# Primal vs Surf with Friends

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Surf with Friends at none against Primal's 5. Surf with Friends also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 87%) and device support (3 vs 1). Primal's advantage is ratings volume (936 vs 4). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Primal against 5.0 for Surf with Friends. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Primal has 936 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 Surf with Friends's.

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, Surf with Friends monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Primal | Surf with Friends |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (936 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surf-with-friends/id6786784665/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **936** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 140 MB | 103 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Primal Systems Incorporated.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673134521) | [Bonne Vague Ventures LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786784667) |

## 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


### Surf with Friends

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surf-with-friends/id6786784665)

Easily plan surf sessions with friends and groups. See who's joining, chat to coordinate, and discover surf spots. Connect with other surfers and explore a marketplace for surf gear.

**Highlights:** Plan surf sessions, Invite friends and groups, See who's attending, Connect with other surfers, In-app chat, Discover surf spots, Surf gear marketplace

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Primal free?

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

### Is Surf with Friends free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Primal or Surf with Friends?

Surf with Friends is rated higher. Primal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 936 ratings, while Surf with Friends averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Primal or Surf with Friends have ads?

Neither Primal nor Surf with Friends shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Primal or Surf with Friends?

Primal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Surf with Friends monthly. Most recently, Primal was updated on October 24, 2026 and Surf with Friends on October 23, 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.*