Meshtastic vs Instatus Updates
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Instatus Updates
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Use Instatus to: 1. Monitor your services 2. Fix incidents with your team 3. Share your status with customers Use this app to get notified when there's an outage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Meshtastic at every 10 days against Instatus Updates's every 5 months. Meshtastic also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Instatus Updates's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.5). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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 ships an update every 10 days, Instatus Updates every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Meshtastic | Instatus Updates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (824 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 44.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 824 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Meshtastic LLC | Instatus |
Bugs and 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
Instatus Updates
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Meshtastic
No in-app purchases
Instatus Updates
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Meshtastic free?
Is Instatus Updates free?
Do Meshtastic or Instatus Updates have ads?
Which is updated more often, Meshtastic or Instatus Updates?
Other comparisons
