Comparison

Nos Social vs Germ DM

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Create and discover communities
  • Discuss shared interests
  • Drive social change
  • Make new friends
  • Decentralized protocol (Nostr)
  • Own your account, feed, and connections
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Nos Social4 screens
Germ DM4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nos Social ships an update monthly, Germ DM every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Nos Social versus Germ DM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNos SocialGerm DM
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (3 ratings)4.6 (19 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings319 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB37 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperVerse Communications IncGerm Inc.

Customer experience

Nos Social

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Germ DM

All ratings19 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

None

Nos Social

No in-app purchases

None

Germ DM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nos Social free?
Nos Social is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Germ DM free?
Germ DM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nos Social or Germ DM?
Germ DM is rated higher. Nos Social averages 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Germ DM averages 4.6 from 19 ratings.
Do Nos Social or Germ DM have ads?
Neither Nos Social nor Germ DM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nos Social or Germ DM?
Nos Social ships an update monthly, and Germ DM every 10 days. Most recently, Nos Social was updated on November 3, 2026 and Germ DM on November 3, 2026.

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