Damus

Damus is a nostr client for iOS built by William Casarin (jb55). Users get a social feed with Lightning zaps, picture and video uploads, and automatic note translation across 24 languages. The app connects only to relays the user configures and shows per-note relay propagation, so you can see exactly which relays carried a post.

Spam filtering relies on a client-side web-of-trust model: replies from people in your social graph are sorted to the top, while others stay accessible but deprioritized. A wallet view built on Nostr Wallet Connect shows balances and recent transactions right alongside the feed. Follow packs let new users populate their timeline in one tap.

The same team builds Notedeck, a multi-column client for desktop and Android. Both Damus and Notedeck run on NostrDB, a fast embedded event database that other nostr applications have started adopting too.

Why fund it?

Damus is free, open-source software (GPL). The project depends on grants and donations to keep its contributors working full-time on the clients and the shared infrastructure around them.

OpenSats first funded Damus through the Nostr Fund in July 2023. The grant was renewed in November 2024 and again in the twelfth and thirteenth waves. A separate grant for Notedeck followed in September 2024. William Casarin received a long-term support grant in June 2024 covering his work across Damus, Notedeck, NostrDB, and Notecrumbs.

What's next?

Notedeck launched on Android in 2025 and brought multi-column timelines, Nostr Wallet Connect, and local-network multicasting to mobile. The multicasting feature lets devices on the same Wi-Fi share notes directly, without routing through public relays. Recent releases (v0.7.0/v0.7.1) added giftwrap support for encrypted DMs, NIP-44 encryption in NostrDB, follow packs, rolling note stats, and a navigation drawer.

Notedeck is still in beta and distributed via APK. A Google Play Store release is planned, along with NIP-17 private messaging on iOS and Android. The team is also working on group messaging and the outbox model.

For a detailed look at recent work, see the Advancements in Nostr Clients impact report.