# Pixelfed vs Shift Social

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shift Social at every 5 days against Pixelfed's every 4 weeks. 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.

Pixelfed ships an update every 4 weeks, Shift Social every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixelfed | Shift Social |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (558 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixelfed/id1632519816/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **558** | — |
| Positive reviews | 47.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Daniel Supernault](https://appshunter.io/developer/1632519818) | [Shift Social Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860984481) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixelfed

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixelfed/id1632519816)

Share your photography with a community that values creativity, authenticity, and privacy. This app offers an ethical alternative to mainstream social media, giving users control over their content and data.

**Highlights:** Ad-free photo sharing, Privacy-focused, User content control, Authentic community, Ethical social media alternative

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🔒 Decentralized and privacy-focused
- 👍 Clean, simple, and familiar interface
- 👍 Chronological feed without algorithms
- 👍 Ad-free experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy performance
- 🐛 Inability to edit bio and profile
- 🐛 Inconsistent slideshow and media handling
- 🐛 Slow server response times
- 🐛 Logging out issues

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to post photos or send DMs
- Inconsistent heart/like behavior
- Crashes and freezes on app launch
- Incompatibility with certain servers

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Video support
- Improved collections/albums management
- Seamless onboarding and server selection
- Better notifications and interaction tracking


### Shift Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-social/id6756218812)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixelfed free?

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

### Is Shift Social free?

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

### Do Pixelfed or Shift Social have ads?

Neither Pixelfed nor Shift Social shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pixelfed or Shift Social?

Pixelfed ships an update every 4 weeks, and Shift Social every 5 days. Most recently, Pixelfed was updated on October 30, 2026 and Shift Social on October 21, 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.*