# D4500 vs Meshtastic

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Meshtastic at 44% against D4500's 0%. Meshtastic also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.3) and ratings volume (837 vs 9). D4500's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.5). On price, update cadence, 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.

Meshtastic holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 837 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of D4500's written reviews are positive against 44% of Meshtastic's.

D4500 ships an update weekly, Meshtastic every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | D4500 | Meshtastic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.3 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/d4500/id1403835939/reviews) | **[4.1 (837 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **837** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **44.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 16 MB | 144 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Microframe Corp](https://appshunter.io/developer/624655188) | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) |

## What reviewers say

### D4500

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/d4500/id1403835939)

This app allows users to send messages to Wi-Fi enabled visual display units within their local network. It offers a simple interface for sending pages and configuring display settings without requiring additional computer software. Advanced users can access TCP socket data for custom programming.

**Highlights:** Send pages to Wi-Fi visual displays, Configure LED display settings, No computer software installation required, In-network messaging, TCP socket data access for advanced users

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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, iMessage stickers, 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 D4500 free?

D4500 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, D4500 or Meshtastic?

Meshtastic is rated higher. D4500 averages 2.3 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Meshtastic averages 4.1 from 837 ratings.

### Do D4500 or Meshtastic have ads?

Neither D4500 nor Meshtastic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, D4500 or Meshtastic?

D4500 ships an update weekly, and Meshtastic every 9 days. Most recently, D4500 was updated on October 24, 2026 and Meshtastic on October 30, 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.*