# Librem Chat vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is rating: Mastodon at 4.5 against Librem Chat's 3.8. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 11) and review sentiment (48% vs 33%). Librem Chat's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 18.6). 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.

Mastodon holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Librem Chat's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Librem Chat | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/librem-chat/id1456162175/reviews) | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **13K** |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **48.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 116 MB | 111 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [PURISM, SPC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1448949014) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### Librem Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/librem-chat/id1456162175)

This app provides secure text, voice, and video communication with end-to-end encryption. Share images, videos, and files in chat rooms while keeping conversations private. It is free and open-source software.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, Text chat rooms, Voice and video calls, Image, video, and file sharing, Free and open-source

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration

**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 Librem Chat free?

Librem Chat 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, Librem Chat or Mastodon?

Mastodon is rated higher. Librem Chat averages 3.8 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do Librem Chat or Mastodon have ads?

Neither Librem Chat nor Mastodon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Librem Chat or Mastodon?

Librem Chat ships an update monthly, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, Librem Chat was updated on November 11, 2026 and Mastodon on November 13, 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.*