This is a list of various Nostr clients and the distinct features that make them stand out. This overview is not comprehensive; rather, it merely highlights some elements that, in my opinion, make these clients unique. If you’re new to Nostr and aren’t quite sure what it is, we recommend checking out our post Nostr+Bitcoin.

Snort.social

“First, we have Snort.social. This client works as well as any other out there, but it has one feature that I particularly enjoy: the option to view global events on any specific relay of your choice. This is great if you want to focus on the events from a single relay and get an idea of what its community is up to. Recently, Snort started offering a paid version of their site with exclusive features for members. The developers have also added trends, giving users the ability to view trending topics and accounts.

Iris.to

Iris.to is a client that I frequently find myself returning to. Its search features, with their effectiveness, truly impress me; I can locate almost anyone almost instantly. Admittedly, there are times when I have to wait a little longer for a new account’s details to populate, but Iris.to invariably finds the account. This contrasts with most other clients, which might either fail to find anything or continue searching without yielding any results. That’s not to say their search functionalities aren’t, well, “functional”. They work fine; it’s just that Iris tends to work a bit better and more frequently for me. Iris also has an app available for the iPhone, and everything I highlighted works just as well on the mobile app.

Coracle.Social

Initially, I liked Coracle. That’s not to say I don’t like it now, but I just don’t find myself returning to it as often as some other platforms on this list. Its user interface is very clean and straightforward. They provide a simple, guided process for newcomers to sign up, select relays, and get started. The entire platform feels like it was constructed with the user’s experience in mind at every step. They have a unique feature worth noting: their “chat” tab. This is something I haven’t come across on other platforms, but Coracle offers a tab where you can create or join chat rooms based on topics that interest you. Coracle is a well-crafted client that’s certainly worth sliding your keys into and taking for a ride.

Primal.net

Primal.net is a bit newer than the others I’ve mentioned, so it’s still a work in progress but is quickly becoming one of my favorite clients. It took some time before they were able to implement “zaps”, and their direct message feature is still being developed. However, everything that is currently functional works very well. It has become my go-to web client because I find it reliable. If I want to check my latest notifications, Primal is now my first choice—it was Iris previously—as it often shows me notifications that other clients miss for some reason. I assume this discrepancy is relay-related. Primal offers several interesting features worth exploring. For example, their in-depth statistics tab shows useful information about what’s trending across Nostr, which accounts are receiving the most zaps, which notes are getting the most attention, the total number of users on the network, the total number of reactions, and so on. You can find all of this under their ‘Explore’ tab. Viewing these statistics provides a fascinating insight into the ecosystem.

Nostrgram.co

For those of you who are visually inclined, there’s Nostrgram. This site provides multiple ways to explore Nostr’s artsy side. If you’re a fan of social platforms like Instagram or Pinterest, then Nostrgram will offer a look and feel that’s comfortably familiar, giving you the option to customize how your feed is presented. You can choose to see everything, just notes, only images and videos, or long-form in-depth notes.

Damus

Damus is an iOS-centric app, not a website client. Currently, it is the most popular method for accessing Nostr and beginning to explore. Damus is constantly improving, making its app better with each update. They are now working on implementing zaps that do not require multiple steps. For instance, at present, if you want to zap (tip with Bitcoin) someone, you need to exit the app, use a wallet to send your zap, then reenter the app. While this system works, it can be somewhat inconvenient.

Plebstr

Plebstr was a welcome addition to the mobile category. It supports both iOS and Android. The user interface has a bubbly aesthetic. The notes are separated by bubbles, and swiping left from the main screen will reveal your user information, also neatly contained within appropriate bubbles. Swiping right will reveal the Nostr global feed. Their zaps functionality works as well as any other I’ve used. Connectivity also quite good, relays lists and notes popular quite quickly. The only area that might need some fine-tuning is the smoothness of the gesture responses in the app, as they can feel a bit choppy at times. Overall, it’s a comfortable app to use, and I’m enjoying it so far.”

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