# Meshtastic vs NetBuddy MobileShark

The clearest difference is price: Meshtastic at Free against NetBuddy MobileShark's $1.99. Meshtastic also leads on rating (4.1 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Meshtastic is free to download; NetBuddy MobileShark costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Meshtastic holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 835 ratings behind it against 1, 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 25% of NetBuddy MobileShark's.

Meshtastic ships an update every 9 days, NetBuddy MobileShark every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Meshtastic | NetBuddy MobileShark |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.1 (835 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/netbuddy-mobileshark/id6743685293/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **835** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **44.0% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 144 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.5** | 18.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) | [Rick Bodnar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1712763175) |

## 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


### NetBuddy MobileShark

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/netbuddy-mobileshark/id6743685293)

This app transforms your iOS device into a professional network packet analyzer. It allows for deep packet inspection, protocol analysis, and intuitive visualization of network traffic. Ideal for troubleshooting, security investigations, and debugging network-related code.

**Highlights:** Packet capture and analysis, Protocol detection and inspection, Connection tracking, Traffic visualization, Advanced filtering, Export capabilities, Local data processing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Meshtastic free?

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

### Is NetBuddy MobileShark free?

NetBuddy MobileShark costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Meshtastic or NetBuddy MobileShark?

Meshtastic is rated higher. Meshtastic averages 4.1 out of 5 from 835 ratings, while NetBuddy MobileShark averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Meshtastic or NetBuddy MobileShark have ads?

Neither Meshtastic nor NetBuddy MobileShark shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Meshtastic or NetBuddy MobileShark?

Meshtastic ships an update every 9 days, and NetBuddy MobileShark every 3 months. Most recently, Meshtastic was updated on October 27, 2026 and NetBuddy MobileShark on October 25, 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.*