# Mastodon vs Mona Classic

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against Mona Classic's 9. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 166). Mona Classic's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 48%) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mona Classic sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Mastodon against 4.4 for Mona Classic. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 166, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of Mastodon's written reviews are positive against 71% of Mona Classic's.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Mona Classic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Mona Classic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** | [4.4 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mona-classic/id1659154653/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 166 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | **70.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 110 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **13.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [Junyu Kuang](https://appshunter.io/developer/961945907) |

## 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


### Mona Classic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mona-classic/id1659154653)

This app offers extensive customization for a popular social network, allowing users to reorder actions, set swipe gestures, and personalize notes for other users. It also features iCloud sync, game controller support, and privacy-focused design.

**Highlights:** Customizable post actions and swipe gestures, iCloud sync for settings and data, Private user notes and aliases, Game controller support, Full-screen and column view modes, Customizable themes and accent colors

**Features:** Game Controller support, Safari Extension, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mona Pro Max (14-day trial) | Free | one-time |
| Small Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $6.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to Mona Pro Max | $9.99 | one-time |
| Mona Pro for Mac | $11.99 | one-time |
| Mona Pro for iPad | $11.99 | one-time |
| Mona Pro for iPhone | $11.99 | one-time |
| Mona Pro Max | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Highly customizable
- 👍 Smooth and polished UI
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 💡 Excellent accessibility support
- 👍 Robust multi-device sync

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Basic features locked behind paywall
- 🔒 Expensive for a Mastodon app
- 🐛 Sync issues between devices
- 🐛 Notification issues

**Reported bugs**

- Locking up after viewing full-screen photos
- Replies not loading properly
- Inconsistent behavior with server-side features

**Requested features**

- Ability to mute individual posts
- Improved thread viewing experience
- More app icon options
- Custom notification sounds


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Mona Classic free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mastodon or Mona Classic?

Mastodon is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Mona Classic averages 4.4 from 166 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or Mona Classic have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Mona Classic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mastodon or Mona Classic?

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Mona Classic every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on September 24, 2026 and Mona Classic on September 20, 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.*