# Jodel vs Shy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shy at 100% against Jodel's 65%. Shy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). Jodel's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (121K vs 4). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Jodel sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days and Shy sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Jodel holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jodel has 121K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Jodel's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Jodel ships an update every 2 weeks, Shy every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Jodel | Shy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (121K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jodel-hyperlocal-community/id789870026/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shy/id6444877711/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **121K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 202 MB | 93 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [The Jodel Venture GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/789870029) | [Shy Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1657587459) |

## What reviewers say

### Jodel

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

Connect with people in your immediate vicinity and discover real-time local happenings. Share posts, ask questions, and engage with a hyperlocal community focused on your neighborhood.

**Highlights:** Real-time local feed, Ask and answer local questions, Share posts, pictures, and videos, Vote and react to content, Join interest-based channels, Collect Karma, Anonymity and privacy

**In-app purchases (10)**

| 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 |
| Small pack of Message Requests | $3.99 | one-time |
| Regular pack of Message Requests | $8.99 | one-time |
| Jodel Boost - 5x 10 minutes | $11.99 | one-time |
| Jodel Boost - 10x 10 minutes | $19.99 | one-time |
| Jodel Boost - 30x 10 minutes | $39.99 | 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


### Shy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shy/id6444877711)

Connect with people physically near you in real-time, like in your apartment building or gym. Discover and chat with interesting individuals in your immediate vicinity without photos or real names. It focuses on proximity-based connections and offers mutual deletion for privacy.

**Highlights:** Proximity-based connections, Anonymous chat requests, Mutual delete for privacy, No photos or real names, Location-specific user discovery, User-controlled descriptions

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shy | $19.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Jodel free?

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

### Is Shy free?

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

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

Jodel is rated higher. Jodel averages 4.4 out of 5 from 121K ratings, while Shy averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Jodel or Shy have ads?

Jodel shows ads; Shy does not.

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

Jodel ships an update every 2 weeks, and Shy every 5 days. Most recently, Jodel was updated on November 6, 2026 and Shy on November 3, 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.*