# phpFox vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mastodon at 48% against phpFox's 0%. Mastodon also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ads (none vs shown). phpFox's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.6). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of phpFox's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

phpFox ships an update every 2 months, Mastodon monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | phpFox | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phpfox/id1435286538/reviews) | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **13K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **48.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 78 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [PHPFOX LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435286537) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### phpFox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phpfox/id1435286538)

This social networking app allows users to easily update activities and share content within their community. It provides tools to manage various modules like events, photos, blogs, and member profiles.

**Highlights:** Activity updates, Content sharing, Event management, Photo sharing, Blog posting, Member 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 phpFox free?

phpFox 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, phpFox or Mastodon?

Mastodon is rated higher. phpFox averages 4.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do phpFox or Mastodon have ads?

phpFox shows ads; Mastodon does not.

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

phpFox ships an update every 2 months, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, phpFox was updated on October 10, 2026 and Mastodon on October 19, 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.*