Comparison

MeshScope vs Phantom

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MeshScope

Discover active Meshtastic nodes globally with this mobile mapping tool. View node locations, zoom in on nearby devices, and interact with an AI chatbot for detailed information. It connects to the global Meshtastic network via the internet.

Highlights
  • Global Meshtastic node discovery
  • Interactive world map
  • Nearby node identification
  • Detailed node information
  • AI MeshBot for node details
  • Filter nodes by time
Features
Read full description

The MeshScope application is a quick way to find active Meshtastic nodes, anywhere in the world. A mobile companion to the MeshScope web site, this makes it easy to find your position, and to zoom around and find other nodes nearby. Want to dig in to details? Chat with the AI MeshBot to find out more about nodes around you, chat in your native language, and have fun! The app relies on the Meshtastic network for finding nodes, and the nodes shown may be filtered by time to only see the most recent, or to see all nodes over the last several days. Want details? Tap a marker and view the specifics of any node on the map! Although this will show the Meshtastic network, it does not require a local mesh radio and uses an internet connection to retrieve the mesh network information. This also means that the app will not be able to show any mesh radios not reporting to the global Meshtastic MQTT network.

About

Phantom

This app enables off-grid voice and text communication over mesh networks, functioning without cell towers, Wi-Fi, or internet. It utilizes Meshtastic-compatible LoRa hardware for direct peer-to-peer messaging.

Highlights
  • Off-grid voice and text messaging
  • Works without cell towers, Wi-Fi, or internet
  • Hold-to-talk voice reconstruction
  • Bluetooth connectivity to Meshtastic LoRa nodes
  • Interoperable with standard Meshtastic app
Features
Read full description

Phantom is an off-grid messaging app for mesh networks - voice and text that works when everything else fails. No cell towers, no wifi, no internet, no servers, no monthly fees. Hold to talk. Your voice gets reconstructed on the other end. No audio ever crosses the radio. Works with any Meshtastic-compatible LoRa node over Bluetooth. Interoperates with the standard Meshtastic app. Requires Meshtastic - compatible LoRa hardware. The future is mesh. Phantom brings voice to it.

Screenshots

MeshScope4 screens
Phantom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MeshScope at 100% against Phantom's 0%. MeshScope also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.7) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.4). Phantom's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MeshScope holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of MeshScope's written reviews are positive against 0% of Phantom's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MeshScope ships an update fortnightly, Phantom every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MeshScope versus Phantom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMeshScopePhantom
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB778 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLemuridae Labs LLCAntonio Lambert

Customer experience

MeshScope

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Phantom

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

MeshScope

No in-app purchases

None

Phantom

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MeshScope free?
MeshScope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Phantom free?
Phantom is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MeshScope or Phantom?
MeshScope is rated higher. MeshScope averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Phantom averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do MeshScope or Phantom have ads?
Neither MeshScope nor Phantom shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MeshScope or Phantom?
MeshScope ships an update fortnightly, and Phantom every 4 days. Most recently, MeshScope was updated on September 14, 2026 and Phantom on September 20, 2026.

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