# Mastodon vs Epsilon Social

The clearest difference is rating: Mastodon at 4.5 against Epsilon Social's 3.0. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 1) and review sentiment (48% vs 38%). Epsilon Social's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). 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.

Mastodon holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. 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. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Mastodon's written reviews are positive against 38% of Epsilon Social's.

Mastodon ships an update monthly, Epsilon Social fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastodon | Epsilon Social |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epsilon-social/id6804720532/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **48.3% of reviews** | 37.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 110 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) | [MUZELLE DEVELOPPEMENT](https://appshunter.io/developer/6804720725) |

## 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


### Epsilon Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epsilon-social/id6804720532)

A European social network prioritizing user control over data and online experience. It offers a feed curated by user choice, not algorithms, and fosters quality interactions with active moderation and a focus on real people.

**Highlights:** User-controlled data hosting in Europe, Algorithm-free, customizable feed, Text, photo, and poll sharing, Structured replies and quotes, Interest-based communities, Active moderation against harassment, Bot and fake account detection

**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 Epsilon Social free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mastodon or Epsilon Social?

Mastodon is rated higher. Mastodon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Epsilon Social averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Mastodon or Epsilon Social have ads?

Neither Mastodon nor Epsilon Social shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mastodon or Epsilon Social?

Mastodon ships an update monthly, and Epsilon Social fortnightly. Most recently, Mastodon was updated on November 1, 2026 and Epsilon Social on October 25, 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.*