# Farcaster vs Openlight

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Openlight at none against Farcaster's 16. Openlight also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Farcaster's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Farcaster sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Openlight asks for nothing beyond the download.

Openlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Farcaster has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Farcaster ships an update every 5 days, Openlight weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Farcaster | Openlight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/farcaster/id1600555445/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openlight/id6742255359/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 50.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 92 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Merkle Manufactory](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600555567) | [Fossa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1630640086) |

## 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


### Openlight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openlight/id6742255359)

A social platform for discovering content, sharing updates, and connecting with others. It aims to provide a personalized and engaging experience for users to forge friendships and explore new ideas within a creative community.

**Highlights:** Discover new content, Share updates, Forge friendships, Personalized experience, Community interaction, Creative communication

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Farcaster free?

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

### Is Openlight free?

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

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

Openlight is rated higher. Farcaster averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Openlight averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Farcaster or Openlight have ads?

Neither Farcaster nor Openlight shows ads.

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

Farcaster ships an update every 5 days, and Openlight weekly. Most recently, Farcaster was updated on October 11, 2026 and Openlight on September 29, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*