# Mumsnet vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is ads: Mastodon at none against Mumsnet's shown. Mastodon also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 11) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Mumsnet's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Mumsnet holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastodon has 13K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Mumsnet's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

Mumsnet ships an update every 3 weeks, Mastodon monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mumsnet | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mumsnet/id437769914/reviews)** | [4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **13K** |
| Positive reviews | **52.7% of reviews** | 48.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 49 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Mumsnet Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/437769917) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### Mumsnet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mumsnet/id437769914)

Connect with a large community of parents for advice, support, and discussions on childrearing and life's challenges. Access a wealth of shared experiences and practical tips from fellow users anytime, anywhere.

**Highlights:** Parenting advice and tips, Community support forum, Real-world dilemma discussions, Childrearing guidance, Virtual support network

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great advice and information
- 👍 Helpful community support
- 👍 Simple and intuitive UI
- 👍 Fast and smooth performance
- 👍 User-friendly navigation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Frequent ads redirecting to Amazon
- 😠 Unusable due to animated ads
- 😠 App is sluggish
- 😠 Filled with bullies and trolls
- 😠 Nasty site with abuse and hate

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- App won't open after update
- Posts disappear when trying to create username
- Latest upgrade makes paragraphs unreadable
- Quotes are not separated or are indented awkwardly

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Make app accessible with screen readers
- Add private message function
- Add push notifications
- Add a 'Like' or 'Vote Up' button


### Mastodon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974)

Connect with others on a decentralized social network. Share posts, images, and videos in chronological order without algorithms or ads. Discover new content and participate in conversations across the fediverse.

**Highlights:** Chronological feed, No algorithms or ads, Discover new users and topics, Post with images, videos, and polls, Create custom lists, Filter content, Cross-platform communication

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Friendly and welcoming community
- 🚀 Decentralized and free from corporate control
- 🔒 No data collection or ads
- 🤖 Good alternative to Twitter
- 💡 Ability to self-host servers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Confusing onboarding and server selection
- 📱 Limited functionality compared to web version
- 🔍 Difficulty finding and following people
- 🕰️ Slow or delayed notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Can't log in or create account
- Keyboard freezes during editing
- Inconsistent behavior when switching accounts
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add local and federated timelines
- Improve search and discovery features
- Implement edit and delete post functionality
- Add support for animated GIFs
- Provide better accessibility options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mumsnet free?

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

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mumsnet or Mastodon?

Mumsnet is rated higher. Mumsnet averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do Mumsnet or Mastodon have ads?

Mumsnet shows ads; Mastodon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Mumsnet or Mastodon?

Mumsnet ships an update every 3 weeks, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, Mumsnet was updated on October 7, 2026 and Mastodon on October 14, 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.*