# MASTRO vs Golden Thread

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Golden Thread at none against MASTRO's 3. Golden Thread also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). MASTRO's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MASTRO sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Golden Thread asks for nothing beyond the download.

MASTRO ships an update fortnightly, Golden Thread every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MASTRO | Golden Thread |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Size | 40 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SUPERKEN LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1779452934) | [凤英 苏](https://appshunter.io/developer/1697616240) |

## What reviewers say

### MASTRO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastro/id6738116785)

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| weekly | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| 3months | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| yearly | $49.99 | per year |


### Golden Thread

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golden-thread/id6788416352)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MASTRO free?

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

### Is Golden Thread free?

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

### Do MASTRO or Golden Thread have ads?

MASTRO shows ads; Golden Thread does not.

### Which is updated more often, MASTRO or Golden Thread?

MASTRO ships an update fortnightly, and Golden Thread every 5 days. Most recently, MASTRO was updated on November 4, 2026 and Golden Thread 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.*