# Mastodon vs Minerva MEET

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against Minerva MEET's 2. Mastodon also leads on ads (none vs shown). Minerva MEET's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Minerva MEET sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Minerva MEET |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 110 MB | 84 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) | [Hoot Hall LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1699930184) |

## 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


### Minerva MEET

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minerva-meet/id6514292810)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Team Plan (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Team Plan (Yearly) | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Minerva MEET free?

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

### Do Mastodon or Minerva MEET have ads?

Minerva MEET shows ads; Mastodon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Mastodon or Minerva MEET?

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Minerva MEET monthly. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on October 27, 2026 and Minerva MEET on October 24, 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.*