# Mastodon vs EC

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: EC at 15.0 against Mastodon's 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 ships an update monthly, EC every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | EC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 110 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [Gemeinschaft fr EC. (entsch. Christentum) e.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1654154077) |

## 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


### EC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ec-gemeinschaft/id6444362432)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is EC free?

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

### Do Mastodon or EC have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor EC shows ads.

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

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and EC every 6 weeks. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on November 4, 2026 and EC on October 30, 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.*