Interstellar vs MeshTrax
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Interstellar
Access and interact with communities across Mbin, Lemmy, and PieFed. This open-source client provides a unified platform for engaging with your favorite fediverse content.
- Access Mbin, Lemmy, and PieFed accounts
- Interact with fediverse communities
- Open-source platform
- Bug reporting via GitHub
- Feature requests via magazine
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Interstellar is a free and open source, fediverse client, allowing you to access your Mbin/Lemmy/PieFed accounts and interact with your favorite communities. If you encounter any bugs or would like to request a feature, please report it on the GitHub repository (github.com/interstellar-app/interstellar) or the Interstellar magazine (kbin.earth/m/interstellar).
MeshTrax
Communicate off-grid using LoRa mesh networking devices without internet or cloud servers. Offers a modern chat experience with direct and group messaging, contact management, and an interactive map for network visualization. Prioritizes privacy with no accounts or tracking.
- Off-grid LoRa mesh communication
- Unified inbox with modern chat features
- Direct and group encrypted messaging
- Contact management with QR codes
- Interactive map with coverage analysis
- Device telemetry and battery monitoring
- Privacy-focused with no accounts or tracking
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MeshTrax is a free, open-source companion app for MeshCore LoRa mesh networking devices. Connect to your radio and send messages across the mesh — no internet, no accounts, and no cloud servers. Communicate off-grid over long-range LoRa radio — hiking, at an event, in an emergency, or just exploring mesh networking. Your messages, contacts, and keys stay on your device and your own hardware. Note: MeshTrax is an independent, community-built client and is not the official MeshCore app. It requires a compatible MeshCore device to be useful, it is not a standalone messenger. A MODERN CHAT EXPERIENCE • Unified inbox, all your direct messages and channels in one clean, messaging-app-style list • Swipe to reply, emoji reactions, and inline GIFs • Delivery status and automatic message retry • Notifications for new messages, even in the background MESSAGING & CHANNELS • Direct one-to-one messages • Channel and group messaging • Encrypted channels using pre-shared keys CONTACTS • Add contacts by scanning or sharing QR codes • Organize contacts into groups MAP & COVERAGE • Nodes, repeaters, and neighbors on an interactive map • Download map areas for offline use • Line-of-sight terrain analysis • Export tracks and points as GPX DEVICE INSIGHTS • Device and repeater telemetry and sensor readings • Battery monitoring • Message path tracing and routing tools CONNECT YOUR WAY • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) • USB serial (where supported) • Local network / Wi-Fi (TCP) Plus auto-connect to your last device, light and dark themes, and many languages. PRIVACY FIRST • No accounts, no sign-up • No ads, analytics, or tracking • No MeshTrax servers — the developer receives none of your data • Block and report tools to keep conversations civil Optional online features (maps, terrain, GIFs) connect to third-party services only when you use them. See the privacy policy for details. BUILT ON MESHCORE MeshTrax builds on the open MeshCore ecosystem and is forked from the open-source MeshCore Open client. All credit for the protocol, firmware, and official apps goes to the MeshCore project. REQUIREMENTS A compatible MeshCore device (a supported LoRa radio running MeshCore firmware). Source & issues: https://github.com/venamartin/meshtrax
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: MeshTrax at fortnightly against Interstellar's every 2 months. MeshTrax also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Interstellar's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MeshTrax holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.
Interstellar ships an update every 2 months, MeshTrax fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Interstellar | MeshTrax |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | John Randall | Dill.dev LLC |
Customer experience
Interstellar
MeshTrax
In-app purchases
Interstellar
No in-app purchases
MeshTrax
No in-app purchases









