# Mastodon vs Groucho

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Groucho at 100% against Mastodon's 48%. Groucho also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). Mastodon's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 5). 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.

Groucho holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Mastodon's written reviews are positive against 100% of Groucho's.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Groucho every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Groucho |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groucho/id6756526142/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 110 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [Trampoline LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1751627914) |

## 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


### Groucho

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groucho/id6756526142)

This app facilitates real-life connections by forming small, compatible groups for recurring in-person dinner parties and activities. It uses guided interviews for matching, focusing on genuine interaction over public metrics.

**Highlights:** Private guided interviews for matching, Formation of small, compatible groups, Coordination of recurring in-person dinners, Focus on conversation-based matching, No public metrics like likes or followers, Emphasis on face-to-face connection

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Groucho free?

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

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

Groucho is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Groucho averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or Groucho have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Groucho shows ads.

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

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Groucho every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on September 27, 2026 and Groucho on September 19, 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.*