Ello is an ad-free social networking service created by Paul Budnitz in March, 2014. In October, 2014, Ello reorganized itself as a benefit corporation.

Ello started as a private social network consisting of seven artists and programmers and, after a year of private use, the creators redesigned the web site and launched a public version.^[3] Seed funding of $435,000 from the venture capital investor, FreshTracks Capital, in January 2014 helped sustain the company. This decision earned some criticism when the network achieved wider popularity.

The Ello web site was launched on March 18, 2014 (around the same time as Yo), complete with a manifesto that claimed to distinguish it from social networks such as Facebook. The site promised it would never sell user data, proclaiming that "You Are Not A Product". The social network service officially launched on April 3, although membership registration was only by invitation.