16 Mastodon client apps for iOS
A review of 16 Mastodon iOS apps, with 6 making the cut for further consideration
I’ve been part of the Mastodon Fediverse since 2022, and I’m always on the lookout for a decent iOS app to use on my phone. I originally started with the stock Mastodon app, and then tried running Elk as a progressive web app on the phone. Both were unreliable, and so more recently I’ve been using Manfred (see below).
But I wondered what else was out there and decided to try installing as many Mastodon apps as I could to find ones I might stick with.
To even be considered for evaluation, an app must have been updated in the last 6 months.
Other features I’m interested in
- Free (or at least some free trial period)
- Can have in-app purchases for extra features, but basic functionality (like posting) should be included.
- I lean more towards the apps that have a clean UI and focus on the content/feed.
I ended up trying out 16 apps, and found 6 that are worth spending a bit more time with.
As much as possible, all screenshots were taken at the same moment in time for the feed to allow comparison of how they display identical content.
Screenshots are from my iPhone 16 Pro running iOS 26.5
Ice Cubes for Mastodon
Seems pretty good. Looks nice and works well. I like how it makes full use of the display.
MetaText
Also a decent app. Also in consideration.
Crowfi for Mastodon
Another reasonable one.
iPhanpy for Mastodon
And another one
Mona 7 for Mastodon
And another one!
Trunks for Mastodon
And even another one. Nice preview feature in the post editor.
Ivory
A nice app, but while it is free in the app store, you need to pay after a 7 day trial. $AU25/year seems a bit much for just a social media client.
feather for Mastodon
Most apps are dark mode but this one has a bright white background by default.
I tried posting with a image, but it had a problem with photo permissions.
Manfred for Mastodon
I’ve been using this app for a few months now. It looked promising, but continues to have a few glitches with scrolling and a few other rough edges like the post editor. Time to leave this one for now. Might come back in the future to see how it is going.
Openvibe
I’ve actually had this app installed for a long time, and used it to cross post to both Mastodon and Bluesky (as it supports as well as Tumblr and Threads). Sometimes it is good, other times it will fail to post to one or both services.
I gather they’ve just updated their authentication for Bluesky, so maybe that will help.
Mastodon
The original app. Most of the time it was fine, but then earlier this year it got buggy and wouldn’t load new posts, so I switched to Manfred.
Tootle for Mastodon
No idea what this app is doing. I can’t get it to sign in. Tried entering my server mastodon.online but it doesn’t like it.
Pinkleap
Also does Bluesky. I found the app a bit buggy. Sometimes it got stuck on the splash screen. Doesn’t seem to want to refresh the feed properly.
Not real keen on the large list of profile photos across the top.
DAWN for Mastodon by Nightfox
Reminds me of the old Twitter app. I’ve moved on.
Pheme for Mastodon
I’m confused. That is not my feed. Not sure what this app is doing.
Indigo
Looks nice, Indigo also supports Bluesky, bu you can’t post for free. Nope.
Conclusion
So that’s narrowed down the field to 6 contenders. I’ll keep using those for a little longer and see where I land.