# Mastodon vs XS Post Agent

The clearest difference is update cadence: XS Post Agent at fortnightly against Mastodon's monthly. XS Post Agent also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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, XS Post Agent fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | XS Post Agent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 110 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [KAZUKI KANAZAWA](https://appshunter.io/developer/6799428085) |

## 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


### XS Post Agent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xs-post-agent/id6803389756)

**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 XS Post Agent free?

XS Post Agent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Mastodon or XS Post Agent have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor XS Post Agent shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mastodon or XS Post Agent?

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and XS Post Agent fortnightly. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on November 8, 2026 and XS Post Agent on October 31, 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.*
