Cohost

Cohost (stylized in all lowercase letters as cohost or cohost!) is a social media website publicly launched in June 2022 that is currently in beta. It is owned by a not-for-profit software company named Anti Software Software Club that consists of four developers. It has no advertisements or algorithm, instead displaying posts in a chronological order. The website was previously invite only but now has open registration with a waiting period before users can post.

History
The idea for Cohost was conceptualized in 2019, and the mascot for the website was created in 2020. It was launched in a closed beta in February 2022. Early access registration via invite code was allowed in June of that year. Anyone was allowed to register around November, but new users must sit through a waiting period before their account is activated.

Cohost was reported as having financial issues in March 2024 after temporarily losing contact with the person funding it, but the site is stated to have backup plans.

Features
Cohost features posts similar in style to Twitter but without a character limit. Users can like, comment, and repost but interactions are hidden, including like counts on posts and the followers of users. There is no trending timeline or algorithm-based timeline, instead featuring a chronological timeline and a tagging system where searchable hashtags can be attached to posts. The website supports Markdown and editing of HTML and CSS within posts. There is also a monthly subscription service called Cohost Plus which offers an increased file size limit and other features, but mainly serves as a way to support the development of the website. There are plans to implement a tip jar feature and a subscription feature similar to Patreon, where users can subscribe to creators and other users on the site for access to exclusive posts.

Users
The active userbase was around 20,000 in February 2023 to 38,000 in July in 2023. The February 2023 report gave the number of registered users at 130,000. A report by the staff on November 2023 gave the number of registered users as 203,805 and the number of monthly active users as 21,142.

Reception
Cohost has generally received positive reception. The site has been praised for allowing users to edit HTML and CSS in posts, where users can make games and so-called "CSS crimes." It has also been given praise for allowing users to edit posts after they are posted, a lack of ads, and navigable web design. Criticism has been given for the lack of a proper search feature and for the lack of a mobile app. Cohost Plus has also been criticized for not offering many unique features.