# Mastodon vs Diaspora Space

The clearest difference is rating: Diaspora Space at 5.0 against Mastodon's 4.5. Diaspora Space also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). Mastodon's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Diaspora Space 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Diaspora Space every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Diaspora Space |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diaspora-space/id1602311817/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 110 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [RIGHTMENUS, INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450616489) |

## 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


### Diaspora Space

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diaspora-space/id1602311817)

Connect with individuals globally who share similar origins or interests for dating, friendship, or business. Discover people from your country, no matter where you are in the world.

**Highlights:** Connect by origin, Connect by interests, Dating, Friendship, Business networking, Global reach

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Diaspora Space free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mastodon or Diaspora Space?

Diaspora Space is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Diaspora Space averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or Diaspora Space have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Diaspora Space shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mastodon or Diaspora Space?

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Diaspora Space every 2 months. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on November 3, 2026 and Diaspora Space on October 11, 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.*