# Meshtastic vs Magic Smoke

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Magic Smoke at 100% against Meshtastic's 44%. Magic Smoke also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.5). Meshtastic's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (835 vs 11). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Magic Smoke holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 835 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Meshtastic's written reviews are positive against 100% of Magic Smoke's.

Meshtastic ships an update every 9 days, Magic Smoke every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Meshtastic | Magic Smoke |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (835 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-smoke/id1594832483/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **835** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 44.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 144 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) | [Caleb Barnett Wheeler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1719539575) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Magic Smoke

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-smoke/id1594832483)

Establish custom TCP connections to send specific commands. Save up to ten commands for quick access, or type any message directly. This utility is ideal for testing network connections and embedded systems.

**Highlights:** Custom TCP connection setup, Save up to ten custom commands, Send any typed message, Appends carriage return and linefeed, Supports IP address and port input

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Meshtastic free?

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

### Is Magic Smoke free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Meshtastic or Magic Smoke?

Magic Smoke is rated higher. Meshtastic averages 4.1 out of 5 from 835 ratings, while Magic Smoke averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do Meshtastic or Magic Smoke have ads?

Neither Meshtastic nor Magic Smoke shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Meshtastic or Magic Smoke?

Meshtastic ships an update every 9 days, and Magic Smoke every 5 months. Most recently, Meshtastic was updated on October 27, 2026 and Magic Smoke on October 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.*