Comparison

Shuttle School vs Pheme for Mastodon

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Shuttle School

Features
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Welcome to Shuttle, a safe social network created specifically for schools. Shuttle differs from others in that it allows teachers and parents to create a positive and controlled environment in which students can learn, communicate and share information with each other, without the risk of being exposed to a stranger or malicious content. The functions and capabilities of the app: - Private chat: Communicate with students in private chat rooms for individual classes and groups. Share important information, organize discussions about the past material, and simply stay in touch with your students. - Testing: Create quizzes and tests directly in the app. Shuttle makes it easy to assess how a topic has been learned and track progress. - Publications: share news, useful materials and tips for learning. It could be anything from long video lectures and summer reading list files to gifs with easy count in the mind life hack. - Stories: Record and share your learning experiences. Publish recordings of students' performances at creative concerts or Olympics awards - inspire others to do more. - News feed: keep students up to date on the latest events and announcements of your school, college, or university. The news feed lets you stay connected and provide up-to-date information to your students even when they are not at school. Therefore, by connecting your school to Shuttle, you can provide parents and educators with peace of mind, and children with a happy and safe online experience.

About

Pheme for Mastodon

This app provides a smooth and responsive way to interact with the Fediverse. It offers a distraction-free experience for viewing timelines, posting, and managing your profile. Advanced features include multi-account support and customizable appearance options.

Highlights
  • Live-updating timeline
  • Post interactions (like, boost, reply)
  • Media viewer with zoom
  • Search posts and users
  • Customizable lists
  • Real-time push notifications
  • Multi-account support
Features
Read full description

Pheme is a third-party Mastodon client for the Fediverse, built entirely with native UIKit for a smooth, responsive, and distraction-free experience. TIMELINE Live-updating home timeline with infinite scrolling. Smart reading position preservation — picks up exactly where you left off after a refresh. Unread count badge so you always know what's new. Switch between Local and Federated timelines to explore the broader Fediverse. POSTS & INTERACTIONS Like, Boost, Reply, and Bookmark in one tap. Quote Post support for rich commentary. Full Poll display and participation. Content Warnings — elegantly collapsed and expandable. Link preview cards for rich external content. System translation for posts in any language. MEDIA Image viewer with pinch-to-zoom, swipe to dismiss, and save to Photos. Inline video playback with fullscreen support. Smooth GIF and animated media rendering. Full custom emoji support for every server. SEARCH & DISCOVERY Search posts, users, and hashtags. Explore page with featured instances to discover new communities across the Fediverse. LISTS Create, edit, and delete custom lists. Manage list members with ease. Dedicated list timeline view. NOTIFICATIONS Real-time push notifications: follows, mentions, likes, boosts. Follow request management for private accounts. PROFILE View and edit avatar, display name, bio, and custom fields. Browse your own and others' posts, media, and replies. Follow / Unfollow with mutual follow indicator. MULTI-ACCOUNT Log into multiple accounts across different Mastodon instances. Seamlessly switch between accounts with fully isolated data. PHEME PRO — PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION Subscribe to Pheme Pro to unlock the full Pheme experience: Custom Accent Colors: Full custom color picker. Custom Fonts: Set individual fonts for titles, body text, and monospace elements. Appearance Mode: Light, Dark, or System. Avatar Style: Circular or square. Compose & Post: Write and publish your thoughts to Mastodon. Full Interaction Access: Boost, quote, reply, like, bookmark, follow/unfollow. List Management: Create and manage custom lists. Plans: Weekly / Monthly / Yearly (best value). Subscriptions auto-renew 24 hours before expiry. Cancel anytime in App Store subscription settings. PRIVACY FIRST Pheme communicates directly with your chosen Mastodon instance — no third-party relay servers. Your credentials are stored securely in the device Keychain and never shared with third parties. Join the Fediverse. Start your decentralized social journey with Pheme. -- Subscription Details -- • Weekly, monthly and annual subscriptions are available • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase • Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period • Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were originally charged for the subscription • Subscriptions can be managed or cancelled by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pheme.pureding.org/privacy

Screenshots

Shuttle School4 screens
Pheme for Mastodon3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shuttle School at none against Pheme for Mastodon's 3. Shuttle School also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days) and iOS requirement (15 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pheme for Mastodon sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Shuttle School asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shuttle School ships an update every 2 days, Pheme for Mastodon every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Shuttle School versus Pheme for Mastodon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShuttle SchoolPheme for Mastodon
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB17 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperLLP APPETITE INC恒敏 吴

In-app purchases

None

Shuttle School

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Pheme for Mastodon

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Plan$0.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan14 Days trial$5.991 Year

Questions

Is Shuttle School free?
Shuttle School is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pheme for Mastodon free?
Pheme for Mastodon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shuttle School or Pheme for Mastodon have ads?
Neither Shuttle School nor Pheme for Mastodon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shuttle School or Pheme for Mastodon?
Shuttle School ships an update every 2 days, and Pheme for Mastodon every 5 days. Most recently, Shuttle School was updated on October 30, 2026 and Pheme for Mastodon on October 30, 2026.

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