Phanpy a minimalistic opinionated Mastodon web client.

A minimalistic opinionated Mastodon web client.

Phanpyis a minimalist, open-source web client for Mastodon, designed to provide a cleaner and more focused interface for using the Fediverse. It is developed by Chee Aun and is itself a static web application, so it can be used directly in a browser or self-hosted. GGitHub

The official production version is available atphanpy.social.

Main features

• Multiple accounts — manage multiple Mastodon accounts from one interface.

• Light, dark, and automatic themes.

• Grouped notifications — similar notifications can be consolidated to reduce clutter.

• Nested conversation threads — makes following replies easier.

• Multi-hashtag timelines — follow several hashtags together.

• Unsent draft recovery — helps recover posts that weren't sent.

• Boosts Carousel — gives boosted posts a distinct presentation.

• Multi-column and tab-bar modes for users who want a more information-dense interface.

• Pop-out compose window for writing posts separately.

• PWA support, allowing Phanpy to behave more like an installed application on supported devices. GGitHub+1

How to use/download Phanpy

You don't need to install anything to use the official service.

1. OpenPhanpy in your browser.

2. Choose your Mastodon instance, such as mastodon.social or another server.

3. Authorize Phanpy to access your Mastodon account.

4. You can then use Phanpy directly from your browser.

Because Phanpy is a web application, this is the simplest way to use it. GGitHub

Installing it like an app

On browsers that support Progressive Web Apps (PWA), you can generally use the browser's Install app / Add to Home Screen option while visiting Phanpy. This gives you an app-like launcher without needing the full source-code installation.

Self-hosting Phanpy

If by "download and install" you mean installing your own copy of Phanpy on a server, there are two approaches.

Option 1 — Download the pre-built version

The project provides pre-built phanpy-dist.zip and phanpy-dist.tar.gz releases. You can download one, extract it, and serve the resulting files using a static web server/hosting service. GGitHub

Option 2 — Build it yourself

For development or customization:

git clone https://github.com/cheeaun/phanpy.git
cd phanpy
npm install
npm run build

The current project documentation specifies Node.js 22+. After the build completes, the generated dist directory contains the production site that you can deploy to a static hosting service. GGitHub

You can also use the project'sGitHub repository to obtain the source code and releases.

Mobile alternatives

There are also third-party wrappers around Phanpy, such as iPhanpy for Mastodon on iPhone/iPad. It packages the Phanpy web experience as an installable iOS application; it is not the original Phanpy project. AApp Store

In short: Phanpy isn't a Mastodon server or a separate social network. It's an alternative interface/client for Mastodon, and the easiest "installation" is simply opening Phanpy in your browser and optionally installing it as a PWA.