# Pixelfed vs Closely

The clearest difference is update cadence: Closely at every 10 days against Pixelfed's every 4 weeks. Pixelfed's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). 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, Closely every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixelfed | Closely |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (552 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixelfed/id1632519816/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **552** | — |
| Positive reviews | 47.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Daniel Supernault](https://appshunter.io/developer/1632519818) | [Oluwatimi Owoturo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1520092010) |

## 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


### Closely

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/closely/id6758128084)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixelfed free?

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

### Is Closely free?

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

### Do Pixelfed or Closely have ads?

Neither Pixelfed nor Closely shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pixelfed or Closely?

Pixelfed ships an update every 4 weeks, and Closely every 10 days. Most recently, Pixelfed was updated on October 18, 2026 and Closely on October 4, 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.*