# Meshtastic vs NearSight

The clearest difference is device support: Meshtastic at 4 against NearSight's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Meshtastic ships an update every 10 days, NearSight every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Meshtastic | NearSight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (803 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **803** | — |
| Positive reviews | 44.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 76 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) | [Benjamin Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/6789324783) |

## 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


### NearSight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nearsight/id6789324781)

**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 NearSight free?

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

### Do Meshtastic or NearSight have ads?

Neither Meshtastic nor NearSight shows ads.

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

Meshtastic ships an update every 10 days, and NearSight every 11 days. Most recently, Meshtastic was updated on September 27, 2026 and NearSight on September 24, 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.*