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Comparison

Monal vs Damus

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

Head to head
Monal — XMPP Chat
Monal

Open source XMPP Messenger

Free
🌐 Social Networking
★ 3.7142 ratingsView app →
Damus
Damus

The social network you control

Free
🌐 Social Networking
★ 4.8673 ratingsView app →
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

Damus

A decentralized social network offering full control over your data and speech. Enjoy end-to-end encrypted messaging, no registration requirements, and seamless integration with bots. Monetize your interactions by tipping friends with lightning.

Highlights
  • Decentralized social network
  • End-to-end encrypted messaging
  • No registration required
  • Programmable bots integration
  • Lightning tipping for friends
Features
Read full description

The social network you control. It's your very own Social Network for your friends or business. Built on open internet protocols, there is no platform that can ban or censor you. You are in control of your data & speech. - Encrypted. End-to-End encrypted private messaging. Keep big tech out of your DMs. - No registration required. Creating an account doesn't require a phone number, email or name. Get started right away with zero friction. - Messages are distributed via decentralized relays. No need to run any infrastructure and there are no single points of failure. Simple! - Programmable. Easily integrate bots that automate your life or business. Get notified when your servers go down, retweet to your team and collaborate in realtime. - Tip your friends and stack sats with lightning. Privacy policy: https://damus.io/privacy-policy.txt Terms of service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Monal4 screens
Damus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Damus at 4.8 against Monal's 3.7. Damus also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 58%) and ratings volume (673 vs 142). Monal's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Damus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Monal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Damus holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 142 and 673 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Monal's written reviews are positive against 79% of Damus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monal ships an update monthly, Damus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Monal versus Damus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonalDamus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (142 ratings)4.8 (673 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.7% of reviews78.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings142673 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB99 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMolitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo MolitorDamus Nostr, Inc

Customer experience

Monal

All ratings142 ratings
Positive64.1%
Neutral8.5%
Negative27.5%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive57.7%
Neutral12.6%
Negative29.7%

Damus

All ratings673 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral7.4%
Negative13.8%

User reviews

Monal

From 142 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Damus

From 673 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Censorship-resistant
  • 💰 Bitcoin/Lightning integration
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly
  • 🌐 Decentralized protocol

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Limited search/discovery features
  • 💬 Lack of moderation tools

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

Damus

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to post or view content
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices
  • Issues with connecting to relays

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add polls and voting features
  • Improve search and content discovery
  • Implement user-controlled moderation tools
  • Add support for more languages

In-app purchases

None

Monal

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Damus

Subscriptions2
  • Purple$9.991 Month
  • Purple Yearly$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Monal free?
Monal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Damus free?
Damus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Monal or Damus?
Damus is rated higher. Monal averages 3.7 out of 5 from 142 ratings, while Damus averages 4.8 from 673 ratings.
Do Monal or Damus have ads?
Neither Monal nor Damus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monal or Damus?
Monal ships an update monthly, and Damus every 2 months. Most recently, Monal was updated on October 29, 2026 and Damus on October 27, 2026.

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