# Mastodon vs IronCircles

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against IronCircles's 1. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 8). IronCircles's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. IronCircles sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

IronCircles holds the better App Store score, 4.8 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.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, IronCircles every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | IronCircles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) | **[4.8 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ironcircles/id1634856740/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 110 MB | 245 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [IronCircles Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634856742) |

## 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


### IronCircles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ironcircles/id1634856740)

Create your own private, end-to-end encrypted social networks with robust voting controls. Share messages, photos, and videos securely with features like hidden chats and disappearing messages. Organize events, to-do lists, and custom votes within your secure community.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encrypted networks, Member voting for access, Hidden chats, Locked photo vaults, Disappearing messages, Event scheduling, Customizable to-do lists

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Privacy+ | $1.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is IronCircles free?

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

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

IronCircles is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while IronCircles averages 4.8 from 8 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or IronCircles have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor IronCircles shows ads.

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

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and IronCircles every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on October 19, 2026 and IronCircles on October 2, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*