# Grain Social vs Wave

The clearest difference is update cadence: Grain Social at every 2 days against Wave's every 4 weeks. Wave's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Grain Social against 5.0 for Wave. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

Grain Social ships an update every 2 days, Wave every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grain Social | Wave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grain-social/id6747730230/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wave-secure-messaging/id6755153686/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 149 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Chad Miller](https://appshunter.io/developer/1822660928) | [Simhadri Bogula](https://appshunter.io/developer/1797254968) |

## What reviewers say

### Grain Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grain-social/id6747730230)

This photo-first social app allows users to post galleries with titles, descriptions, and locations, and share temporary 24-hour stories. It offers various feed options including following, curated, camera-based, and location-based browsing. Users can sign in with their existing Bluesky account.

**Highlights:** Photo galleries with titles and descriptions, 24-hour disappearing stories, Multiple feed options (following, curated, camera, location), Location-based browsing with maps, Bluesky account integration, Alt text for photos, EXIF data preservation

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Wave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wave-secure-messaging/id6755153686)

A privacy-focused messaging app offering end-to-end encrypted chats without requiring sign-ups or personal information. It utilizes a decentralized network for enhanced user control and supports both one-to-one and group conversations.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, No sign-up required, Decentralized network, One-to-one and group chats, Optional Bluesky integration, Ad-free and tracker-free

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grain Social free?

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

### Is Wave free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Grain Social or Wave?

Grain Social and Wave are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Grain Social or Wave have ads?

Neither Grain Social nor Wave shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grain Social or Wave?

Grain Social ships an update every 2 days, and Wave every 4 weeks. Most recently, Grain Social was updated on September 17, 2026 and Wave on September 6, 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.*