# HootBoard vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is rating: Mastodon at 4.5 against HootBoard's 3.5. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 4). HootBoard's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Mastodon holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of HootBoard's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

HootBoard ships an update every 2 months, Mastodon monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HootBoard | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hootboard/id1141706263/reviews) | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **13K** |
| Positive reviews | **50.0% of reviews** | 48.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 36 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [HOOTBOARD LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1141706262) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### HootBoard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hootboard/id1141706263)

Stay updated and contribute to your organization's digital bulletin board. Post announcements, events, and jobs on the go, and receive real-time notifications. Engage in discussions and manage content easily.

**Highlights:** Post updates on the go, Receive push notifications, View and add events to calendar, Engage with comments and questions, Filter content with collections, Admin content review and management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Mastodon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974)

Connect with others on a decentralized social network. Share posts, images, and videos in chronological order without algorithms or ads. Discover new content and participate in conversations across the fediverse.

**Highlights:** Chronological feed, No algorithms or ads, Discover new users and topics, Post with images, videos, and polls, Create custom lists, Filter content, Cross-platform communication

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Friendly and welcoming community
- 🚀 Decentralized and free from corporate control
- 🔒 No data collection or ads
- 🤖 Good alternative to Twitter
- 💡 Ability to self-host servers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Confusing onboarding and server selection
- 📱 Limited functionality compared to web version
- 🔍 Difficulty finding and following people
- 🕰️ Slow or delayed notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Can't log in or create account
- Keyboard freezes during editing
- Inconsistent behavior when switching accounts
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add local and federated timelines
- Improve search and discovery features
- Implement edit and delete post functionality
- Add support for animated GIFs
- Provide better accessibility options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HootBoard free?

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

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HootBoard or Mastodon?

Mastodon is rated higher. HootBoard averages 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do HootBoard or Mastodon have ads?

Neither HootBoard nor Mastodon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HootBoard or Mastodon?

HootBoard ships an update every 2 months, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, HootBoard was updated on September 23, 2026 and Mastodon on October 21, 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.*