Monal
Xmpp client
Free iOS XMPP chat client that people recommend as a good, reliable option for iPhone users. Critics say the user experience is weak.
6 people recommended Monal in Hacker News comments and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 8 comments.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 2
The record
Recommended in 3 of 12 months
In 6 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 6 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 33% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 8 of the 10 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Preferred iOS client over alternatives
“I recommend using Monal as an iOS client instead of the Snikket iOS one.”
Comment from 16 Feb 2026 in “Running My Own XMPP Server” “my personal recommendation for iOS”
Comment from 10 Feb 2026 in “Discord Alternatives, Ranked” Works well on iOS
“Last time I used Monal on iOS this was solved and worked well.”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Jabber/XMPP: How Do We Gain Traction?” “Siskin and Monal are good.”
Comment from 26 Sep 2026 in “Breaking Up with Google Play: Why Conversations Is Now Free”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Poor user experience
“the UX for Moanl and Siskin IM leave a lot to be desired”
Comment from 16 Feb 2026 in “Running My Own XMPP Server” “None of Monal, Siskin or Beagle are a good experience”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Jabber/XMPP: How Do We Gain Traction?”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movim | 7 | 0 | 1 | 88% | 4 | — | — |
| MonalThis page | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 10 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Siskin and Monal are good.”
“Last time I used Monal on iOS this was solved and worked well.”
“None of Monal, Siskin or Beagle are a good experience”
“text + images + chat rooms”
“I recommend using Monal as an iOS client instead of the Snikket iOS one.”
“the UX for Moanl and Siskin IM leave a lot to be desired”
“I have had success getting apple-loving friends to use”
“my personal recommendation for iOS”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.