# LimeChat vs Monal

The clearest difference is price: Monal at Free against LimeChat's $4.99. Monal also leads on rating (3.7 vs 3.1) and ratings volume (140 vs 11). LimeChat's advantage is chart position (#15 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Monal is free to download; LimeChat costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Monal holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monal has 140 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of LimeChat's written reviews are positive against 58% of Monal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | LimeChat | Monal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.1 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/limechat-irc-client/id298766460/reviews) | **[3.7 (140 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monal-xmpp-chat/id317711500/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **140** |
| Positive reviews | **65.2% of reviews** | 57.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 1 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Satoshi Nakagawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/289930656) | [Molitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo Molitor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508738269) |

## What reviewers say

### LimeChat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/limechat-irc-client/id298766460)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Paid · Social Networking (US App Store)

This app provides a comprehensive IRC chat experience on mobile devices. It offers quick navigation, message highlighting, and support for multiple servers and channels. Enjoy seamless communication with features like automatic authentication and a built-in browser for links.

**Highlights:** Quick navigation with arrow buttons, Event indicators for other channels, Message highlighting and vibration, Visual user information (whois), Built-in browser for URLs, Multiple server and channel support, Automatic Nickserv authentication

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and lightweight IRC client
- 👍 Clean, intuitive, and simple user interface
- 🔒 Supports SSL connections and security features
- 📱 Works well on both iPhone and iPad
- 🎯 Reliable and stable performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Keyboard jumping/positioning issues on iOS
- 🔌 Disconnects when app is backgrounded
- 🐛 Connection drops on WiFi and VPN
- ❌ No background connectivity/refresh
- 🐛 Scrolling issues after sending messages

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard jumps when sending messages (iOS 26.1)
- Scrolling breaks after message send
- App disconnects when backgrounded
- Connection drops on WiFi/VPN
- Keyboard doesn't appear on iPhone X

**Requested features**

- Background connectivity and app refresh
- Push/pop-up notifications
- Nick/username autocomplete
- Split view support for iPad
- Landscape mode


### Monal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monal-xmpp-chat/id317711500)

This open-source messenger provides a fast and user-friendly way to connect to the XMPP public chat network. Enjoy private, ad-free communication with end-to-end encryption and features like group chats and file sharing.

**Highlights:** Open Source, No Ads, OMEMO encrypted chat, Multi user chat (MUC), Audio/Video calls, File sharing

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Works well
- 🔒 Secure XMPP client
- 👍 Best XMPP client on iOS
- 🚀 Robust and dependable
- 👍 Actively developed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Encryption problems
- 👎 Buggy UI and UX
- 🔍 Missing basic features (copy/paste, etc.)
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Disconnects frequently
- Incompatible with some XMPP servers
- Crashes when sending messages
- Issues with loading contact lists

**Requested features**

- Add OTR/PGP encryption support
- Improve group chat functionality
- Allow customization of sounds and notifications
- Optimize for older iOS versions


## Frequently asked questions

### Is LimeChat free?

LimeChat costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Monal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, LimeChat or Monal?

Monal is rated higher. LimeChat averages 3.1 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Monal averages 3.7 from 140 ratings.

### Do LimeChat or Monal have ads?

Neither LimeChat nor Monal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, LimeChat or Monal?

LimeChat ships an update every 5 weeks, and Monal every 5 weeks. Most recently, LimeChat was updated on October 16, 2026 and Monal on October 16, 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.*