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Mastodon is decentralized: each server is an independent entity that can interoperate with others. There is no central company account to sign up for. Instead you join a Mastodon server, and the Mastodon site says each server is a completely independent entity. Servers can differ in their moderation rules, so reading the rules before you join matters more than the name of the server.

According to the project, your home feed shows posts from the people you follow in chronological order, with no algorithm and no ads. You can follow people on other servers from one account, because Mastodon is built on open web protocols such as ActivityPub, which connect it to a wider network of apps called the fediverse. The software is free and open source, and you can host your own server if you want full control.

Before you switch, check a few practical things. Make sure the people and organizations you follow are reachable on the fediverse. Choose a server whose rules and region suit you. Learn how to move your profile to another server later, which the project says is possible without losing followers.