Colloquy vs bitchat mesh
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Colloquy
This app brings the functionality of a popular desktop IRC client to your mobile device. It offers a full-featured experience optimized for on-the-go use with iOS multitasking and push notifications. Enjoy customizable settings, message highlighting, and robust IRC command support.
- Retina display support
- iOS multitasking and split-screen
- Push notifications with bouncer
- Nickname and emoticon completion
- Message highlighting and vibration
- Customizable interface and behavior
- WHOIS user information display
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Colloquy for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch puts the power of the most popular IRC client for the Mac in the palm of your hand. Built atop the Chat Core framework, Colloquy Mobile is a full featured client optimized for the on-the-go experience with iOS multitasking support. Unique Features: • Support for retina devices, including iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPad Pro. • Support for iOS multitasking with local notifications and split-screen support. • Push notifications when using a compatible push bouncer. • Convenient nickname and emoticon completion popups. • Support for all the common IRC commands with completion. • Organized Colloquies view that shows all your conversations and rooms at a glance. • Highlights messages (and optionally vibrates) when your specific words or nickname is mentioned. • Highly customizable interface and behavior settings within the Settings application. • Visual display of user information (WHOIS) for any user. • Full support for landscape mode in the entire application. • Stays connected while iPhone is locked and when SMS alerts appear. • Searchable room member list. • Support for SASL authentication (required when connecting to Freenode over the cell network.) • A console for every connection. • Support for ignoring annoying users. Standard Features: • Multiple message styles to choose from. • Fully compatible with mIRC colors and formatting. • Large selection of graphical emoticons. • Allows you to join multiple chat rooms across many different servers. • Automatic identification with network services (NickServ). • Notification of common server errors as easy to understand alerts. • Automatically join rooms and send commands upon connect. • Solid support for secure connections over SSL and TLS. • Full support for room and connection text encodings. • Full IRCv3 compatibility, including the IRCv3.2 standard. • Open minded and Open Source, like it should be. ATTENTION: We can't provide support here to people leaving reviews, as much as we want to. We also can't discuss feature requests, since there is no way to reply to you here. If you have a problem or suggestion, please visit us in #colloquy-mobile on irc.freenode.net, click the support link below, or email us at support@colloquy.mobi.
bitchat mesh
Connect with people nearby without needing personal contact information. This app facilitates private, encrypted group chats using Bluetooth mesh technology, making it ideal for local communication without internet access.
- Local Bluetooth mesh chat
- No internet required
- Encrypted private messages
- Relays messages for range
- Sidegroupchat functionality
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chat with people around you. don't need their phone # or email. the sidegroupchat for any function. uses bluetooth mesh, no internet needed. relays messages to go the distance! encrypted private messages.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: bitchat mesh at Free against Colloquy's $1.99. bitchat mesh also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.8) and review sentiment (80% vs 39%). Colloquy's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and chart position (#49 vs #197). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
bitchat mesh is free to download; Colloquy costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
bitchat mesh holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: bitchat mesh has 510 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Colloquy's written reviews are positive against 80% of bitchat mesh's.
Colloquy ships an update fortnightly, bitchat mesh every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.
| Parameter | Colloquy | bitchat mesh |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.8 (32 ratings) | 4.7 (510 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.3% of reviews | 79.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 32 | 510 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #49 — better | #197 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Colloquy Project | permissionless tech, llc |
Customer experience
Colloquy
bitchat mesh
User reviews
Colloquy
From 32 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Reliable connection
- 👍 Thoughtful design
- 🔒 Handles bouncer setup well
- 📱 Works great on iOS
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Difficult to use for new users
- 🔋 Disconnects after inactivity
- 🔍 Confusing interface
bitchat mesh
From 510 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Modern, efficient offline communication
- 🔒 Secure and private messaging
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Useful for areas with poor internet connectivity
- 👍 Innovative use of Bluetooth for decentralized network
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable message delivery and sync issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on certain devices
- 🔒 Concerns about long-term privacy and security
Bugs and requests
Colloquy
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on startup
- Text entry box issues
- Inconsistent user list display
- Broken features after updates
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Longer background timeout
- Improved search and user list
- Better file transfer support
bitchat mesh
Reported bugs
2 issues- Typing input field issues on Mac
- Notifications not working consistently on iOS
Requested features
5 requests- Drawing/sketching feature like Pictochat
- Customizable themes and UI options
- Ability to filter messages by favorites or verified users
- Support for file sharing and image transfer
- Integration with cryptocurrency/Bitcoin payments
In-app purchases
Colloquy
No in-app purchases
bitchat mesh
No in-app purchases
