Firefly vs Wave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Firefly
This app aggregates social networks and Web3 platforms, allowing users to explore on-chain activity, collect NFTs, and manage community proposals. It enables cross-posting and following various addresses to enhance social media reach.
- Explore on-chain activity
- Collect free NFTs
- Track community proposals and voting
- Cross-post to multiple networks
- Follow various addresses
- Sync follows across networks
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Firefly is a social app for exploring what’s happening onchain. Developed by Mask Network, Firefly seamlessly combines centralized social networks like X (Twitter) with Web3 social networks and NFT platforms such as Lens, Farcaster, Mirror, Gitcoin, Snapshot, and the Ethereum ecosystem. DIVE INTO WEB3 · Stay informed with product launches and alpha through Firefly’s powerful social feeds. · Collect free NFTs and stay updated on trending drops in the NFT feed. · Keep track of your community proposals and voting through Snapshot. SOCIAL LIKE A PRO · Cross-post to reach your followers and expand your audience across all networks. · Follow @username handles, .eth addresses, 0x addresses, and more. · Improve your feed by logging in to X to see what the profiles you follow are posting and minting in Web3. Optionally, you can sync your follows across networks. Have feedback? Email us at feedback@firefly.land or send us a message on any network. @thefireflyapp on X (Twitter) @fireflyapp on Farcaster @fireflyapp on Lens
Wave
A privacy-focused messaging app offering end-to-end encrypted chats without requiring sign-ups or personal information. It utilizes a decentralized network for enhanced user control and supports both one-to-one and group conversations.
- End-to-end encryption
- No sign-up required
- Decentralized network
- One-to-one and group chats
- Optional Bluesky integration
- Ad-free and tracker-free
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Wave: Secure Messaging Wave is a privacy-first messaging app built for people who value security, simplicity, and control. Chat freely without signing up, sharing personal details, or trusting centralized servers. You can start messaging instantly. Wave uses end-to-end encryption, ensuring only you and the people you’re chatting with can read messages. Conversations are encrypted on your device and decrypted only by recipients. Powered by XMTP, Wave is built on a decentralized messaging network reducing reliance on central servers and giving users more control over their conversations. Wave supports fast one-to-one messaging and secure group conversations in a clean, minimal interface with no clutter or distractions. You can optionally connect your Bluesky account to message people you already know, or simply use Wave on its own without linking any account. Wave is designed with privacy at its core, with end-to-end encrypted messages, a privacy-first architecture, and no ads or trackers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Wave at 5.0 against Firefly's 4.2. Firefly's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and ratings volume (25 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Wave holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Firefly has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Firefly ships an update weekly, Wave every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Firefly | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (25 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 297 MB | 149 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | SUJITEKU LIMITED LIABILITY CO. | Simhadri Bogula |
Customer experience
Firefly
Wave
In-app purchases
Firefly
No in-app purchases
Wave
No in-app purchases
