An overview of Mastodon apps I've found on the App Store, including first impressions of the free ones (one of these days I'll fork over a few dollars and try the rest), focusing on aspects that interest me and my design preferences. These apps have all been updated in the past year. Apps that seem to be no longer under development are in a separate list. Also check out the official Mastodon list and the Awesome Mastodon list.
Paid on the App Store.
Free on the App Store. Flutter code on github.
Features: Clean look. Account switcher. Instance description displayed in login screen (although only a few pre-supplied instances).
Quirks: Limited timelines, no lists, primary language is Chinese (if you can read Chinese, check out the more detailed Chinese App Store page.
Free on the App Store with google ads displayed at the bottom. Subscription required to remove ads and receive push notifications.
Features: Clean look. Tab bar editor.
Quirks: A bit rough, e.g. the tab bar displays my username under each icon.
Limited availability on Testflight.
Features: Emphasis on immediate display of alt-text and easy switching among multiple accounts. Multi-platform support by Tootsdk.
Quirks: Missing key features such as push notifications, share-to target, and translations.
Herd by @CityOfTheMoon@mastodon.social
Paid on the App Store
Free on the App Store, Swift code on Github.
Articles on Medium and Daring Fireball.
Features: Excellent appearance (this and Ivory are the best looking of the bunch), full-width screen use for posts. Themes. Good hashtag completion. Most complete profile view, including links and featured hashtags. Very frequent updates. iPad-specific interface. Feed selection in top menu. Account switcher.
Quirks: Single-line entry field for alt-text entry. Avatar icons are rounded square (I feel they should be round for visual distinction). iPad columns are cramped.
Free on the App Store
Features: Allows login option between private or external browser.
Quirks: Square avatars with no rounded corners.
Subscription on the App Store required for anything beyond browsing.
Features: Latest followers avatar list in profile. Clear labeling of private mentions. Extracts description when used as a link share target (although the formatting in Metatext is better). iPad-specific interface.
Quirks: Prompts if you really want to boost (unnecessary hindrance to boosting freely). Alt-text entry is not available when using as a share target for images. Profile tab is in the center instead of on the right as is conventional with social media apps.
Ligt by Revoo
Free on the App Store with premium subscriptions.
Features: autocomplete instance list with detailed descriptions and rules
Free on the App Store, planned subscription according to this review on TechCrunch
Features: A couple of built-in games, including chess. Fairly complete profile editing. Nice community (list of instances) browser (although missing universeodon.com). iPad-specific interface. Tab bar with top left menu selection of feeds including lists. Title area also has tabs selecting between feed and custom For You feed. Post translation. Quote posts. Android-style floating action button for posts. Fancy button animations.
Quirks: Shows up as a link share target but that just launches the app. Account switcher is buried inside Settings/Extras.
Free on the App Store
Features: Cute appearance, elaborate app icon. Good-looking and simple sign-on screen. Interesting use of gray-shaded background (and slightly rounded corners) for boosts. Top left menu selection of feeds including lists and followed tags. Supports switching among accounts (although adding an account is a bit glitchy, easy to accidentally duplicate, and not clear how to remove an account).
Quirks: Square avatars, account tab is not on far right, boost button has a non-obvous icon, uses "reblog" instead of "boost", non-boosted posts could use some more left side margin. Doesn't show up as a link share target. Replies icon doesn't show count (but likes and boosts do).
Free on the App Store, subscription required for multiple accounts.
Features: News feed
Official Mastodon app, free on the App Store, Swift code on Github
Features: fairly complete profile editing, including adding links. I use this app whenever I want to edit my profile. Account switcher.
Quirks: uses "reblog" instead of "boost"
Free on the App Store.
Quirks: The profile tab on the far right is labeled ... which normally would bring you to another list of tab links. No list support.
Free on the App Store with in-app purchases.
Features: clean design.
Quirks: Not clear what features are enabled by in-app purchases. List support is not visible.
Free on the App Store.
Features: multiple account support
Quirks: Seems to be stuck in dark mode.
Free on the App Store, Swift code on Github (archived)
Features: Good alt-text entry interface with large multiline field that you can't ignore and offers a Detect Text (character recognition) feature. When sharing a link to this app it prepends an extracted description for the link, so I use this app as a share target for links and photos. Account switcher.
Quirks: No obvious indication in the feed that an image has alt-text, inconvenient path to profile (have to go through menu), doesn't display sensitive content warning. No longer actively maintained but feditext is a fork in progress. Share-to text limit is short.
Mona by @monaapp@mastodon.social
On the App Store. Subscription required for more than browsing and posting text-only.
Features: communities browser allows viewing local and federated feeds on other instances
On the App Store.
Features: combines feeds from multiple platforms. Clean, simple interface.
On the App Store. Subscription required for features beyond browsing. Built with TootSDK
Features: Horizontal timeline scrolling. Multi-platform support by Tootsdk.
Free on the App Store with subscription for push notifications and multiple accounts.
Features: extracts metadata from uploaded photo for alt text.
Quirks: Feeds could use more margins. Isn't iPad-native.
Free on the App Store with subscriptions (including lifetime) to remove ads and enable features, including tuning the feed.
Features: Predictive feed.
Quirks: Predictive feed.
Free on the App Store
Quirks: Keeps the instance front page at the top of the feed (or maybe that's a feature).
Toot by @tootapp@mastodon.social
Purchase on the App Store
Quirks: Support links on the App Store page and mastodon profile are broken
Free on the App Store, react native code on Github.
Features: Boost/reply filters in feed, access to local/federated/trending feeds.
Quirks: Can't remove an account.
Free on the App Store, react native code on GitHub
Quirks: Bottom bar is more like the typical top bar, displays the username/instance in the center and icons in the corner for posting and alerts.
Tootoise by @tootosie@mastodon.social
Free on the App Store
Quirks: No obvious way to remove an account. No guidance on entering instance name for login/signup. Rounded square avatars, paw icon (tortoise foot?) for posting, odd icons that look like pumpkin head dolls for Local and Profile
Free on the App Store
Features: Instance browser.
Quirks: Cannot select an instance from the instance browser. Very bright color scheme, like something out of the 90s. Website is inaccessible.
TootyGraph by @Tootygraph@togl.me
Swift code on GitHub.
Features: Image-centric display, particularly suitable for photo-sharing a la Pixelfed. Multi-platform support by Tootsdk.
Quirks: Early development.
Free on the App Store.
Features: Distinctive, gently-hued appearance.
Quirks: Website is unwieldy, disables back button.
Free on the App Store, Swift code on ShadowFacts
Features: List of popular instances provided at login.
Quirks: Square avatars.
Free on the App Store with in-app purchase, built with Tootsdk (nice credit in the About screen).
Features: Focus on authoring posts and threads.
Quirks: No timeline.
Free on the App Store, Swift code on GitHub
Features: Nice simple clean design. Also a twitter client.
Quirks: Also a twitter client.
Free on the App Store. Built with Tootsdk.
Features: easy-to-read text and text-to-specch
Subscription on the on the App Store with free trial.
Features: Clean design, conventional layout.