# Discourse Hub vs ntfy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ntfy at 79% against Discourse Hub's 26%. ntfy also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (425 vs 10). 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.

ntfy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ntfy has 425 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Discourse Hub's written reviews are positive against 79% of ntfy's.

Discourse Hub ships an update every 3 weeks, ntfy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on July 28, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Discourse Hub | ntfy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discourse-hub/id1173672076/reviews) | **[4.8 (425 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ntfy/id1625396347/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **425** |
| Positive reviews | 26.1% of reviews | **78.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 21 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Discourse](https://appshunter.io/developer/1173672075) | [Philipp Heckel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625396349) |

## What reviewers say

### Discourse Hub

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discourse-hub/id1173672076)

Connect with online communities and manage discussions from anywhere. This app allows you to join multiple communities, discover new ones, and stay updated with instant notifications. Engage in conversations, ask questions, and share insights effortlessly.

**Highlights:** Access multiple communities, Discover new communities, Receive notifications, Post and reply instantly, Seamless community switching

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎯 Centralized hub for multiple Discourse communities
- 🔔 Push notification support across forums
- 👤 Persistent login across multiple accounts
- 🌙 Dark mode support
- 📱 Mobile-optimized interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Persistent notification badge issues
- 🌐 Web view wrapper rather than native app
- ⚠️ Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔐 Login persistence problems
- 📝 Text input field positioning issues

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications won't clear (red badge persists)
- App freezes on launch requiring force quit
- White page flash when returning to feed in dark mode
- Post editing interface misaligned on iOS 26.1
- Links open in Safari instead of in-app

**Requested features**

- Native app instead of web view wrapper
- Font size customization
- Tab support for multiple threads
- iCloud sync across devices
- Forum naming/customization


### ntfy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ntfy/id1625396347)

This app allows you to send push notifications to your phone from scripts or other applications using simple HTTP requests. It acts as a client for a free, open-source pub-sub service, enabling you to receive alerts and updates directly on your device.

**Highlights:** Send notifications via REST API, Subscribe to topics, Publish messages via HTTP, Integrates with Bash/PowerShell, Free and open source client

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Great for self-hosting
- 👍 Reliable and works as expected
- 🚀 Quick and easy to set up
- 🚀 Lightweight and functional

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notification issues on iOS
- 🔍 Limited features compared to other platforms
- 🔍 Lacks customization options
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or delivery issues

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working on iOS
- Broken click URLs in notifications
- Compatibility issues with iOS notification summarizing

**Requested features**

- Ability to change notification sounds
- Support for Apple Watch
- Customizable topic names/aliases
- Improved iOS notification handling
- All topics view and read/unread indicators


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Discourse Hub free?

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

### Is ntfy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Discourse Hub or ntfy?

ntfy is rated higher. Discourse Hub averages 3.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while ntfy averages 4.8 from 425 ratings.

### Do Discourse Hub or ntfy have ads?

Neither Discourse Hub nor ntfy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Discourse Hub or ntfy?

Discourse Hub ships an update every 3 weeks, and ntfy fortnightly. Most recently, Discourse Hub was updated on July 28, 2026 and ntfy on September 24, 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.*