Comparison

Dark Surf vs MeshDrop

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

Head to head
About

Dark Surf

Enhance your browsing experience with a customizable dark theme for Safari. Adjust shade, contrast, saturation, and image settings. Schedule dark mode or set it per-site.

Highlights
  • Customizable dark theme
  • Adjustable shade and contrast
  • Saturation and image handling
  • Scheduling for dark mode
  • Per-site theme controls
  • Preset themes (Midnight, Warm, AMOLED, Gray)
Features
Read full description

Dark Surf gives Safari a thoughtful dark mode for every website. Instead of painting over pages, Dark Surf reads each site’s own design and rebuilds it in the dark. Backgrounds and cards turn deep and calm, text stays crisp, and the colors that carry meaning, like buttons, links, warnings and highlights, keep their character. Photos stay natural. SMART BY DEFAULT • Leaves websites that already have a dark design alone • Keeps dark logos, icons and formulas visible • Keeps text on top of photos readable • Handles modern websites built with CSS variables, Tailwind, Bootstrap and web components MAKE IT YOURS • Six themes: Midnight, Ocean, Dim, Warm, Graphite and true-black AMOLED • Build your own palette from any colors • Fine-tune brightness and contrast, and choose how images look • See every change instantly in a live preview that runs Safari’s own Dark Surf engine YOUR RULES • Switch any website between Dark, Invert and Off right from Safari • Keep lists of websites that are always dark, inverted or never themed • Follow a schedule or your device’s Dark Mode, or pause for an hour PRIVATE BY DESIGN Pages are recolored on your device. Dark Surf has no account, no analytics, no ads and no tracking, and never sends the pages you visit to anyone. Dark Surf is a Safari extension. After installing, turn it on in Settings › Apps › Safari › Extensions. The app shows you how.

About

MeshDrop

Share text and files directly between your devices on the same local network without needing the cloud or an account. Devices discover each other automatically for quick, secure transfers. Supports resuming interrupted transfers and two-way messaging.

Highlights
  • Automatic device discovery
  • Send text and files
  • Resume interrupted transfers
  • Two-way messaging
  • Trusted device management
  • Live transfer status
  • Share Sheet integration
Features
Read full description

MeshDrop lets you share text and files between your devices over the same local network — quickly, directly, and without the cloud. Open MeshDrop on two devices connected to the same Wi-Fi and they discover each other automatically. Pick a device, drop in some text or a set of files, and send. Everything travels directly between devices on your network — there is no server in the middle and no account to create. KEY FEATURES • Automatic discovery — nearby MeshDrop devices appear on their own, with no pairing codes to type • Send text and files — share a quick note or a batch of files in just a couple of taps • Resume on disconnect — if a transfer is interrupted, reconnecting picks up where it left off instead of starting over • Two-way messaging — send and receive between any pair of devices • Trusted devices — confirm a device's fingerprint once and it is remembered; optionally auto-accept files from devices you trust • Live transfer status — watch real-time speed and progress while files move • Share Sheet — send straight from Photos, Files, and other apps on iPhone and iPad • Notifications — get alerted the moment a message or file arrives WORKS ACROSS YOUR DEVICES MeshDrop uses one shared protocol across all its apps, so MeshDrop on iPhone and iPad works with MeshDrop on Mac, Apple TV, and other devices on the same network. Move a file from your phone to your computer, or push a note to the device next to you — no cables required. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No servers and no cloud relay — transfers stay on your local network • No account or sign-up required • No tracking and no ads Connect to the same Wi-Fi, open the app, and start sharing.

Screenshots

Dark Surf4 screens
MeshDrop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MeshDrop at 5.0 against Dark Surf's 3.0. MeshDrop also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and device support (4 vs 2). 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

MeshDrop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dark Surf ships an update every 4 months, MeshDrop monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Dark Surf versus MeshDrop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark SurfMeshDrop
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB22 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperVali Mikayilov玉琴 孙

Customer experience

Dark Surf

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

MeshDrop

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Dark Surf

No in-app purchases

None

MeshDrop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dark Surf free?
Dark Surf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MeshDrop free?
MeshDrop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dark Surf or MeshDrop?
MeshDrop is rated higher. Dark Surf averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while MeshDrop averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Dark Surf or MeshDrop have ads?
Neither Dark Surf nor MeshDrop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dark Surf or MeshDrop?
Dark Surf ships an update every 4 months, and MeshDrop monthly. Most recently, Dark Surf was updated on September 29, 2026 and MeshDrop on October 1, 2026.

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