# Clapper vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against Clapper's 6. Mastodon also leads on ads (none vs shown). Clapper's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and chart position (#6 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Clapper sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Clapper against 4.5 for Mastodon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clapper has 86K ratings behind it against 13K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of Clapper's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

Clapper ships an update every 8 days, Mastodon monthly. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Clapper | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (86K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clapper-video-live-chat/id1522122685/reviews)** | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **86K** | 13K |
| Positive reviews | **52.8% of reviews** | 48.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#6** | — |
| Size | 227 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +17 | 17+ |
| Developer | [CLAPPER MEDIA GROUP INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1544021155) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### Clapper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clapper-video-live-chat/id1522122685)

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Grossing · Social Networking, #25 Top Free · Social Networking, #62 Top Grossing (US App Store)

This platform focuses on authentic connections and communities through short videos and live streams. Share your opinions, talents, and daily life while discovering local content and interacting with others. It offers monetization opportunities for creators in an ad-free environment.

**Highlights:** Short video posting (up to 3 minutes), Live streaming with duet options, Audio-only 'Radio' rooms, Group creation for super fans, Opinion sharing with 'Clapback', Location-based content aggregation

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 70 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| 350 Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1400 Coins | $19.99 | one-time |
| 3500 Coins | $49.99 | one-time |
| 7000 Coins | $99.99 | one-time |
| 17500 Coins | $249.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Friendly community
- 🚀 Fast growth
- 🚀 Monetization options
- 🚀 Freedom of speech

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Glitchy user interface
- 🔒 Lack of content moderation
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working properly
- Video quality issues after uploading
- Inconsistent behavior when liking/commenting on videos
- Inability to delete notifications
- Accounts being randomly deleted

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- More advanced video editing tools
- Better music/audio selection
- Improved algorithm and content discovery
- Ability to mute/block users


### 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 Clapper free?

Clapper 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, Clapper or Mastodon?

Clapper is rated higher. Clapper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 86K ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do Clapper or Mastodon have ads?

Clapper shows ads; Mastodon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Clapper or Mastodon?

Clapper ships an update every 8 days, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, Clapper was updated on October 28, 2026 and Mastodon on October 28, 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.*