# Monal vs Pubrule

The clearest difference is rating: Pubrule at 5.0 against Monal's 3.7. Pubrule also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 14.0). Monal's advantage is ratings volume (142 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Pubrule holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monal has 142 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Monal ships an update monthly, Pubrule every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monal | Pubrule |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (142 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monal-xmpp-chat/id317711500/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pubrule/id1578653884/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **142** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 72 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Molitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo Molitor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508738269) | [KIRWM LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1313193848) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Pubrule

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pubrule/id1578653884)

Easily create polls with up to four options to settle debates. Share timed surveys with friends or the public and track incoming results in real-time. A simple way to make group decisions.

**Highlights:** Create polls, Up to 4 options per poll, Timed surveys, Share with friends, Public polls, View results

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monal free?

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

### Is Pubrule free?

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

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

Pubrule is rated higher. Monal averages 3.7 out of 5 from 142 ratings, while Pubrule averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Monal or Pubrule have ads?

Neither Monal nor Pubrule shows ads.

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

Monal ships an update monthly, and Pubrule every 2 months. Most recently, Monal was updated on October 29, 2026 and Pubrule on October 19, 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.*