# Hive Social vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is rating: Mastodon at 4.5 against Hive Social's 3.3. Mastodon also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (48% vs 31%). Hive Social's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hive Social sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 2.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Hive Social's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

Hive Social ships an update every 3 weeks, Mastodon monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hive Social | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-social/id1480835284/reviews) | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K | **13K** |
| Positive reviews | 30.7% of reviews | **48.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 105 MB | 111 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Hive Social, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1602627309) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### Hive Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-social/id1480835284)

Connect with friends and discover new content on a social media platform. Express yourself with customizable features like a music section and color themes. Engage with communities, creators, and content through a chronological feed and interactive tools.

**Highlights:** Customizable Music Section, Full app color themes, Discover trending content and communities, Asks feature for creator interaction, Repost, share, and reply to posts, Gif feature, Chronological home feed

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2nd Profile Playlist Slot | $0.99 | one-time |
| 4th Profile Playlist Slot | $1.99 | one-time |
| 3rd Profile Playlist Slot | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great alternative to Twitter
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Unique features like music profiles
- 🌟 Promising platform with potential

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- ⏱️ Slow loading times and performance issues
- 🔒 Lack of security and privacy features
- 📢 Moderation issues with inappropriate content

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to edit profile information
- Inconsistent follower/following counts
- Verification email not being sent
- Crashes and freezes when trying to post

**Requested features**

- Ability to deactivate/delete account
- Option to connect Spotify instead of just Apple Music
- Improved search and discovery functionality
- Addition of stories or short-form video sharing


### 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 Hive Social free?

Hive Social is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mastodon free?

Mastodon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hive Social or Mastodon?

Mastodon is rated higher. Hive Social averages 3.3 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do Hive Social or Mastodon have ads?

Neither Hive Social nor Mastodon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hive Social or Mastodon?

Hive Social ships an update every 3 weeks, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, Hive Social was updated on November 7, 2026 and Mastodon on November 12, 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.*