# nRF Connect for Mobile vs Meshtastic

The clearest difference is review sentiment: nRF Connect for Mobile at 71% against Meshtastic's 45%. nRF Connect for Mobile also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2). Meshtastic's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

nRF Connect for Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 455 and 803 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of nRF Connect for Mobile's written reviews are positive against 45% of Meshtastic's.

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, Meshtastic every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | nRF Connect for Mobile | Meshtastic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (455 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403/reviews)** | [4.2 (803 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 455 | **803** |
| Positive reviews | **70.7% of reviews** | 45.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 18 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Nordic Semiconductor ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/497679114) | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) |

## What reviewers say

### nRF Connect for Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403)

This app is a versatile tool for scanning, exploring, and communicating with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. It also enables your device to act as a peripheral and supports firmware updates for compatible devices.

**Highlights:** Scan and discover Bluetooth LE peripherals, Communicate with Bluetooth LE devices, Advertise as a Bluetooth LE peripheral, Update compatible device firmware (DFU), Filter scanned peripherals, Live RSSI chart, Log BLE function calls

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great product
- 🚀 Very handy
- 🚀 Amazing functionality
- 🚀 Love the technology
- 🚀 Versatile program

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't seem to work on iOS 17
- 🐛 Can't really disconnect from peripherals
- 🐛 New update freezes on launch screen DON'T UPDATE!
- 🐛 Legacy DFU not working
- 🐛 Hitting terrible bug

**Reported bugs**

- Can't read data from Bluetooth device
- Tries to ask for Bluetooth connection when Bluetooth is off. Asks to connect to devices when Bluetooth is off. Who knows what this app is doing in the background without permission?! What ever it is , it ain't good
- Tapping "tabs" doesn't work (nothing changes in the UI). To get some response from tapping UI controls typically requires (a) launching nRF Connect, (b) switching to another app, (c) switching back to nRF Connect. I've tried uninstalling and re-downloading. Same result. This used to be the bee's knees of BLE tools but it's only worth 1 star at the moment (v2.7.11).
- Cant go past the initial announcement. The app is unresponsive to the taps.

**Requested features**

- Where's the mac addresses
- Max rssi limit
- Log view
- We need macros in iOS version


### Meshtastic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531)

This app enables off-grid, decentralized communication via a low-power mesh network. Send text messages in areas lacking cellular or WiFi service.

**Highlights:** Off-grid communication, Decentralized mesh network, Low-power LoRa radio support, Text messaging, No cellular/WiFi required

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Well-made app
- 🚀 Polished and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Powerful features for off-grid communication
- 👍 Great community and responsive developers
- 👍 Continuously improving with updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bluetooth connectivity issues
- 🐛 Unreliable messaging and node connections
- 🐛 Crashes and stability problems
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Lacking feature parity with Android version

**Reported bugs**

- Canned messages configuration issues
- Location sharing and traceroute functions not working
- Settings screen bugs and crashes
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices

**Requested features**

- Offline maps support
- Ability to customize notifications
- More sorting and filtering options for nodes
- Apple Watch and Shortcuts integration
- Improved documentation and user guidance


## Frequently asked questions

### Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?

nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Meshtastic free?

Meshtastic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or Meshtastic?

nRF Connect for Mobile is rated higher. nRF Connect for Mobile averages 4.5 out of 5 from 455 ratings, while Meshtastic averages 4.2 from 803 ratings.

### Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Meshtastic have ads?

Neither nRF Connect for Mobile nor Meshtastic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Meshtastic?

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, and Meshtastic every 10 days. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on September 23, 2026 and Meshtastic on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*