Meshtastic vs IR Searcher
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 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.
- Off-grid communication
- Decentralized mesh network
- LoRa radio integration
- Text messaging
- Open source platform
- Low-power operation
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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.
IR Searcher
This tool enables night vision capabilities for various outdoor activities and professional uses. It allows users to capture images and videos, control devices remotely, and share files instantly to social media platforms.
- Outdoor night vision
- Law enforcement tool
- Search and rescue aid
- Animal observation
- Remote device control
- One-click file sharing
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IR Searcher App is a mobile application tool for flexible use in outdoor night vision, police law enforcement, outdoor search and rescue, animal observation, personal safety and many other application scenarios. Through wireless connection with the device, the users can obtain images and videos from the device, realize remote device control and one-click file sharing to social media.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: IR Searcher at 100% against Meshtastic's 44%. IR Searcher also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). Meshtastic's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (846 vs 2). 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.
IR Searcher holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 846 ratings behind it against 2, 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 IR Searcher's.
Meshtastic ships an update weekly, IR Searcher every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Meshtastic | IR Searcher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (846 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 846 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 147 MB | 83 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Meshtastic LLC | 保锋 朱 |
Customer experience
Meshtastic
IR Searcher
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
IR Searcher
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Meshtastic
No in-app purchases
IR Searcher
No in-app purchases
