Comparison

frequency social vs Lysten

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

Head to head
About

frequency social

Share life's moments privately with close friends and family. This app offers a chronological feed without ads or data tracking, focusing on high-resolution photo sharing and text updates. It's built on the federated ActivityPub protocol, allowing interaction with other social networks.

Highlights
  • Private photo sharing
  • Chronological feed
  • No ads or tracking
  • Federated social networking (ActivityPub)
  • High-resolution photo optimization
  • Text-based updates
Features
Read full description

Share the important moments in your life with your closest friends and family, without trading your personal data. The frequency iOS app is a custom client app for the frequency.app server. Join the future of social that's bringing it back to basics: » No ads, no tracking or training AI with your personal data » Private photo-sharing, just for your approved followers » Built on top of the federated social networking standard (ActivityPub protocol) » Follow and share with your friends on other federated social networks, like Pixelfed or Mastodon » Calm design, respectful of your time and attention » Feeds are always chronological, no algorithmic sorting, no promoted posts » Optimized for beautiful, high-resolution photos, while still showing you text-based updates from your friends -- Subscription Details -- • Monthly individual and family sharing subscriptions are available, as well as a discounted annual subscription for individuals • 30-day free trials are offered on all subscriptions • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at the end of the trial, unless the subscription is canceled • Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period • Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were originally charged for the subscription • Subscriptions can be managed or cancelled by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase Terms: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://frequency.app/privacy-policy

About

Lysten

Explore a vast array of audio conversations on diverse topics, from meditation and business to relationships and news. Host your own rooms to share your voice and connect with others, or engage in Q&A forums to learn from like-minded peers.

Highlights
  • Discover audio conversations
  • Host your own audio rooms
  • Connect with like-minded people
  • Engage in Q&A forums
  • Topic-based conversation search
Features
Read full description

• Discover hundreds of conversations via our audio rooms. These rooms are filled with exciting conversations and gems that will blow your mind. Search any topic from meditation, business, finances, breaking news, relationships, social justice and so much more. You can listen to audio rooms while you exercise, commute to work or even clean the house. • If you’re feeling good you can even host a room, create and express yourself and connect with like-minded people. You can use your voice to up lift and up rise situations and circumstances that need to be paid attention to or use your voice to just to chat, your choice. • Make a call! If you find someone that you would love to learn more from, set up a call and ask to connect with them. • Do you have questions- we have answers. Chat with like minded peers with our questions and answer forum.

Screenshots

frequency social4 screens
Lysten4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lysten at none against frequency social's 4. Lysten also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. frequency social sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Lysten asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lysten holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

frequency social ships an update every 2 months, Lysten every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on June 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
frequency social versus Lysten: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterfrequency socialLysten
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings55
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.113.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB80 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJesse KarmaniLysten Interactive Inc

Customer experience

frequency social

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Lysten

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

frequency social

Subscriptions4
  • Individual Monthly1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Supporter1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Individual Yearly1 Month trial$5.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Family Sharing Plan1 Month trial$12.991 Month
None

Lysten

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is frequency social free?
frequency social is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lysten free?
Lysten is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, frequency social or Lysten?
Lysten is rated higher. frequency social averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Lysten averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do frequency social or Lysten have ads?
Neither frequency social nor Lysten shows ads.
Which is updated more often, frequency social or Lysten?
frequency social ships an update every 2 months, and Lysten every 2 weeks. Most recently, frequency social was updated on June 1, 2026 and Lysten on June 1, 2026.

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