Comparison

StarPterano vs glacial

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

glacial

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Glacial is a lightweight, cross-platform Mastodon client built with Flutter, using the OpenAPI specification to drive API integration. Provide a smooth and intuitive community browsing experience on iOS or macOS devices, allowing you to discover the latest community content at any time. ## Features - Fast discovery: Search any Mastodon server (mastodon.social by default) - Easier content discovery: Browse popular posts, tags, and user lists directly within the app - Stable and reliable architecture: Based on the official Mastodon API specification, ensuring data security and accuracy - Privacy-focused and simple: Lightweight and standalone client, no personal information is stored - Multi-platform design: Supports iOS, iPad, and macOS versions ## Source Code The latest released versions and in-progress versions of all programs can be found at https://github.com/cmj0121/glacial

Screenshots

StarPterano3 screens
glacial3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: StarPterano at every 4 days against glacial's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarPterano ships an update every 4 days, glacial fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
StarPterano versus glacial: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarPteranoglacial
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB48 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSEGO TakayoshiCHIAHAO TSAI

In-app purchases

None

StarPterano

No in-app purchases

None

glacial

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StarPterano free?
StarPterano is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is glacial free?
glacial is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do StarPterano or glacial have ads?
Neither StarPterano nor glacial shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StarPterano or glacial?
StarPterano ships an update every 4 days, and glacial fortnightly. Most recently, StarPterano was updated on September 10, 2026 and glacial on September 13, 2026.

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