Mininigma vs Meshtastic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mininigma
This app simulates the historical Enigma cipher machine used during WWII. It allows users to encrypt and decrypt messages, generate machine configurations from keywords, and accurately models various Enigma machine types. Interact with other applications through copy/paste functionality.
- Enigma machine simulation
- Message encryption and decryption
- Keyword-based configuration generation
- Multiple Enigma machine types supported
- Rotor and plugboard configuration
- Copy/Paste support
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Mininigma is a complete simulator of an Enigma Machine for your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. Basically, Enigma was a cipher machine used by the Germans during World War II for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. It looked like an old typewriter with some extra features. Being fully compatible with the real Enigma means you can also use Mininigma to decode any of the original messages which can be found on Internet. You can also generate a machine configuration based on a keyword or keyphrase. That means you'll only have to share that keyword to send a message!! Mininigma can accurately simulate different types of machines: The Enigma I, M3 and M4, Railway, G-312, or Swiss-K, with some others coming in the future. You can read more about these, as always, on the Wikipedia :) You can actually select between the different machine types and setup them as you would with a real one: choose rotors, configure them, or use a plugboard to switch letters. All at the tip of your finger. Mininigma supports Copy/Paste to allow you to interact with any other application on your device. You can even copy/paste machine configurations in an encryptable string!!
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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mininigma at 90% against Meshtastic's 45%. Mininigma also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and chart position (#171 vs unranked). Meshtastic's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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; Mininigma costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mininigma holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 803 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Mininigma's written reviews are positive against 45% of Meshtastic's.
Mininigma ships an update every 6 months, Meshtastic every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mininigma | Meshtastic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (30 ratings) — better | 4.2 (803 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.3% of reviews — better | 45.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 30 | 803 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #171 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Horacio Jimenez | Meshtastic LLC |
Customer experience
Mininigma
Meshtastic
User reviews
Mininigma
From 30 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Realistic Enigma simulation
- 👍 Historically accurate
- 👍 Great attention to detail
- 👍 Excellent graphics and artwork
- 👍 Informative and educational
Room to improve
- 🐛 Audio not working after update
- 🐛 Sound issues with key presses
- 🐛 UI elements cut off on newer devices
- 🐛 Not compatible with VoiceOver
- 🐛 Help/tutorials use difficult font
Meshtastic
From 803 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Well-made app
- 🚀 Polished and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Powerful features for off-grid communication
- 👍 Great community and responsive developers
- 👍 Continuously improving with updates
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bluetooth connectivity issues
- 🐛 Unreliable messaging and node connections
- 🐛 Crashes and stability problems
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Lacking feature parity with Android version
Bugs and requests
Mininigma
Reported bugs
15 issues- Audio not working after latest update
- No sound from keyboard presses after update
- UI elements cut off on newer devices (iPhone X, Dynamic Island)
- App not compatible with VoiceOver screen reader
- Help and tutorials use a difficult-to-read font
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- App crashes and freezes iPad
- Incomplete download and reload issues
- Copy and paste not working with iOS 5
- Light board not working
- Ring settings may not be working
- Dials on top are finicky
- Spacing issues where words run together
- Numerals not working
- Some settings have little influence on the text
- App crashes on opening
Requested features
17 requests- Add German language support
- More Enigma models
- Add numbers to the keyboard
- Add a space bar
- Improve readability of tutorial font
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Fix UI issues with newer devices (Dynamic Island, home gesture)
- Add VoiceOver compatibility
- Add a reset button for settings
- Add landscape mode
- Add other crypto simulators (NEMA, Jefferson wheel)
- Add more sounds
- Option to send key with ciphertext
- Create authentic style code books
- Add Enigma clock
- Add Hagelin M209
- Option to switch to a 'normal' iPhone keyboard
- Improve directions for plugboard and rotors
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
In-app purchases
Mininigma
No in-app purchases
Meshtastic
No in-app purchases
