# Colloquy vs Monal

The clearest difference is price: Monal at Free against Colloquy's $1.99. Monal also leads on rating (3.7 vs 1.8) and review sentiment (58% vs 39%). Colloquy's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and chart position (#61 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Monal is free to download; Colloquy costs $1.99 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 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 140 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Colloquy's written reviews are positive against 58% of Monal's.

Colloquy ships an update fortnightly, Monal every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Colloquy | Monal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [1.8 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colloquy-irc-client/id302000478/reviews) | **[3.7 (140 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monal-xmpp-chat/id317711500/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 32 | **140** |
| Positive reviews | 39.3% of reviews | **57.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#61** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Colloquy Project](https://appshunter.io/developer/302000481) | [Molitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo Molitor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508738269) |

## What reviewers say

### Colloquy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colloquy-irc-client/id302000478)

**Currently charting:** #61 Top Paid · Social Networking (US App Store)

This app brings the functionality of a popular desktop IRC client to your mobile device. It offers a full-featured experience optimized for on-the-go use with iOS multitasking and push notifications. Enjoy customizable settings, message highlighting, and robust IRC command support.

**Highlights:** Retina display support, iOS multitasking and split-screen, Push notifications with bouncer, Nickname and emoticon completion, Message highlighting and vibration, Customizable interface and behavior, WHOIS user information display

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Reliable connection
- 👍 Thoughtful design
- 🔒 Handles bouncer setup well
- 📱 Works great on iOS

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Difficult to use for new users
- 🔋 Disconnects after inactivity
- 🔍 Confusing interface

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Text entry box issues
- Inconsistent user list display
- Broken features after updates

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Longer background timeout
- Improved search and user list
- Better file transfer support


### 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 Colloquy free?

Colloquy costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Monal free?

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

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

Monal is rated higher. Colloquy averages 1.8 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Monal averages 3.7 from 140 ratings.

### Do Colloquy or Monal have ads?

Neither Colloquy nor Monal shows ads.

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

Colloquy ships an update fortnightly, and Monal every 5 weeks. Most recently, Colloquy was updated on October 15, 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.*