# Primal vs zostr

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: zostr at none against Primal's 5. Primal's advantage is ratings volume (928 vs 1). On price, rating, ads 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. zostr 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 zostr. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Primal has 928 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

## The numbers

| Metric | Primal | zostr |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (928 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/primal/id1673134518/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zostr/id6789480385/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **928** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 156 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Primal Systems Incorporated.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673134521) | [Principle Zero Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776851747) |

## 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


### zostr

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zostr/id6789480385)

This app offers a public social feed integrated with secure Zcash payments. Your identity is tied to your .zcash name, and direct messages are end-to-end encrypted. Payments are shielded and handled by your own wallet, with no ads or trackers.

**Highlights:** Public social feed, End-to-end encrypted direct messages, Shielded ZEC payments, .zcash name identity, Nostr network integration, Key management on device

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Primal free?

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

### Is zostr free?

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

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

zostr is rated higher. Primal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 928 ratings, while zostr averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Primal or zostr have ads?

Neither Primal nor zostr shows ads.

---

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