Comparison

Monal vs VFOX LIMITED

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Monal

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
Read full description

There has never been a better time to get into XMPP, a free public chat network no one controls or owns. Monal is a fast and user friendly way to use XMPP. Just download the app, login or register and you are ready to chat in minutes. It looks and works the way other apps do, so there is no need to “learn XMPP” or even care what it is. Notable features: - Open Source - No Ads! Strong focus on privacy. Does not phone home and does not have software "metrics" - Does not read any personal information - With a direct connection to your server, your password and all other info are never sent to a third-party - OMEMO encrypted chat - Will work with corporate XMPP servers that require VPN - Multi user chat (MUC) support for group chats - Audio/Video calls Implements certain XMPP extensions intended to improve mobile communication: - XEP-0357: Push Notifications - XEP-0280: Message Carbons keep messages in synch between clients - XEP-0198: Stream Management to quickly reconnect - XEP-0199: XMPP Ping to maintain connections - XEP-0313: Message Archive Management to download chat history - XEP-0352: Client State Indication for dramatic reduction on power use - XEP-0363: HTTP File Upload to send images in conversations

About

VFOX LIMITED

Features
Read full description

VFOX: Worldwide Roaming THE COMPANY VFOX LIMITED BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, BVI REGISTERED COMPANY NO. 2026027 INTRODUCTION WORLDWIDE MOBILE PHONE ROAMING IS VERY COSTLY, CONSUMERS HAVE TAKEN OTHER MEANS OF BEING IN TOUCH, BUT MOST OF THEM PREFER TO BE CONNECTED TO THEIR MOBILE PHONE NUMBER, THIS IS BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT EXPECT TO INFORM EACH AND EVERYONE THAT YOU’RE TRAVELING ABROAD, FOR AN EMERGENCY SOMEONE MAY CALL ON THE MOBILE PHONE NUMBER, CUSTOMERS, BUSINESS CLIENTS AND ALL SMS NOTIFICATIONS COMES TO THE MOBILE NUMBER. “ROAMING IS COSTLY”. INNOVATION EXCELLENCE IN THE PROCESS OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, THE COMPANY HAS INVENTED A DIGITAL BROADBAND A MODEM WHICH WILL PROVIDE THE MOBILE PHONE USERS ACCESS TO FREE WORLDWIDE ROAMING FACILITIES FOR INCOMING AND OUTGOING CALLS AND TEXT MESSAGES WHILE BEING CONNECTED TO THEIR LOCAL SIM CARD AND THE NETWORK PROVIDER AS PER THEIR LOCAL PACKAGE. THE CALLER TO THE TRAVELLER DOES NOT NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO INTERNET OR WIFI. ONLY THE TRAVELLER NEEDS TO BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET VIA DATA SIM OR BY WIFI. HOW IT WORKS DOWNLOAD THE VFOX APPLICATION (VFOX APP) AND PURCHASE A VFOX BROADBAND ON THE APPLICATION, WHICH WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE ADDRESS SUBMITTED ANYWHRE IN THE WORLD ALONG WITH THE VFOX BROADBAND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL THAT WILL GUIDE HOW TO SET UP AND USE THE VFOX APPLICATION TO CONNECT WITH THE VFOX BROADBAND FOR FREE WORLDWIDE ROAMING. For more details: http://vfox.online

Screenshots

Monal4 screens
VFOX LIMITED4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Monal at monthly against VFOX LIMITED's every 30 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monal ships an update monthly, VFOX LIMITED every 30 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Monal versus VFOX LIMITED: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonalVFOX LIMITED
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (142 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews57.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings142 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 30 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo MolitorVFOX LIMITED

Bugs and requests

Monal

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Disconnects frequently
  • Incompatible with some XMPP servers
  • Crashes when sending messages
  • Issues with loading contact lists

Requested features

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

VFOX LIMITED

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Monal

No in-app purchases

None

VFOX LIMITED

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monal free?
Monal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VFOX LIMITED free?
VFOX LIMITED is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Monal or VFOX LIMITED have ads?
Neither Monal nor VFOX LIMITED shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monal or VFOX LIMITED?
Monal ships an update monthly, and VFOX LIMITED every 30 months. Most recently, Monal was updated on November 6, 2026 and VFOX LIMITED on November 3, 2026.

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