# Mastodon vs Farcaster

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against Farcaster's 16. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 1.1K). Farcaster's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Farcaster sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Mastodon against 4.6 for Farcaster. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of Mastodon's written reviews are positive against 50% of Farcaster's.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Farcaster every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Farcaster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/farcaster/id1600555445/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | **50.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 110 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [Merkle Manufactory](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600555567) |

## 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


### Farcaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/farcaster/id1600555445)

A decentralized social network where users control their identity and data. Connect with a global community by creating a profile, posting public messages, and engaging in private conversations. Experience a new way to socialize online.

**Highlights:** Decentralized social network, User-controlled identity, Create public profile, Post public messages, Send private messages, Discover users and profiles

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $1.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $2.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $3.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $5.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $9.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $12.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $18.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $24.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $27.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $36.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $45.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $48.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $54.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $60.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $72.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $80.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth experience
- 🌟 Great community
- 💡 Innovative features
- 🌐 Decentralized social network
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💰 Paid subscription required
- 🤖 Issues with bots/spam
- 🌐 Onboarding challenges
- 🤔 Confusing payment process

**Reported bugs**

- Registration issues
- Inability to upload photos
- Crashes and app instability
- Problems with in-app purchases
- Sync issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Multi-language support
- Improved notifications
- Expanded content sharing options
- Better integration with web3 tools
- Enhanced analytics and metrics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Farcaster free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mastodon or Farcaster?

Farcaster is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Farcaster averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Mastodon or Farcaster have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Farcaster shows ads.

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

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Farcaster every 5 days. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on October 24, 2026 and Farcaster on October 24, 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.*