People active on various social platforms face an inconvenience: they can’t seamlessly post across Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads with a single click. Although third-party tools exist, they’re typically geared towards small businesses and creators and come with steep prices. Addressing this gap, a new cross-posting app named Croissant launches today, offering an economical solution at just $2.99 per month.
Croissant, the brainchild of Dublin-based designer and developer Ben McCarthy and Canadian iOS developer Aaron Vegh, promises to simplify the cross-posting process. McCarthy is well-known for his successful camera app, Obscura.
McCarthy shared his frustration: “Posting with multiple images and alt text across different services was a hassle. You’d need to copy the text, switch apps repeatedly, and manually input alt text for images. I realized this could definitely be streamlined.”
While exploring solutions, McCarthy found existing services like Buffer, which cater primarily to professionals and organizations focused on social media marketing. However, he aimed to target users who incorporate social media into their work without necessarily earning directly from it.
The spark to create Croissant came from a competition hosted by subscription management platform RevenueCat. Building the app took about a month, thanks to help from Vegh.
Upon its launch, the iPhone app facilitates cross-posting to Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads seamlessly. It features threaded posts, image attachments, alt text for Mastodon and Bluesky, automatic drafts, content warnings on Mastodon, and audience options (specific to each network’s preferences).
Croissant is optimized for iOS 18, incorporating features like tinted icons and various custom app icons.
If Croissant gains traction, McCarthy and Vegh plan to expand it to platforms like iPad and Mac, introducing features like scheduled posts and auto-completion for usernames and hashtags.
In a crowded market, Croissant stands out by focusing on affordability and usability. It competes not only with industry players like Buffer but also with free tools like Fedica and other consumer-oriented cross-posting apps.
Though the future might see integrated solutions within social platforms themselves, as connections between Mastodon and Bluesky are already being made and Instagram Threads aims to federate with the open social web (the fediverse), Croissant is invaluable for current users wanting to bridge multiple platforms effortlessly.
Besides its $2.99 monthly rate, users can choose a $19.99 annual subscription or a one-time payment of $59.99 for a lifetime subscription. Croissant is set to be a convenient and cost-effective tool for social media enthusiasts and professionals alike.
