# Tapatalk vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against Tapatalk's 10. Mastodon also leads on ads (none vs shown). Tapatalk's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tapatalk sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Tapatalk against 4.5 for Mastodon. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16K and 13K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Tapatalk's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

Tapatalk ships an update every 3 weeks, Mastodon monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tapatalk | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tapatalk-200000-plus-forums/id307880732/reviews) | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 13K |
| Positive reviews | **49.4% of reviews** | 48.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 122 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Everforo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509209143) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### Tapatalk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tapatalk-200000-plus-forums/id307880732)

Access and participate in over 200,000 online forums worldwide. Share photos and videos easily, and receive instant notifications. This app transforms how you engage with online communities on your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Access 200,000+ online forums, Unlimited photo and video sharing, Instant push notifications, Easy posting, Mobile forum interaction

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Monthly) | $0.49 | per month |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Annual) | $4.99 | per year |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Yearly) | $4.99 | per year |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Annual) | $9.99 | per year |
| 1-month VIP pass | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tapatalk VIP Access (Lifetime) | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient forum access
- 📚 Wide range of supported forums
- 🗓️ Helpful for keeping track of forum activity

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🤖 Aggressive and intrusive advertising
- 🤯 Confusing and constantly changing UI
- 🔒 Login and permission issues

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to access password-protected forums
- Duplicate/missing post notifications
- Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions
- Broken 'like' and 'quote' functionality

**Requested features**

- Ability to start new threads
- More customization options
- Improved notification system
- Better support for image/media uploads
- Seamless integration with forum websites


### Mastodon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974)

Connect with others on a decentralized social network. Share posts, images, and videos in chronological order without algorithms or ads. Discover new content and participate in conversations across the fediverse.

**Highlights:** Chronological feed, No algorithms or ads, Discover new users and topics, Post with images, videos, and polls, Create custom lists, Filter content, Cross-platform communication

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Friendly and welcoming community
- 🚀 Decentralized and free from corporate control
- 🔒 No data collection or ads
- 🤖 Good alternative to Twitter
- 💡 Ability to self-host servers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Confusing onboarding and server selection
- 📱 Limited functionality compared to web version
- 🔍 Difficulty finding and following people
- 🕰️ Slow or delayed notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Can't log in or create account
- Keyboard freezes during editing
- Inconsistent behavior when switching accounts
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add local and federated timelines
- Improve search and discovery features
- Implement edit and delete post functionality
- Add support for animated GIFs
- Provide better accessibility options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tapatalk free?

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

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Tapatalk or Mastodon?

Mastodon is rated higher. Tapatalk averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do Tapatalk or Mastodon have ads?

Tapatalk shows ads; Mastodon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tapatalk or Mastodon?

Tapatalk ships an update every 3 weeks, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, Tapatalk was updated on October 17, 2026 and Mastodon on October 18, 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.*