# Primal vs Spomate

The clearest difference is update cadence: Spomate at every 5 days against Primal's every 2 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and Spomate sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, Spomate every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and July 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Primal | Spomate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (928 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **928** | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 156 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Primal Systems Incorporated.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673134521) | [Ivan Liangasov pr Liangas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1745694114) |

## 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


### Spomate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spomate/id6502517251)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited contacts | $1.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Primal free?

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

### Is Spomate free?

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

### Do Primal or Spomate have ads?

Neither Primal nor Spomate shows ads.

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

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Spomate every 5 days. Most recently, Primal was updated on September 23, 2026 and Spomate on July 31, 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.*