# Monal vs BetweenStops

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Monal at none against BetweenStops's 2. Monal also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). BetweenStops's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BetweenStops sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Monal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Monal ships an update every 5 weeks, BetweenStops fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monal | BetweenStops |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 71 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Molitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo Molitor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508738269) | [Thomas Richardson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1887851473) |

## 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


### BetweenStops

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/betweenstops/id6787493874)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Between Stops Plus | $4.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Access | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monal free?

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

### Is BetweenStops free?

BetweenStops is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Monal or BetweenStops have ads?

Neither Monal nor BetweenStops shows ads.

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

Monal ships an update every 5 weeks, and BetweenStops fortnightly. Most recently, Monal was updated on October 16, 2026 and BetweenStops on September 18, 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.*