# Mastodon vs Tapkeen

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against Tapkeen's 7. Tapkeen's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tapkeen sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Tapkeen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 110 MB | 106 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [Slimpeak AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1617454817) |

## 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


### Tapkeen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tapkeen/id1617454815)

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 40 keencoins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 140 keencoins | $3.99 | one-time |
| 600 keencoins | $14.99 | one-time |
| 1700 keencoins | $39.99 | one-time |
| 3700 keencoins | $79.99 | one-time |
| 7000 keencoins | $149.99 | one-time |
| 12000 keencoins | $249.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Tapkeen free?

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

### Do Mastodon or Tapkeen have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Tapkeen shows ads.

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

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Tapkeen monthly. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on October 26, 2026 and Tapkeen 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.*