# mewe vs Mastodon

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mastodon at none against mewe's 11. mewe's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (294K vs 13K). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. mewe sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Mastodon asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for mewe against 4.5 for Mastodon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: mewe has 294K ratings behind it against 13K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of mewe's written reviews are positive against 48% of Mastodon's.

mewe ships an update every 8 days, Mastodon monthly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | mewe | Mastodon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (294K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mewe-the-safe-network/id918464474/reviews) | **[4.5 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **294K** | 13K |
| Positive reviews | 43.9% of reviews | **48.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 199 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Sgrouples, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/545768509) | [Mastodon GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571998976) |

## What reviewers say

### mewe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mewe-the-safe-network/id918464474)

A decentralized social network prioritizing user privacy with no algorithms or data targeting. Connect with others through interest groups and enjoy a controlled social media experience. Offers free features and an optional premium tier for enhanced communication and storage.

**Highlights:** No algorithms in newsfeed, Decentralized identity, Group and 1:1 chat, Private and open groups, 2GB cloud storage, Scheduled post capabilities

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Voice & Video Calling | $1.99 | per month |
| Page | $1.99 | per month |
| Journals | $1.99 | per month |
| Cloud Storage (50GB) | $3.99 | per month |
| Tier 1 Donation | $4.99 | per month |
| Cloud Storage (100GB) | $5.99 | per month |
| MeWe Premium | $6.49 | per month |
| Premium Promotion | $6.49 | per month |
| Premium Promotion | $69.99 | per year |
| Dark Theme | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Solid app
- 🔒 Privacy-focused
- 👍 Censorship-free
- 💡 Refreshing alternative to Facebook
- 🚀 Fast and efficient

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate
- 🤖 Lacks user-friendly features
- 💰 Paywall for premium features
- 🤔 Inconsistent moderation

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes after updates
- Inability to log in or reset password
- Glitches with photo/video uploads
- Messaging and chat issues
- Inconsistent app performance

**Requested features**

- Ability to save posts
- Improved search and discovery
- Better group management tools
- Seamless mobile experience
- Customizable news feed


### Mastodon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastodon/id1571998974)

Connect with others on a decentralized social network. Share posts, images, and videos in chronological order without algorithms or ads. Discover new content and participate in conversations across the fediverse.

**Highlights:** Chronological feed, No algorithms or ads, Discover new users and topics, Post with images, videos, and polls, Create custom lists, Filter content, Cross-platform communication

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Friendly and welcoming community
- 🚀 Decentralized and free from corporate control
- 🔒 No data collection or ads
- 🤖 Good alternative to Twitter
- 💡 Ability to self-host servers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Confusing onboarding and server selection
- 📱 Limited functionality compared to web version
- 🔍 Difficulty finding and following people
- 🕰️ Slow or delayed notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Can't log in or create account
- Keyboard freezes during editing
- Inconsistent behavior when switching accounts
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add local and federated timelines
- Improve search and discovery features
- Implement edit and delete post functionality
- Add support for animated GIFs
- Provide better accessibility options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is mewe free?

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

### Is Mastodon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, mewe or Mastodon?

Mastodon is rated higher. mewe averages 4.4 out of 5 from 294K ratings, while Mastodon averages 4.5 from 13K ratings.

### Do mewe or Mastodon have ads?

Neither mewe nor Mastodon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, mewe or Mastodon?

mewe ships an update every 8 days, and Mastodon monthly. Most recently, mewe was updated on November 3, 2026 and Mastodon on November 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*