# Meshtastic vs FactorCat

The clearest difference is rating: FactorCat at 5.0 against Meshtastic's 4.2. FactorCat also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.5). Meshtastic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. FactorCat sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year. Meshtastic asks for nothing beyond the download.

FactorCat holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 803 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Meshtastic ships an update every 10 days, FactorCat every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Meshtastic | FactorCat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (803 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/factorcat-mfa-authenticator/id6760269296/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **803** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 76 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) | [Capital F](https://appshunter.io/developer/1614080688) |

## 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, 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


### FactorCat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/factorcat-mfa-authenticator/id6760269296)

This app streamlines multi-factor authentication by replacing manual code entry with a single tap approval via push notification. It offers secure, encrypted storage of your authentication secrets and supports two vault types for flexible recovery and enhanced security.

**Highlights:** One-tap MFA approval, Automatic code filling via browser extension, Encrypted TOTP secrets storage, Cloud Vault for easy recovery, Locked Vault with zero-trust encryption, Standalone authenticator functionality

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FactorCat Supporter | $12.99 | per year |
| FactorCat Pro | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Meshtastic free?

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

### Is FactorCat free?

FactorCat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Meshtastic or FactorCat?

FactorCat is rated higher. Meshtastic averages 4.2 out of 5 from 803 ratings, while FactorCat averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Meshtastic or FactorCat have ads?

Neither Meshtastic nor FactorCat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Meshtastic or FactorCat?

Meshtastic ships an update every 10 days, and FactorCat every 3 months. Most recently, Meshtastic was updated on September 24, 2026 and FactorCat on September 18, 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.*