Comparison

18XXc vs Meshtastic

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

18XXc

This app assists players of 18XX board games by providing specialized calculators for fundraising, routes, and game results. It supports a vast number of 18XX games and includes a game editor for unsupported titles.

Highlights
  • Fundraising calculator
  • Route calculator
  • Result calculator
  • Game editor
  • Supports numerous 18XX games
  • Upload results to BoardGameGeek
Features
Read full description

An 18XX calculator to help with playing 18XX board games. The app is 100% free (no functionality locked behind IAP). Currently it comes with build in support for the following games: - 1817 - 1822: The Railways of Great Britain - 1822CA - 1822MX - 1822PNW - 1824: Austrian-Hungarian Railway - 1830: Railways & Robber Barons - 1832: The South - 1835 - 1840: Vienna Tramways - 1844: Schweiz - 1846: The Race for the Midwest - 1848: Australia - 1849: The Game of Sicilian Railways - 1854 - 1860: Railways of Isle of Wight - 1861: The Railways of the Russian Empire - 1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties - 1867: The Railways of Canada - 1880: China - 1882: Assiniboia - 1888 - N - 1889: History of Shikoku Railways - 1899 DAIHAN - 18Chesapeake - 19Cuba - 18CZ - 18DO: Dortmund - 18EU - 18Espania - 18FL - 18GA - 18GB: The Railways of Great Britain - 18 Hiawatha - 18IN: Railways Across Indiana - 18Ireland - 18Korea - 18MEX - 18 Milwaukee - 18MS: The Railroads Come to Mississippi - 18NewEngland - 18NY - 18RoyalGorge - 18SJ: Railways of the Frozen North - 18Texas - 18USA - 18West: Rails to the Pacific - 21Moon - Harzbahn 1873 - The Hiawathas - Railways of the Lost Atlas It comes with the following calculators: - Fund raising calculator for floating companies and funding emergency train purchases (including loans). - Route calculator that supports multiple routes, route bonuses, stock jumps, and partial payout calculations. - Result calculator that includes uploading result to BoardGameGeek.com and sharing it over other media. It also supports managing OR payouts for players between stock rounds. Comes with a game editor if the game you are playing is not supported by default. If you have any questions the best place to contact me is on Bluesky (see the About screen in the app).

About

Meshtastic

This app enables off-grid, decentralized text messaging using low-power LoRa radios. It creates a mesh network for communication in areas lacking cellular or WiFi service. The open-source platform is designed for reliable, decentralized connectivity.

Highlights
  • Off-grid communication
  • Decentralized mesh network
  • LoRa radio integration
  • Text messaging
  • Open source platform
  • Low-power operation
Features
Read full description

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

18XXc4 screens
Meshtastic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: 18XXc at 4.9 against Meshtastic's 4.1. 18XXc also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). Meshtastic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 18XXc sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Meshtastic asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

18XXc holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 843 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

18XXc ships an update monthly, Meshtastic weekly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
18XXc versus Meshtastic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter18XXcMeshtastic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (17 ratings) — better4.1 (843 ratings)
Positive reviews—44.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17843 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB147 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMagnus Orn GylfasonMeshtastic LLC

Customer experience

18XXc

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Meshtastic

All ratings843 ratings
Positive76.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews418 reviews
Positive44.0%
Neutral15.1%
Negative40.9%

Bugs and requests

18XXc

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

4 purchases

18XXc

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly subscription$4.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription$4.991 Year
  • Monthly subscription$9.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Yearly subscription$9.991 Year
None

Meshtastic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 18XXc free?
18XXc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Meshtastic free?
Meshtastic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 18XXc or Meshtastic?
18XXc is rated higher. 18XXc averages 4.9 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Meshtastic averages 4.1 from 843 ratings.
Do 18XXc or Meshtastic have ads?
Neither 18XXc nor Meshtastic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 18XXc or Meshtastic?
18XXc ships an update monthly, and Meshtastic weekly. Most recently, 18XXc was updated on November 3, 2026 and Meshtastic on November 3, 2026.

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