Comparison

StarPterano vs Pools on Bonafide

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

StarPterano

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StarPterano is a client application for Mastodon, a distributed social networking service. It features a large amount of information that can be viewed, a light operation feel, and a wealth of unique functions. 【Features of StarPterano】 The timeline is displayed in full screen, and can be displayed in multi-columns on the iPad. The background color of selected posts on the timeline changes, as does the color of related posts. Pinch in/out to show/uncheck mini-view for quick viewing of a large number of posts. Pinch out to zoom in and out to see even hard-to-see custom emojis. Pinch out to zoom in and out to see custom emojis that are hard to see. Swipe left or right to switch between multiple accounts easily. A variety of settings are available, including text and icon size, freely selectable accent colors, and relative/absolute time display. Post input can be done while displaying the timeline. Streaming support Automatic CW expansion Long text is automatically displayed with its height limited so that it does not get in the way. Supports custom emoji animations. 【Supported features】 Use of multiple accounts, reply/boost/favorite/bookmark operations for posts on different accounts Timeline streaming Display of custom emoji, emoji picker Post posting functions (images, public range, CW, NSFW) Boosting, favoriting, and bookmarking See who has favorite/boosted a post Conversation display with in_reply_to Animated display of icons and custom emoji Video playback, video posting (compressed) Post GIF animations List function Search function for tags, users, and posts Profile editing Integrated local and home view Reserved postings Polls (post polls, view polls, participate in polls) Editing of posts NowPlaying post, which allows you to post the name of the song that is currently playing. Custom emoji picker ・Display reply destinations and hashtag and emoji suggestions while typing from "@", "#", and ":". Follow hashtags Explore trending posts, hashtags, news, and recommended users Translation function Emoji reactions (Only servers that support fedibird API) 【Notes】 Push notification function is not supported. Filtering function is not supported.

About

Pools on Bonafide

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Pools is a better way to keep in touch, in a way that works for everybody. No bots, strangers, spam, or ads. Just the people who matter. Make a dedicated space (a Pool!), and share it with anyone, for any reason or topic. Make as many Pools as you want. Share the things that don't work through text or on social media. No unnecessary alerts. No pressure to reply. Catch up when it's convenient. Choose who sees which posts and replies, because not everything is for everyone. Your profile is undiscoverable and you control how you're connected to others. PRIVACY Sign up without needing to provide your email address or phone number. No ads. No promoted or suggested content. CONNECT It’s impossible to receive spam or any unwanted connection requests in the app. Connect in Pools using our unique and expiring Connection Codes. Choose which name and photo you share with each new connection. SHARING & DISCOVERING Pools are how you organize and share. Create Pools that are private just for yourself or share them with a particular person or group. Subscribe to Pools that your connections share with you. When you make a post, you choose which Pools to share it to. Based on who subscribes to that Pool, the right people will get the post in their feed. Posting to Pools lets you share quietly. The other person won’t get a notification. Less pressure to respond and they can get to it when it makes sense for them. REACTIONS & COMMENTS If you leave a reaction, only the person who made the post will see. Reactions are just feedback, not a popularity contest. If you want to leave a comment on a post, you choose who can see it. You can only pick from other people you’re connected to that also subscribe to that Pool. This makes reactions and comments much more personal and less one-size-fits-all. MESSAGE Create and join 1-1 message threads and group message threads. You can have multiple message threads for the same person or group. Customize your name and photo for each group message you’re part of. Join group messages without revealing any of your contact information. FOR YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY Pools is about connecting with people in your life. You build your own network. You don’t need to have lots of connections to benefit from Pools. Start by inviting one other person you communicate with often. SUBSCRIPTION You already know there’s no free lunch on the internet. Free apps are paid for by someone else. We’d rather serve you. Get started with your first 50MB free, and then simply pay for the storage of your own posts. Pools Starter includes 500MB storage. Pools Standard includes 20GB storage. Pools Super includes 100GB storage. Pools Supreme includes 500GB storage. Terms of Service – https://pools.bonafide.technology/terms Privacy Policy – https://pools.bonafide.technology/terms#privacy-policy

Screenshots

StarPterano3 screens
Pools on Bonafide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StarPterano at none against Pools on Bonafide's 4. StarPterano also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pools on Bonafide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. StarPterano asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarPterano ships an update every 4 days, Pools on Bonafide monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
StarPterano versus Pools on Bonafide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarPteranoPools on Bonafide
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB36 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSEGO TakayoshiProtegra

In-app purchases

None

StarPterano

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Pools on Bonafide

Subscriptions4
  • Starter$0.991 Month
  • Standard$2.991 Month
  • Super$4.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Supreme$12.991 Month

Questions

Is StarPterano free?
StarPterano is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pools on Bonafide free?
Pools on Bonafide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StarPterano or Pools on Bonafide have ads?
Neither StarPterano nor Pools on Bonafide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StarPterano or Pools on Bonafide?
StarPterano ships an update every 4 days, and Pools on Bonafide monthly. Most recently, StarPterano was updated on September 29, 2026 and Pools on Bonafide on October 1, 2026.

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