# Mastodon vs ABA Community

The clearest difference is rating: Mastodon at 4.5 against ABA Community's 3.4. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 9) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). ABA Community's advantage is review sentiment (63% vs 48%) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.6). 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.

Mastodon holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of Mastodon's written reviews are positive against 63% of ABA Community's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, ABA Community every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | ABA Community |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** | [3.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aba-community/id1639941896/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | **62.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 110 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION, INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1639941898) |

## 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


### ABA Community

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aba-community/id1639941896)

Connect with fellow bird enthusiasts in a dedicated online community. Engage in themed groups, participate in forums, and get expert advice on bird identification, gear, and travel. Access exclusive opportunities as an ABA member.

**Highlights:** Connect with fellow birders, Engage in themed groups, Participate in forums, Get birding advice, Access exclusive opportunities

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is ABA Community free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mastodon or ABA Community?

Mastodon is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while ABA Community averages 3.4 from 9 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or ABA Community have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor ABA Community shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mastodon or ABA Community?

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and ABA Community every 2 months. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on October 21, 2026 and ABA Community on October 7, 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.*