# Column Social vs TopicFlow for Discourse

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TopicFlow for Discourse at none against Column Social's 11. TopicFlow for Discourse also leads on ads (none vs shown). Column Social's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Column Social sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.00 per month. TopicFlow for Discourse asks for nothing beyond the download.

Column Social ships an update every 3 weeks, TopicFlow for Discourse fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Column Social | TopicFlow for Discourse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/topicflow-for-discourse/id6757091497/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **6** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 31 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Column Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1605214840) | [Lu Zhou](https://appshunter.io/developer/1538346376) |

## What reviewers say

### Column Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/column-social/id6502400180)

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Medical Insights Hub | $1.00 | per month |
| Design Inspiration | $1.00 | per month |
| Future of Water | $1.00 | per month |
| Future of Concrete | $1.00 | per month |
| Studio Visit | $1.00 | per month |
| Future of Katerva | $1.00 | per month |
| Oceans & Reefs | $1.00 | per month |
| Fun Learning | $5.00 | per month |
| Market Megatrends | $5.00 | per month |
| Cinecolumn | $5.00 | per month |
| Eternal September | $19.99 | per month |


### TopicFlow for Discourse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/topicflow-for-discourse/id6757091497)

Experience your online forums with a fast, fluid, and native mobile client. This app offers true native performance, a mobile-first design for easy navigation, and a unified hub to manage multiple communities without distractions.

**Highlights:** True native performance, Mobile-first design, Unified hub for multiple communities, Clean, distraction-free interface, Fast page loads and smooth scrolling

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Column Social free?

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

### Is TopicFlow for Discourse free?

TopicFlow for Discourse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Column Social or TopicFlow for Discourse have ads?

Column Social shows ads; TopicFlow for Discourse does not.

### Which is updated more often, Column Social or TopicFlow for Discourse?

Column Social ships an update every 3 weeks, and TopicFlow for Discourse fortnightly. Most recently, Column Social was updated on September 16, 2026 and TopicFlow for Discourse on September 20, 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.*