glinet vs Meshtastic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
glinet
Manage your GL.iNet router remotely, from basic setup and security to advanced mesh networking and VPN configuration. Monitor your network's performance in real-time and control router functions like WiFi, firmware updates, and LED lights.
- Basic router setup and password changes
- Mesh network creation and management
- OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN configuration
- Real-time router performance monitoring
- WiFi control, firmware updates, LED management
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Setup GL.iNet routers with version 3.201 and above. The GL.iNet Mobile app gives you convenient access to your router’s features anywhere and anytime: Basic Setup: Setup and change the password of your devices. Discover the real-time traffic in both mesh & guest network. Block unwanted users that share your WiFi network. Mesh Network: Build up your home mesh network. Step-by-step guidelines for setting up sub-nodes within your house. VPN Setup: Easily configure selected OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN for your private home network. Live Router Status: Real-time performance checklist of your devices, including memory storage and CPU load data. Easily pause WiFi, update firmware, turn off LED lights on the router, and more! Compatible GL.iNet Devices (Model No.): GL-B2200 / Velica GL-AR750S / Slate GL-MT1300 / Beryl GL-MT300N-V2 / Mango GL-AR150 / White GL-AR300M / Shadow GL-AR750 / Creta GL-E750 / Mudi GL-MiFi GL-USB150 / Microuter GL-X300B / Collie GL-X750 / Spitz GL-XE300 / Puli GL-MV1000W / Brume-W microuter-N300 GL-AX1800/Flint GL-SF1200 GL-SFT1200/Opal GL-AXT1800/Slate AX GL-A1300/Slate Plus GL-MT3000/Beryl AX GL-MT2500/Brume 2 GL-X3000/Spitz AX GL-XE3000/Puli AX GL-MT6000/Flint 2 GL-B3000/Marble GL-BE3600/Slate 7 GL-BE9300/Flint 3 GL-BE6500/Flint 3e GL-MT3600BE/Beryl 7 GL-MT5000/Brume 3 GL-E5800/Mudi 7 GL-BE10000/Slate 7 Pro GL-BE14000/Flint 4 GL-MG1300/Mango 2
Meshtastic
This app enables off-grid, decentralized communication via a low-power mesh network. Send text messages in areas lacking cellular or WiFi service.
- Off-grid communication
- Decentralized mesh network
- Low-power LoRa radio support
- Text messaging
- No cellular/WiFi required
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Meshtastic® is an open source, off-grid, decentralized, mesh network built to run on low-power Lora radios letting you send text messages in areas without reliable cellular or WiFi service.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Meshtastic at 4.2 against glinet's 3.5. Meshtastic also leads on ratings volume (803 vs 23) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks). glinet's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
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, 4.2 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 803 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of glinet's written reviews are positive against 45% of Meshtastic's.
glinet ships an update every 5 weeks, Meshtastic every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on August 31, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | glinet | Meshtastic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (23 ratings) | 4.2 (803 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.4% of reviews | 45.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23 | 803 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 119 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | GL Technologies (HK) Limited | Meshtastic LLC |
Customer experience
glinet
Meshtastic
User reviews
glinet
From 23 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Remote router management
- 👍 Dark mode available
- 👍 Controls multiple routers
- 👍 Works well for basic setup
- 👍 Easy initial setup
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent 429 errors
- 🐛 Buggy GUI
- 🐛 Confusing settings
- 🐛 Cannot sign back in
- 🐛 App behaves like first-time setup after sign-out
Meshtastic
From 803 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Well-made app
- 🚀 Polished and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Powerful features for off-grid communication
- 👍 Great community and responsive developers
- 👍 Continuously improving with updates
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bluetooth connectivity issues
- 🐛 Unreliable messaging and node connections
- 🐛 Crashes and stability problems
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Lacking feature parity with Android version
Bugs and requests
glinet
Reported bugs
52 issues- 429 errors during VPN setup
- GUI is buggy
- Cannot sign back in after sign out
- App behaves as if setting up for the first time after sign out
- No instructions provided
Show 47 moreShow fewer
- App won't find router
- Router dropping WiFi connection
- App thinks initial config is still needed after web UI setup
- Difficult to find DHCP settings
- App never worked
- VPN menu does not appear when app is set to Chinese
- App collects user data and reports to China
- Poor error codes, doesn't indicate why it fails
- App says not connected to network while connected
- Router keeps disconnecting from home network
- No way to reset router and reach admin page
- Cannot see router
- App eventually stopped working
- White screen when opening app
- Limited administrative access, no main dashboard
- Couldn't set up router
- App won't go past 'Power up the router' page in Sub Router Mode
- App doesn't ask for manual IP or allow entry
- Cannot figure out how to access 'network storage'
- App is very limited
- No option to go back to main dashboard
- Couldn't set up AXT 1800 router
- App missing important travel feature (captive portals)
- App is missing most of the Admin console features
- Cellular settings show a white screen on Mudi devices
- Last update made app useless for iOS
- Cannot log in with PIA VPN
- Connection error when logging in with PIA VPN
- HTTPS error when trying to surfshark
- Unknown error during firmware upgrade
- 44 key error when uploading Wireguard configuration
- Cannot sign into North VPN due to character limit
- Settings link in AdGuard plug-ins doesn't work on iPhone
- Toggle switches don't obey 'On/Off Labels' preference
- Old app allowed local device management, new one doesn't
- New app useless for traveling router
- App can never connect to or find devices
- App doesn't show tethering activity
- App demands location access
- Cannot add preconfigured router, must blank it
- Forced upgrade bricks router
- Router refuses encrypted connections after forced upgrade
- App has trust issues with password syncing
- Not designed for iPad, no landscape orientation
- App doesn't find router within seconds, needs manual IP option
- App doesn't list VPN servers
- App doesn't work with older firmware
Requested features
14 requests- Add USB print server function
- More versatile functionalities (repeater, astrowarp)
- Automate captive portal workflow for travel
- Import MAC address for captive portals
- Include all web admin console features in the app
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Make network storage feature more obvious
- iPad app support
- Manual IP definition for connection
- Widget for home screen showing network/VPN status
- Red dot indicator for firmware updates
- Web link to LuCI interface
- More screenshots in App Store
- Support for landscape orientation on iPad
- Option to store manually defined IPs
Meshtastic
Reported bugs
4 issues- Canned messages configuration issues
- Location sharing and traceroute functions not working
- Settings screen bugs and crashes
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices
Requested features
5 requests- Offline maps support
- Ability to customize notifications
- More sorting and filtering options for nodes
- Apple Watch and Shortcuts integration
- Improved documentation and user guidance
In-app purchases
glinet
No in-app purchases
Meshtastic
No in-app purchases
