# Mastodon vs Signtone

The clearest difference is rating: Signtone at 5.0 against Mastodon's 4.5. Signtone also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Mastodon's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Signtone 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Signtone every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Signtone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signtone-hear-itsign-it/id6761798035/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 110 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [Rama Mekala](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891553618) |

## 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


### Signtone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signtone-hear-itsign-it/id6761798035)

This app offers a quick and contactless way to check into events. Simply tap to listen for an audio signal, and your attendance is registered instantly. Access event resources and manage your profile with ease.

**Highlights:** One-tap event identification, Contactless check-in, Profile sharing control, Access event resources, Real-time registration tracking, Two audio modes

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Is Signtone free?

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

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

Signtone is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Signtone averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or Signtone have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Signtone shows ads.

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

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Signtone every 3 days. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on October 28, 2026 and Signtone 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.*