Comparison

Tootoise vs glacial

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

Head to head
About

Tootoise

A straightforward client for the Mastodon social network, allowing users to manage multiple accounts, interact with timelines, and customize their experience. It offers robust post management features, including editing and pinning, along with privacy controls like muting and blocking.

Highlights
  • Manage multiple Mastodon accounts
  • View and post to timelines
  • Create and edit post lists
  • Pinning and bookmarking posts
  • Mute, block, and report users
  • Customizable theme colors
  • Edit posts
Features
Read full description

Tootoise is a simple Mastodon client. ## You can do this - View and post timeline - Add and switch multiple accounts - List display, creation and editing - Add, remove and list favourites - Add, remove and list bookmarks - Display notifications list (Not push notifications) - Display and input of custom emoji - Post information about the song you are currently listening to - Sharing from other applications (Safari, etc.) - Use with iPad multitasking function (SplitView, SlideOver) - Change theme color - Absolute time display - Pinning posts - Mute, block, report, filter - Search (As per server specifications) - Display and vote on poll - Edit a post (Some functions are not yet supported.) - Setting and displaying the ALT attribute (alternate text) ## These are not possible - Push notifications - Streaming - Create a poll - Relative time display The text size can be changed from the iOS Settings view. You can check the license of the library etc. used in this App by tapping the app icon in iOS settings.

About

glacial

Read full description

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

Tootoise4 screens
glacial3 screens

Verdict

The call

Tootoise and glacial are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

Tootoise ships an update every 2 weeks, glacial fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Tootoise versus glacial: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTootoiseglacial
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (18 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB48 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperNaoki KuwataCHIAHAO TSAI

In-app purchases

None

Tootoise

No in-app purchases

None

glacial

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tootoise free?
Tootoise is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is glacial free?
glacial is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tootoise or glacial have ads?
Neither Tootoise nor glacial shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tootoise or glacial?
Tootoise ships an update every 2 weeks, and glacial fortnightly. Most recently, Tootoise was updated on September 22, 2026 and glacial on September 13, 2026.

Other comparisons