Comparison

Sideshow Social Network vs Gather Communities

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

Head to head
About

Sideshow Social Network

Connect with fellow enthusiasts of pop culture and collectible brands. Share your collection, join discussions, and access exclusive behind-the-scenes content and live events. Stay informed about the latest releases and engage with a passionate community.

Highlights
  • Pop culture community
  • Exclusive behind-the-scenes content
  • Live event access
  • Collection sharing
  • Fan discussions
  • Latest release updates
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the Sideshow Social Network App, your ultimate destination for celebrating all things pop culture and Sideshow! Our community is home to fans of all kinds, including The MARVEL universe, Star Wars, Transformers, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, and many more. Within our app, you'll have access to exclusive behind-the-scenes content, live events, and the opportunity to share your collection and participate in spirited discussions with like-minded individuals. Stay up to date on the latest releases and connect with other fans who share your passion for all things pop culture. Join us now and Let Your Geek Sideshow!

About

Gather Communities

Consolidate all your online communities into a single, streamlined application. Browse, post, and follow discussions across multiple platforms with one account. Easily create and manage your own community spaces without technical hurdles.

Highlights
  • Unified community access
  • Browse, post, and follow discussions
  • Single account for all communities
  • Easy community creation
  • Privacy-focused design
  • No algorithms or data harvesting
Features
Read full description

Stop juggling dozens of forum apps and browser tabs. Gather brings thousands of communities together in one fast, beautiful app. Browse, post, and follow the conversations you care about across all your Gatherings with a single account. Want to build your own community? Create a Gathering in minutes. No technical setup. No licensing fees. Just a place for your people to connect. Gather is privacy-focused by design. No algorithms deciding what you see. No data harvesting. Just real conversations. Bring your people home. Terms of Service: https://gather.forum/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://gather.forum/privacy.html

Screenshots

Sideshow Social Network4 screens
Gather Communities4 screens

Verdict

The call

Sideshow Social Network and Gather Communities both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of Gather Communities's written reviews are positive against 0% of Sideshow Social Network's. Gather Communities also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). Sideshow Social Network's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Gather Communities sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $30.00 per year. Sideshow Social Network asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Sideshow Social Network against 4.7 for Gather Communities. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 148 and 201 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Sideshow Social Network's written reviews are positive against 96% of Gather Communities's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sideshow Social Network ships an update every 2 months, Gather Communities every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Sideshow Social Network versus Gather Communities: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSideshow Social NetworkGather Communities
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (148 ratings) — better4.7 (201 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews95.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings148201 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB52 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperSideshow Inc.GCS Publishing, Inc

Customer experience

Sideshow Social Network

All ratings147 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.8%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral66.7%
Negative33.3%

Gather Communities

All ratings201 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.1%

In-app purchases

None

Sideshow Social Network

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Gather Communities

Subscriptions4
  • Bronze Membership$30.001 Year
  • Silver Membership$60.001 Year
  • Gold Membership$119.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Platinum Membership$200.001 Year

Questions

Is Sideshow Social Network free?
Sideshow Social Network is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gather Communities free?
Gather Communities is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sideshow Social Network or Gather Communities?
Sideshow Social Network is rated higher. Sideshow Social Network averages 4.7 out of 5 from 148 ratings, while Gather Communities averages 4.7 from 201 ratings.
Do Sideshow Social Network or Gather Communities have ads?
Neither Sideshow Social Network nor Gather Communities shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sideshow Social Network or Gather Communities?
Sideshow Social Network ships an update every 2 months, and Gather Communities every 2 days. Most recently, Sideshow Social Network was updated on October 24, 2026 and Gather Communities on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons