# Primal vs Juno

The clearest difference is monetization model: Primal at free with in-app purchases against Juno's subscription. Primal also leads on ratings volume (939 vs 4). Juno's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Primal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Juno sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $39.00 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Primal against 5.0 for Juno. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Primal has 939 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Primal's written reviews are positive against 100% of Juno's.

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, Juno every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Primal | Juno |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (939 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/juno-just-us/id6784307892/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **939** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 140 MB | 100 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Primal Systems Incorporated.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673134521) | [Big Vision Ventures](https://appshunter.io/developer/1781444666) |

## 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


### Juno

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/juno-just-us/id6784307892)

A private social network designed for sharing photos and videos exclusively with chosen friends and family. Content is end-to-end encrypted, and users control who sees their posts. It offers an ad-free experience funded by user memberships.

**Highlights:** Invite-only connections, End-to-end encrypted content, Screenshot and screen recording blocking, Group sharing options, Ad-free experience, User-controlled feed

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $39.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $79.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $99.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $119.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $139.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $159.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $179.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $199.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $219.00 | per year |
| Juno Annual, month 1 free | $239.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Primal free?

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

### Is Juno free?

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

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

Juno is rated higher. Primal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 939 ratings, while Juno averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Primal or Juno have ads?

Neither Primal nor Juno shows ads.

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

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Juno every 4 days. Most recently, Primal was updated on November 14, 2026 and Juno on November 15, 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.*