# Primal vs FreeFrom

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Primal at 87% against FreeFrom's 27%. Primal also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.2) and ads (none vs shown). FreeFrom's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 weeks). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Primal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. FreeFrom asks for nothing beyond the download.

Primal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Primal has 936 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Primal's written reviews are positive against 27% of FreeFrom's.

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, FreeFrom every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Primal | FreeFrom |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (936 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518/reviews)** | [4.2 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freefrom-the-nostr-client/id6446819930/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **936** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | **87.4% of reviews** | 27.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 140 MB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Primal Systems Incorporated.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673134521) | [FreeFrom K.K.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1648453750) |

## What reviewers say

### Primal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518)

Experience a next-generation social media platform built on Nostr and Bitcoin. Enjoy rich media feeds, long-form articles, and integrated Bitcoin wallet functionality. Discover content easily and authorize other Nostr apps with remote login.

**Highlights:** Rich media feeds with playback, Built-in Bitcoin wallet, Long form articles, Extensive content discovery, Advanced search, Remote Login for Nostr apps, Configurable ambient sounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Primal Premium Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Primal Pro Monthly | $69.99 | per month |
| Primal Premium Yearly | $69.99 | per year |
| Primal Pro Yearly Subscription | $749.99 | per year |
| Prepaid Nostr Zaps | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
- 🔒 Secure and private social experience
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Seamless integration with Bitcoin Lightning Network
- 🤘 Empowering decentralized social media

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🇨🇦 Limited functionality for Canadian users
- 🔍 Lacking advanced search and discovery features
- 🔔 Inconsistent push notification support

**Reported bugs**

- Losing relay connections when switching to desktop
- Issues with account creation and sign-in process
- Inconsistent display of reactions from other Nostr apps

**Requested features**

- Add support for more Nostr reaction types
- Implement robust community/subreddit features
- Improve cache management and clearing options
- Provide better account management and sign-out options


### FreeFrom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freefrom-the-nostr-client/id6446819930)

This decentralized social network prioritizes user privacy with a simple, one-click registration process. Share text, pictures, and videos, and connect with others through encrypted direct messages and public chat channels. Content is user-owned and accessible across the Nostr ecosystem.

**Highlights:** One-click registration, Encrypted direct messages, User-owned content, Public chat channels, Post text, pictures, and videos, Access across Nostr ecosystem

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Primal free?

Primal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is FreeFrom free?

FreeFrom is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Primal or FreeFrom?

Primal is rated higher. Primal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 936 ratings, while FreeFrom averages 4.2 from 24 ratings.

### Do Primal or FreeFrom have ads?

FreeFrom shows ads; Primal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Primal or FreeFrom?

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, and FreeFrom every 8 days. Most recently, Primal was updated on November 7, 2026 and FreeFrom on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*