# Fishbowl vs Joinstar

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Joinstar at 100% against Fishbowl's 19%. Joinstar also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). Fishbowl's advantage is ratings volume (23K vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Joinstar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fishbowl has 23K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Fishbowl's written reviews are positive against 100% of Joinstar's.

Fishbowl ships an update every 2 months, Joinstar every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fishbowl | Joinstar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishbowl-professional-network/id1005070636/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joinstar/id1641191706/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 19.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 90 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Fishbowl Media LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1005070635) | [Joinstar LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1641191867) |

## What reviewers say

### Fishbowl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishbowl-professional-network/id1005070636)

Connect with verified professionals in industry-specific groups for genuine conversations and career advice. Discover new jobs, get referrals, and stay updated on what colleagues are discussing in a remote-first environment.

**Highlights:** Industry, Community, and Company Bowls (Groups), Real-time industry and profession feed, Direct messaging and networking, Job discovery and referral opportunities, Verified professional connections, Career advice and insights

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great way to connect with professionals
- 💡 Allows for open discussions on taboo topics
- 👍 Useful for students to explore career options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔒 Privacy and data concerns
- 🤖 Overzealous and biased moderation
- 📨 Aggressive notifications and spam
- 🔒 Difficult to delete account and posts

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to change job title or industry
- Verification process takes too long
- Keyboard overlaps text input fields
- Notifications disappear after viewing one

**Requested features**

- Improve search and browsing functionality
- Add option to post anonymously
- Implement better content moderation system
- Allow users to delete their own posts and comments
- Provide more industry-specific communities


### Joinstar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joinstar/id1641191706)

Discover and connect with people in your network who are traveling to the same destinations or live in places you're visiting. Never miss an opportunity to meet up with friends again.

**Highlights:** Connect with people traveling to same places, Find friends visiting your hometown, Discover people living where you travel, Never miss meetups with friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fishbowl free?

Fishbowl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Joinstar free?

Joinstar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Fishbowl or Joinstar?

Joinstar is rated higher. Fishbowl averages 4.6 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while Joinstar averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Fishbowl or Joinstar have ads?

Neither Fishbowl nor Joinstar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fishbowl or Joinstar?

Fishbowl ships an update every 2 months, and Joinstar every 6 weeks. Most recently, Fishbowl was updated on October 26, 2026 and Joinstar on October 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*