# Mastodon vs Waterfall AR

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Waterfall AR at 100% against Mastodon's 48%. Waterfall AR also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). Mastodon's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 8) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). 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.

Waterfall AR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Mastodon's written reviews are positive against 100% of Waterfall AR's.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Waterfall AR every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Waterfall AR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterfall-ar/id1586260109/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 110 MB | 373 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [Untethered IO, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586260111) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Waterfall AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterfall-ar/id1586260109)

Create and place 3D art in the real world for others to discover and experience. Explore creations nearby or randomly from users worldwide. Leave your unique mark on the physical environment.

**Highlights:** Create 3D art attached to the physical world, Discover nearby AR creations, Explore random AR drops globally, Leave your mark with unique creations

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Waterfall AR free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mastodon or Waterfall AR?

Waterfall AR is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Waterfall AR averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or Waterfall AR have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Waterfall AR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mastodon or Waterfall AR?

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Waterfall AR every 2 months. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on September 29, 2026 and Waterfall AR on June 2, 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.*