevant ones.
- Many instances expect alt text on every image; add it in the media tray.
Mastodon scheduling FAQ
Why does TallyReel count my link as 23 characters?
Mastodon counts every link as 23 characters regardless of length, and only counts the username part of a mention like @name@server. TallyReel’s counter follows the same rules.
Does it work with my small or self-hosted instance?
Yes, as long as the instance supports standard Mastodon OAuth apps, which almost all do.
What’s the character limit on Mastodon?
500 characters. TallyReel counts the way Mastodon does, so the number you see is the number Mastodon will check.
Is Mastodon scheduling free?
Yes, every feature and every network is free while TallyReel is in beta, with no card required. Beta users will get plenty of notice before paid plans start.
Put Mastodon on a steady schedule.
Start on the Free plan: every network, no card. Upgrade only when you post more.