# Jodel vs Shuggr

The clearest difference is ads: Shuggr at none against Jodel's shown. Shuggr also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). Jodel's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 44%) and ratings volume (121K vs 3.5K). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Jodel sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days and Shuggr sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Jodel against 4.3 for Shuggr. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jodel has 121K ratings behind it against 3.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Jodel's written reviews are positive against 44% of Shuggr's.

Jodel ships an update every 2 weeks, Shuggr every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Jodel | Shuggr |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (121K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jodel-hyperlocal-community/id789870026/reviews)** | [4.3 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shuggr/id1071300251/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **121K** | 3.5K |
| Positive reviews | **64.8% of reviews** | 43.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 181 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [The Jodel Venture GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/789870029) | [Shuggr Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/814002134) |

## What reviewers say

### Jodel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jodel-hyperlocal-community/id789870026)

Connect with people in your local area and discover real-time happenings. Share thoughts, ask questions, and engage with a diverse community. Stay informed about local news, events, and conversations.

**Highlights:** Real-time local feed, Ask and answer local questions, Discover local news and events, Join interest-based channels, Vote on trending content, Share posts, pictures, and videos, Collect Karma

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jodel Plus: 1 week | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Jodel Plus: 1 month | $12.99 | per month |
| Jodel Plus: 1 month | $12.99 | per month |
| Small Pack of Read Receipts | $1.99 | one-time |
| Fancy post color | $3.99 | one-time |
| Medium Pack of Read Receipts | $3.99 | one-time |
| Small pack of Message Requests | $3.99 | one-time |
| Reactions - 5 pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Regular pack of Message Requests | $8.99 | one-time |
| Jodel Boost - 5x 10 minutes | $11.99 | one-time |
| 1x Priority Support | $11.99 | one-time |
| Large pack of Message Requests | $14.99 | one-time |
| 1h Boosted Post - Jodel-God | $14.99 | one-time |
| Reactions - 30 pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| Jodel Boost - 10x 10 minutes | $19.99 | one-time |
| Jodel Boost - 30x 10 minutes | $39.99 | one-time |
| Fancy post color - 10 pack | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great replacement for Yik Yak
- 👍 Anonymity and privacy
- 💡 Potential for campus community
- 🚀 Smooth and efficient

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🚫 Unfair banning and moderation issues
- 🚫 Lack of user awareness and marketing
- 🚫 Language barrier and lack of translation

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Blank home screen after updates
- Issues with changing location or account

**Requested features**

- Add search and filtering options
- Implement private messaging or chat
- Improve notification system
- Provide a map view to see nearby activity


### Shuggr

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shuggr/id1071300251)

Connect with gay men in your area through a social networking platform. Browse profiles, see who's viewed your profile, and communicate with built-in translation. Enhance your experience with premium features.

**Highlights:** Browse unlimited profiles, See profile visitors, Auto-translate chat messages, Automatic location updates, Premium features available

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shuggr Plus - 1 Month | $19.99 | per month |
| Shuggr Plus - Trial + 1 Month | $19.99 | per month |
| Shuggr Plus - 6 Months | $59.99 | per 6 months |
| Shuggr Plus - 1 Year | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 💡 Excellent for LGBTQ+ community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unstable
- 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
- 💰 Paid features not worth the cost

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Issues with account creation and login
- Reported photos being wrongly flagged and deleted

**Requested features**

- Ability to delete sent messages
- More robust search and filtering options
- Improved moderation to remove underage users


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Jodel free?

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

### Is Shuggr free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Jodel or Shuggr?

Jodel is rated higher. Jodel averages 4.4 out of 5 from 121K ratings, while Shuggr averages 4.3 from 3.5K ratings.

### Do Jodel or Shuggr have ads?

Jodel shows ads; Shuggr does not.

### Which is updated more often, Jodel or Shuggr?

Jodel ships an update every 2 weeks, and Shuggr every 5 weeks. Most recently, Jodel was updated on September 25, 2026 and Shuggr on September 24, 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.*