Comparison

Mastodon vs Forus App

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

Head to head
About

Mastodon

Connect with others on a decentralized social network. Follow creators, engage in discussions, and share content chronologically without algorithms or ads. Customize your experience with lists and filters.

Highlights
  • Chronological feed
  • No algorithms or ads
  • Discover writers, artists, and more
  • Post with images, videos, and polls
  • Create custom lists
  • Filter content
  • Cross-server communication
Features
Read full description

Mastodon is the best way to keep up with what’s happening. Follow anyone across the fediverse and see it all in chronological order. No algorithms, ads, or clickbait in sight. This is the official iOS app for Mastodon. In our app, you can: EXPLORE ■ Discover new writers, journalists, artists, photographers, scientists and more ■ See what’s happening in the world READ ■ Keep up with people you care about in a chronological feed with no interruptions ■ Follow hashtags to keep up with specific topics in real time CREATE ■ Post to your followers or the whole world, with polls, high quality images and videos ■ Participate in interesting conversations with other people CURATE ■ Create lists of people to never miss a post ■ Filter words or phrases to control what you do and don’t want to see AND MORE! ■ Login and switch between multiple accounts ■ No spoilers! You can put your posts behind content warnings A POWERFUL PUBLISHING PLATFORM You no longer have to try and appease an opaque algorithm that decides if your friends are going to see what you posted. If they follow you, they’ll see it. If you publish it to the open web, it’s accessible on the open web. You can safely share links to Mastodon in the knowledge that anyone will be able to read them without logging in. Between threads, polls, high quality images, videos, audio, and content warnings, Mastodon offers plenty of ways to express yourself in a way that suits you. A POWERFUL READING PLATFORM We don’t need to show you ads, so we don’t need to keep you in our app. Mastodon has the richest selection of 3rd party apps and integrations so you can choose the experience that fits you best. Thanks to the chronological home feed, it’s easy to tell when you’ve caught up on all updates and can move on to something else. No need to worry that a misclick will ruin your recommendations forever. We don’t guess what you want to see, we let you control it. PROTOCOLS, NOT PLATFORMS Mastodon is not like a traditional social media platform, but is built on a decentralized protocol. You can sign up on our official server, or choose a 3rd party to host your data and moderate your experience. Thanks to the common protocol, no matter what you choose, you can communicate seamlessly with people on other Mastodon servers. But there’s more: With just one account, you can communicate with people from other fediverse platforms. Not happy with your choice? You can always switch to a different Mastodon server while taking your followers with you. For advanced users, you can even host your data on your own infrastructure, since Mastodon is open-source. NON-PROFIT IN NATURE Mastodon is a registered non-profit in the US and Germany. We are not motivated by extracting monetary value from the platform, but by what’s best for the platform. AS FEATURED IN: TIME, Forbes, Wired, The Guardian, CNN, The Verge, TechCrunch, Financial Times, Gizmodo, PCMAG.com, and more.

About

Forus App

Connect, share, and explore with a focus on personalized experiences and quality content. This social networking platform aims to provide a refreshing alternative to addictive apps, offering a new era of digital interaction.

Highlights
  • Personalized experiences
  • Quality content
  • Freedom from addictive platforms
  • Connect with others
  • Share content
  • Explore the world
Features
Read full description

Redefine the way you connect, share and explore the world. Say goodbye to addictive platforms and embrace a new era of personalized experiences, quality content and freedom. Welcome to Forus App. By using this app, you agree to the Apple Terms of Use (EULA). Please review it at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.

Screenshots

Mastodon4 screens
Forus App3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against Forus App's 10. Mastodon also leads on ads (none vs shown). Forus App's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 48%) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price 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. Forus App sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Forus App weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Mastodon versus Forus App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMastodonForus App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (13K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews48.4% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB33 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperMastodon GmbHForus Digital Ltda

Customer experience

Mastodon

All ratings13,481 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews891 reviews
Positive48.4%
Neutral18.7%
Negative32.9%

Forus App

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

Mastodon

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Can't log in or create account
  • Keyboard freezes during editing
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching accounts
  • Notifications not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Forus App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Mastodon

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Forus App

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Copper$0.991 Month
  • Premium Silver$2.991 Month
  • Premium Gold$9.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Premium Platinum$39.991 Month
One-time6
  • Spinel Card$0.99
  • Amethyst Card$1.99
  • Copper Card$7.99
Show 3 more
  • Silver Card$14.99
  • Gold Card$29.99
  • Platinum Card$79.99

Questions

Is Mastodon free?
Mastodon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Forus App free?
Forus App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mastodon or Forus App have ads?
Forus App shows ads; Mastodon does not.
Which is updated more often, Mastodon or Forus App?
Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Forus App weekly. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on November 14, 2026 and Forus App on November 3, 2026.

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