Acorn launches creator-controlled alternative as X shuts down Communities

A new initiative named Acorn is rolling out a way for creators and organizations to build their own online communities, presenting a direct alternative to centralized social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Threads. The project leverages the same decentralized technology powering Bluesky, enabling communities to design custom homepages, assemble starter packs for newcomers, and tailor feeds and moderation tools to their specific needs.

Acorn originates from Blacksky, a company dedicated to building a decentralized social media toolkit around the AT Protocol. This protocol, developed by Bluesky’s team, already supports a growing ecosystem of open social apps, including Flashes, Spark, Skylight, Surf, Streamplace, and Leaflet.

Previously, Blacksky concentrated on creating safer online spaces for the Black Twitter community to migrate to. This involved forking Bluesky, developing custom moderation services, and building its own implementation of the AT Protocol. Now, with Acorn, Blacksky is making these same powerful tools available to any community seeking to establish its own space on the open social web.

This shift allows creators and organizations to own and control their communities, rather than surrendering that authority to tech giants. It frees them from dependence on opaque algorithms and unpredictable policy changes. The timing is particularly relevant, as X recently announced the shutdown of its own Communities feature, leaving many users searching for new homes for their groups.

At launch, Acorn provides a comprehensive suite of tools. Communities can onboard new members, customize feeds, configure and operate moderation services, and track growth through built-in analytics. Similar to Bluesky’s “Starter Packs,” which offer suggested follows for newcomers, Acorn lets communities create their own starter packs. It also introduces reputation systems using custom badges and awards to recognize and manage members, alongside tools to police bots and trolls.

Moderation is a core focus. Communities can define their own policies, then access custom tools to manage reporting flows, take down or ban accounts, and remove posts. Creators can also build topic-specific feeds and create tabs for announcements, events, or resources. As the community expands, analytics help track member growth, feed activity, and engagement patterns, offering a clear view of overall community health.

Communities can deploy Acorn’s tools on their own domain, with pricing customized to their needs. Some may opt for the full infrastructure, including running their own Personal Data Server (PDS) within the AT Protocol. Others might prefer a customized version of Blacksky’s community client. The average customer price currently ranges from $100 to $150 per month, but Acorn plans to transition to a tiered SaaS model that scales with community size and tooling requirements.

Acorn is already in use by AT Protocol-based communities like Latinsky and Medsky, as well as a filmmaker community called The Invite. It is also in active discussions with media companies and nonprofits. Interested parties can join the waitlist on its website.

“The name Acorn is inspired by the adaptable and resilient community Octavia Butler penned in ‘Parable of the Sower’ in 1993. Like the fictional Acorn community, Blacksky has survived through constant adaptation,” explains Rishi Balakrishnan, Acorn’s Lead Software Engineer. “We didn’t plan to build out the full infrastructure stack we have now , a stack that provides complete independence of Bluesky. Each step was adaptive and based on community need. Acorn shares the knowledge and infrastructure we’ve gained from building alongside the Blacksky community so that other communities can grow in the same way , allowing them to keep focus on their missions/people without needing technical expertise.”

This launch arrives amid growing global regulation of social media, including bans on minors using certain services. Simultaneously, public distrust in big tech platforms is rising, as these companies prioritize advertising revenue over user experience. A recent wave of automated bans across Facebook and Instagram has also wiped out some users’ accounts and groups, leaving them with no human recourse. While these users represent a small fraction of Meta’s billions, they are prime candidates for alternatives like Acorn when they choose to return to social media.