# Monal vs Freemasons CA

The clearest difference is update cadence: Freemasons CA at fortnightly against Monal's monthly. 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 monthly, Freemasons CA fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monal | Freemasons CA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monal-xmpp-chat/id317711500/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **141** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 72 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Molitor und Dietzel, Inh. Thilo Molitor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508738269) | [O'Leary Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796856137) |

## 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


### Freemasons CA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freemasons-ca/id6796856135)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monal free?

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

### Is Freemasons CA free?

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

### Do Monal or Freemasons CA have ads?

Neither Monal nor Freemasons CA shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Monal or Freemasons CA?

Monal ships an update monthly, and Freemasons CA fortnightly. Most recently, Monal was updated on October 31, 2026 and Freemasons CA on October 31, 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.*