# Farcaster vs Primal

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Primal at 88% against Farcaster's 51%. Primal also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Farcaster's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Farcaster sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and Primal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Primal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 928 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Farcaster's written reviews are positive against 88% of Primal's.

Farcaster ships an update every 5 days, Primal every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Farcaster | Primal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/farcaster/id1600555445/reviews) | **[4.9 (928 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 928 |
| Positive reviews | 50.6% of reviews | **88.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 92 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Merkle Manufactory](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600555567) | [Primal Systems Incorporated.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673134521) |

## What reviewers say

### Farcaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/farcaster/id1600555445)

A decentralized social network where users control their identity and data. Connect with a global community by creating a profile, posting public messages, and engaging in private conversations. Experience a new way to socialize online.

**Highlights:** Decentralized social network, User-controlled identity, Create public profile, Post public messages, Send private messages, Discover users and profiles

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $1.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $2.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $3.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $5.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $9.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $12.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $18.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $24.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $27.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $36.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $45.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $48.00 | one-time |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $54.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $60.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $72.00 | one-time |
| Warpcast Gas Fee | $80.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth experience
- 🌟 Great community
- 💡 Innovative features
- 🌐 Decentralized social network
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💰 Paid subscription required
- 🤖 Issues with bots/spam
- 🌐 Onboarding challenges
- 🤔 Confusing payment process

**Reported bugs**

- Registration issues
- Inability to upload photos
- Crashes and app instability
- Problems with in-app purchases
- Sync issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Multi-language support
- Improved notifications
- Expanded content sharing options
- Better integration with web3 tools
- Enhanced analytics and metrics


### Primal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518)

Experience a next-generation social media platform built on Nostr and Bitcoin. Enjoy rich media feeds, long-form articles, and integrated Bitcoin wallet functionality. Discover content easily and authorize other Nostr apps with remote login.

**Highlights:** Rich media feeds with playback, Built-in Bitcoin wallet, Long form articles, Extensive content discovery, Advanced search, Remote Login for Nostr apps, Configurable ambient sounds

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Primal Premium Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Primal Pro Monthly | $69.99 | per month |
| Primal Premium Yearly | $69.99 | per year |
| Primal Pro Yearly Subscription | $749.99 | per year |
| Prepaid Nostr Zaps | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
- 🔒 Secure and private social experience
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Seamless integration with Bitcoin Lightning Network
- 🤘 Empowering decentralized social media

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🇨🇦 Limited functionality for Canadian users
- 🔍 Lacking advanced search and discovery features
- 🔔 Inconsistent push notification support

**Reported bugs**

- Losing relay connections when switching to desktop
- Issues with account creation and sign-in process
- Inconsistent display of reactions from other Nostr apps

**Requested features**

- Add support for more Nostr reaction types
- Implement robust community/subreddit features
- Improve cache management and clearing options
- Provide better account management and sign-out options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Farcaster free?

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

### Is Primal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Farcaster or Primal?

Primal is rated higher. Farcaster averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Primal averages 4.9 from 928 ratings.

### Do Farcaster or Primal have ads?

Neither Farcaster nor Primal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Farcaster or Primal?

Farcaster ships an update every 5 days, and Primal every 2 weeks. Most recently, Farcaster was updated on October 14, 2026 and Primal on October 10, 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.*