# Monal vs Chatris

The clearest difference is update cadence: Monal at every 5 weeks against Chatris's every 123 months. Chatris's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Monal ships an update every 5 weeks, Chatris every 123 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monal | Chatris |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (140 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monal-xmpp-chat/id317711500/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **140** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 123 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 71 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Molitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo Molitor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508738269) | [Netix AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/405825011) |

## 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


### Chatris

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatris/id507797328)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monal free?

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

### Is Chatris free?

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

### Do Monal or Chatris have ads?

Neither Monal nor Chatris shows ads.

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

Monal ships an update every 5 weeks, and Chatris every 123 months. Most recently, Monal was updated on October 16, 2026 and Chatris on October 4, 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.*