Nos Social vs Germ DM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nos Social
Connect with others in safe, supportive online communities focused on shared interests and social change. This app fosters authentic connections and sustainable relationships through a decentralized protocol, giving you ownership of your account and feed.
- Create and discover communities
- Discuss shared interests
- Drive social change
- Make new friends
- Decentralized protocol (Nostr)
- Own your account, feed, and connections
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Nos is a social app designed to help you create, and discover, safe and supportive communities where you can discuss shared interests, drive social change, and make new friends. Informed by research, Nos has been developed on Nostr, a decentralized, user-led protocol, and driven by our mission to enable authentic communities built on care, connection and sustainable relationships. You own your account, your feed, and your connections, leading to more fulfilling, positive interactions online. Interact with your followers on any app on Nostr, and in the Fediverse. Download Nos today.
Germ DM
This app offers end-to-end encrypted private messaging for users of Bluesky and ATProtocol. It prioritizes user control, privacy, and consent, allowing for secure 1:1 chats and temporary contact methods without requiring personal information.
- End-to-end encrypted 1:1 messaging
- Connects to ATProtocol accounts
- Burner cards for temporary contacts
- Authentication of message sources
- Mute group conversations by card
- No phone number or email required
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Connect without oversharing. Start sending private, end-to-end encrypted DMs and voice notes in seconds—no handle or phone number needed. Bluesky user? Sign in with Bluesky, Blacksky, or ATProto to instantly find your mutuals and start DMing from your handle. Build additional burner cards to connect even more privately. Germ DM lets you: - Share 1:1 texts and voice memos with best-in-class privacy - Use our App Clip to skip the App Store when launching chats - Log in with your ATProto account to message with friends from Bluesky, Blacksky, Mu.Social, Skylight, and more. Find your mutuals in Germ or start a chat from your profile on Bluesky and beyond - Build burner cards for friends you’re just getting to know - Authenticate who your messages are coming from - Mute groups of conversations at once by managing notifications by which card you shared Everything in Germ is completely private, and we use the newest technology to keep your secrets safe. No one can access your content except the people you share it with—not even us. Germ is end-to-end encrypted with post-quantum cryptography on the open source standard Messaging Layer Security, and uses on-device transcription for your voice notes. Germ is carefully designed to put you in charge of your data and connections, and will never share your information outside your control. More features are dropping every month, and we want to hear from you! Find us on Bluesky at @germnetwork.com, or visit our website germnetwork.com for more ways to get in touch. Germ Network, Inc. is a proud Public Benefit Corporation.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Germ DM at 4.6 against Nos Social's 4.0. Germ DM also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (19 vs 3). Nos Social's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). 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.
Germ DM holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Germ DM has 19 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Nos Social ships an update monthly, Germ DM every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Nos Social | Germ DM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (3 ratings) | 4.6 (19 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 83.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 19 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Verse Communications Inc | Germ Inc. |
Customer experience
Nos Social
Germ DM
In-app purchases
Nos Social
No in-app purchases
Germ DM
No in-app purchases









