Comparison

Tusker vs Metatext

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

Head to head
About

Tusker

This app offers a flexible and customizable client for the Mastodon social network and compatible services. It provides advanced features like notification grouping, timeline syncing across devices, and extensive personalization options for a tailored social media experience.

Highlights
  • Notification grouping
  • Timeline sync with iCloud
  • Customizable timelines with filters
  • Extensive user preferences
  • Digital wellness options
  • Multiple account support
  • Modern Mastodon features
Features
Read full description

Tusker is a free and flexible client for the Mastodon social network and other compatible services. Features: • Notification grouping: Combine favorite, boost, and follow notifications into a single row to get a more glance-able view of your notifications. • Timeline sync: Keep your timeline position across all your devices using iCloud. • Customize timelines: Pick which timelines (including lists, hashtags, and public instance timelines) are pinned to your home tab, and apply filters to hide posts you're not interested in. • Tweak your experience: Tusker has a wide variety of preferences to allow you to customize how you use the app. From changing the appearance and interactions, to configuring how content warnings work, Tusker supports it all. • Digital wellness options: Tusker has a variety of preferences to help you manage how you use social media, including by turning infinite scrolling off or showing all images in grayscale. • Accessibility: VoiceOver, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, and more are all fully supported. • Multiple accounts: Sign in to multiple accounts and quickly switch between them. • Modern Mastodon features: Edit posts, view quotes, view trending posts/hashtags/links, translate posts, and more. • Broad software compatibility: Tusker also has builtin support for the Glitch and Hometown variants of Mastodon; as well as Pleroma/Akkoma, a Mastodon alternative; and PixelFed, a photo-sharing social network. Mastodon is part of the fediverse, a free, open source, and decentralized social network. From your home server, communicate and interact with people on any other server using the ActivityPub protocol. Learn more at joinmastodon.org. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Metatext

This is a free, open-source client for the Mastodon social network. It offers robust features like multiple account support, advanced emoji handling, and timeline management. Designed with accessibility in mind, it ensures a private and ethical social media experience.

Highlights
  • Multiple account support
  • Searchable custom emoji picker
  • Timeline position memory
  • Mastodon lists and filters
  • VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support
  • Private, no tracking
Features
Read full description

Metatext is a free, modern, open source, and accessible Mastodon client. Features: - Multiple accounts: You can add multiple accounts and even use several accounts simultaneously with iPad multitasking. - Emoji: Metatext has a searchable custom emoji picker and supports animated custom emoji. - Timeline management: Metatext remembers your home timeline position and can load gaps in either direction - Mastodon features: Metatext supports most Mastodon features including lists, profile directory, and syncing filters - Accessibility: Metatext supports VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, dark mode, and motion reduction. - Private: No tracking or any information shared with third parties. What is Mastodon? It's the social network of the future: No ads, no corporate surveillance, ethical design, and decentralization. Check out joinmastodon.org for more info. Follow @metabolist@mastodon.social for updates!

Screenshots

Tusker4 screens
Metatext3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Metatext at none against Tusker's 4. Metatext also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (275 vs 30). Tusker's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (91% vs 71%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Tusker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Metatext asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tusker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Metatext has 275 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Tusker's written reviews are positive against 71% of Metatext's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tusker ships an update every 3 months, Metatext every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Tusker versus Metatext: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTuskerMetatext
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (30 ratings) — better4.4 (275 ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better70.8% of reviews
Number of ratings30275 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB31 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperVaccor, LLCMetabolist, LLC

Customer experience

Tusker

All ratings32 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

Metatext

All ratings278 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral6.5%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive70.8%
Neutral17.5%
Negative11.7%

Bugs and requests

Tusker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Metatext

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when refreshing feed
  • Issues with custom emoji rendering in display names
  • Problems with logging out and managing multiple accounts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add edit post functionality
  • Implement hashtag following
  • Improve notification system with badge counts
  • Add dark mode option
  • Enhance media handling (full-size images, video playback)

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Tusker

Subscriptions1
  • Tusker Supporter$1.991 Month
One-time3
  • Nice Tip$1.99
  • Awesome Tip$6.99
  • Incredible Tip$14.99
None

Metatext

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tusker free?
Tusker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Metatext free?
Metatext is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tusker or Metatext?
Tusker is rated higher. Tusker averages 4.7 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Metatext averages 4.4 from 275 ratings.
Do Tusker or Metatext have ads?
Neither Tusker nor Metatext shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tusker or Metatext?
Tusker ships an update every 3 months, and Metatext every 4 days. Most recently, Tusker was updated on October 23, 2026 and Metatext on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons