# DEF CON Forums vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mastodon at 48% against DEF CON Forums's 0%. Mastodon also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (13K vs 6). DEF CON Forums's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of DEF CON Forums's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

DEF CON Forums ships an update every 3 months, Mastodon monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DEF CON Forums | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/def-con-forums/id1472107132/reviews) | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **13K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **48.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 28 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [DEF CON, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1472107131) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### DEF CON Forums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/def-con-forums/id1472107132)

Connect with the hacker and infosec communities. Discuss topics, plan for DEF CON conferences, and access the official forums directly through a streamlined interface. Supports multiple languages and prioritizes user privacy.

**Highlights:** Access DEF CON forums, Connect with hacker community, Infosec discussions, Conference planning, Multi-language support, Privacy-focused

**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 DEF CON Forums free?

DEF CON Forums 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, DEF CON Forums or Mastodon?

Mastodon is rated higher. DEF CON Forums averages 3.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do DEF CON Forums or Mastodon have ads?

Neither DEF CON Forums nor Mastodon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DEF CON Forums or Mastodon?

DEF CON Forums ships an update every 3 months, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, DEF CON Forums was updated on September 16, 2026 and Mastodon on October 15, 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.*