# Meshtastic vs OpenWebUI

The clearest difference is price: Meshtastic at Free against OpenWebUI's $2.99. Meshtastic also leads on ratings volume (824 vs 3) and device support (4 vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Meshtastic is free to download; OpenWebUI costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Meshtastic against 4.0 for OpenWebUI. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 824 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Meshtastic's written reviews are positive against 50% of OpenWebUI's.

Meshtastic ships an update every 10 days, OpenWebUI every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Meshtastic | OpenWebUI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.1 (824 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews)** | [4.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openwebui-mobile/id6783872393/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **824** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 44.0% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 95 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) | [Joao Victor Zao](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783872395) |

## 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


### OpenWebUI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openwebui-mobile/id6783872393)

This client app connects to your personal Open WebUI server for AI model interaction. Enjoy real-time chat, image generation, and voice commands, all while keeping your data private on your own server. Customize themes and manage chats with various actions.

**Highlights:** Real-time AI chat responses, Multiple AI model support, Image generation, Voice mode for interaction, Notes and knowledge base (RAG), Chat management and export, Customizable themes

**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 OpenWebUI free?

OpenWebUI costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Meshtastic is rated higher. Meshtastic averages 4.1 out of 5 from 824 ratings, while OpenWebUI averages 4.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Meshtastic or OpenWebUI have ads?

Neither Meshtastic nor OpenWebUI shows ads.

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

Meshtastic ships an update every 10 days, and OpenWebUI every 6 days. Most recently, Meshtastic was updated on October 14, 2026 and OpenWebUI on October 3, 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.*