Feld Hellschreiber vs Meshtastic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Feld Hellschreiber
This app decodes and transmits text messages using the historical Hellschreiber system, which sends characters as audio signals. It's ideal for amateur radio operators and enthusiasts interested in vintage communication methods. The app allows for both manual text entry and pre-set messages, with adjustable display contrast for optimal viewing.
- Decode Hellschreiber messages
- Transmit text messages
- Canned text message support
- Adjustable display contrast
- Real-time text scrolling
- Audio input/output via device mic/speaker
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Hellschreiber is a teleprinter system, developed in the 1920s, that transmits text via sound, much like an old facsimile (fax) system. Each pixel of a character is transmitted as a short burst of audio. It works even under very noisy and poor reception conditions, because your brain does the work of analyzing the received image to pick out the characters. It was used by the German military during World War II to send messages encrypted by ENIGMA machines. Today it is used by amateur (ham) radio operators around the world to send messages to each other via shortwave radio. Feld Hellschreiber literally means "bright field recorder". Hellschreiber is sometimes referred to as simply Hell. Feld Hellschreiber lets you decode and transmit Feld Hell messages. Decoded text is continuously scrolled across the top of the display. You can type in text to transmit, or press a button to easily send canned text messages, such as CQ calls. Sound is picked up from your radio's speaker via the internal mic in your device, and transmitted audio comes out the speaker - you can also connect a patch cable to your radio's mic input via the headphone jack on your device to transmit the audio, if you wish. The slider control adjusts the display contrast, and the indicator to the right shows the volume. Adjust the slider for the best display. To transmit text, touch on the text entry field, and start typing. Each character will be sent when possible. When sent, it will be taken off the left end of this field, and displayed on the right end of the transmitted text field, to the left of the entry field, in a scrolling fashion. Canned text buttons are also available, touch one to send the text stored for that button. To edit a button, touch the Setup button, and then select the button you wish to edit. You can edit the name of the button, as well as the text. To decode transmissions, you just need to run the app, and set it near the radio's speaker or headphones, and watch the decoded text appear. It's that easy!
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 price: Meshtastic at Free against Feld Hellschreiber's $2.99. Meshtastic also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 13 months). Feld Hellschreiber's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 44%) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 17.5). On ads, in-app purchases 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; Feld Hellschreiber 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 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meshtastic has 824 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Feld Hellschreiber's written reviews are positive against 44% of Meshtastic's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Feld Hellschreiber ships an update every 13 months, Meshtastic every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Feld Hellschreiber | Meshtastic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.8 (5 ratings) | 4.1 (824 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 44.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 824 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 95 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Black Cat Systems | Meshtastic LLC |
Customer experience
Feld Hellschreiber
Meshtastic
Bugs and requests
Feld Hellschreiber
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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
In-app purchases
Feld Hellschreiber
No in-app purchases
Meshtastic
No in-app purchases









