# Farcaster vs Beaconaut

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Beaconaut at none against Farcaster's 10. Beaconaut also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Farcaster's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Farcaster sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Beaconaut asks for nothing beyond the download.

Beaconaut 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.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Farcaster | Beaconaut |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/beaconaut/id6793691435/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 50.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 92 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Merkle Manufactory](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600555567) | [FutureNow, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/6793691437) |

## 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 (10)**

| 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 |
| Onchain Gas Fee | $45.00 | 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


### Beaconaut

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beaconaut/id6793691435)

This app facilitates spontaneous social connections by allowing users to share their current location with trusted friends. It focuses on low-pressure invitations and a sense of shared presence, rather than direct navigation or performance metrics.

**Highlights:** Send temporary location beacons, See friends' general presence on a globe, Invite-only circles, No public profiles or performance metrics, Temporary beacons expire automatically, Shared gallery within circles

**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 Beaconaut free?

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

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

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

### Do Farcaster or Beaconaut have ads?

Neither Farcaster nor Beaconaut shows ads.

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

Farcaster ships an update every 5 days, and Beaconaut every 5 days. Most recently, Farcaster was updated on November 7, 2026 and Beaconaut 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.*