Meshtastic vs OpenWebUI
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.
OpenWebUI
This client app connects to your self-hosted AI server, offering a native mobile experience for chatting with AI models. It supports real-time responses, image generation, voice input, and secure data handling, keeping your information on your server.
- Real-time AI model chat
- Image generation
- Voice mode for input/output
- Notes and knowledge base (RAG)
- Chat actions (pin, archive, share)
- Customizable themes
- File and photo attachments
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OpenWebUI Client is a native app for your own Open WebUI server — chat with your AI models with the fluidity of a real app, keeping everything on your server and under your control. FEATURES • Chat with your models, with real-time (streaming) responses • Multiple providers and models configured in your Open WebUI • Image generation • Notes and knowledge base (RAG) • Voice mode: speak and hear the responses • Chat actions: pin, archive, rename, clone, share, and export • Themes and customization • Attachments: send photos and files • 34 app languages, auto-detected from your device PRIVACY The app talks only to the Open WebUI server you specify. Nothing goes through third parties — your data stays on your server. REQUIREMENTS You need access to an Open WebUI server. On first launch, enter the server address and sign in with your account. This is an independent client, not affiliated with the Open WebUI project.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Meshtastic at Free against OpenWebUI's $2.99. Meshtastic also leads on ratings volume (843 vs 4) and rating (4.1 vs 3.8). OpenWebUI's advantage is chart position (#80 vs unranked). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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
Meshtastic is free to download; OpenWebUI costs $2.99 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 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 843 ratings behind it against 4, 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 40% of OpenWebUI's.
Meshtastic ships an update weekly, OpenWebUI every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Meshtastic | OpenWebUI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (843 ratings) — better | 3.8 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 44.0% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 843 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #80 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 147 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Meshtastic LLC | Joao Victor Zao |
Customer experience
Meshtastic
OpenWebUI
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
OpenWebUI
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Meshtastic
No in-app purchases
OpenWebUI
No in-app purchases
