Monal vs Mumble
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Open Source
- No Ads
- OMEMO encrypted chat
- Multi user chat (MUC)
- Audio/Video calls
- File sharing
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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
Mumble
This application offers high-quality, low-latency group voice chat for mobile devices. Connect to public or self-hosted servers to communicate with friends and other users globally. Enjoy features like push-to-talk, voice activation, and secure, encrypted connections.
- High quality, low latency voice chat
- Access to thousands of public servers
- SSL/TLS encryption
- Push-to-Talk and Voice Activated modes
- Text messaging
- Echo cancellation
- Bluetooth headset support
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Mumble - High quality, low latency voice chat Mumble is a free group voice chat application. It allows you to talk to your friends on the go, and has finally arrived on the iOS platform. Simply find a public server and join it to chat with your friends! Mumble requires a connection to a server to function. Servers can be rented from commercial hosting companies. The Mumble server software is also available free-of-charge under and open source license, so individuals are free to create their own servers, without limitations. See https://www.mumble.info for more information regarding Mumble servers. Mumble provides the following features: • High quality, low latency voice chats via WiFi or 3G using state of the art codecs • Access to thousands of public servers -- free for you to use when chatting with friends • Ability to chat with hundreds of thousands of regular users of Mumble around the world • An easily accessible list of all of your favorite servers • Connect to and list available Mumble servers on the local network • SSL/TLS encryption of connections to remote servers; voice data encrypted using OCB2-AES128 • Strong and flexible authentication with remote servers using either passwords or X.509 certificates • Advanced audio configuration, allowing users to configure the quality and bandwidth requirements of their transmitted audio (perfect for 3G connections with slow upload) • Push-to-Talk and Voice Activated audio transmission modes (for hands-free operation) • Flexible user-to-user and user-to-channel text messaging system for sharing links or images while talking • Basic user functionality on Mumble servers (server administration not possible) • Push-to-talk transmission mode. • Echo cancellation for the built-in microphone. • Bluetooth headset support. Mumble is open source software, developed collaboratively on the Internet. Mumble and its server software are available for free, for anyone to use. For more information about Mumble, please visit our website at http://www.mumbleapp.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Monal at 3.7 against Mumble's 3.1. Monal also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). Mumble's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 14.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Monal holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 141 and 64 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Monal's written reviews are positive against 65% of Mumble's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Monal ships an update every 5 weeks, Mumble every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Monal | Mumble |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (141 ratings) — better | 3.1 (64 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | 64.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 141 — better | 64 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 71 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Molitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo Molitor | Mikkel Krautz |
Customer experience
Monal
Mumble
User reviews
Monal
From 141 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Mumble
From 64 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Works flawlessly
- 🚀 Excellent iOS implementation
- 🚀 Intuitive controls
- 🚀 Functioning in background
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Audio issues (static, cutting out)
- 🔋 Heating up device
- 🔒 Lack of security features (no mute/kick/ban)
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
Mumble
Reported bugs
4 issues- Incompatible with newer iOS versions
- Inability to connect to servers
- Freezing on login screen
- Disconnects when switching networks
Requested features
7 requests- Push-to-talk option
- Bluetooth headset support
- Noise cancellation
- Admin/moderation features
- iPad-optimized UI
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- Ability to change username
- Whisper/shout functionality
In-app purchases
Monal
No in-app purchases
Mumble
No in-app purchases









