BBStelnet vs LightDrop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
BBStelnet
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BBStelnet ā A minimalist BBS terminal designed exclusively for iPhone. Built with native SwiftUI for fluid performance and excellent battery efficiency. [Supported Servers] ⢠PTT ā secure WebSocket (WSS) connection ⢠Bahamut, Hua Kui, and any Telnet / WebSocket BBS ⢠Custom host / port; save multiple servers and accounts [Full Chinese Support] ⢠Dual BIG5 / UTF-8 encoding with built-in Big5-UAO character mapping (25,916 characters) ⢠Built-in Bopomofo (Zhuyin) input method with familiar key layout ⢠Clean rendering of PTT push messages, posts, and mail ā no garbled text [Reading Experience] ⢠14 ambient sounds (rain, waves, thunderstorm, waterfall, campfire, and more) for immersive reading ⢠Full 16-color ANSI palette customization ⢠Adjustable font family and size ⢠Portrait / landscape rotation [Productivity Tools] ⢠Floating keyboard for one-tap BBS commands ⢠Quick Keys with cross-page paging, sorting, and grouping ā kaomoji, arrow keys, and edit commands all included ⢠Auto-login scripts and keep-alive (no idle disconnects) ⢠Automatic URL detection in articles; built-in pinch-zoom image viewer [BBStelnet Pro ā One-time purchase, unlocks forever] ⢠Permanently remove ads (banner + interstitial) ⢠Unlock 10 additional ambient sounds ⢠Data export / import ā back up sites, quick keys, and floating keyboard layouts in one tap Also available as consumable add-ons: Quick Key +10 cells, Station +5 slots ā purchase as needed. Actively maintained by the developer. Welcome to all BBS enthusiasts and longtime PTT users.
LightDrop
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LightDrop moves files between two devices that share no network. One screen shows a QR code, the other device's camera reads it. No Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth, no cable, no account, no server ā just light. WHEN YOU NEED IT ⢠An air-gapped or locked-down machine that will never join your network. ⢠A work computer where USB ports are disabled and cloud drives are blocked. ⢠Guest Wi-Fi that isolates every client, or a hotel network you would rather not trust. ⢠A second screen nearby when email, cloud drives, and cables are not an option. ⢠Anywhere a file has to cross an air gap and email is not an option. HOW IT WORKS ⢠Pick text or a file on the sending device. LightDrop turns it into an animated QR stream. ⢠Point the receiving device's camera at that screen. Fragments land continuously and the progress grid fills in. ⢠Fountain coding means order does not matter and a dropped frame never restarts the transfer ā keep the camera pointed and it completes. TURBO TRANSFER (PRO) ⢠A binary QR fountain that packs a full 8 bits per byte instead of encoding through text ā 10ā30Ć the throughput of standard mode. ⢠Up to 2900 bytes per frame, at up to 30 frames per second. ⢠LightDrop to LightDrop. Standard mode stays on as a compatible fallback, and the receiver recognises both automatically with nothing to configure. PASSWORD ENCRYPTION (PRO) ⢠Encrypt the payload with a password before it ever reaches the screen. ⢠A bystander's camera can record every QR code and still get nothing without the password. ⢠Standard AES-GCM. Nothing leaves your device to make it work. IMAGES, HANDLED ⢠Photos are compressed automatically before sending, so a normal picture takes a minute or two rather than ten. ⢠The receiving device previews the image inline and saves it to your photo library in one tap. ⢠Images are detected by file content, not by file extension. NO NETWORK MEANS NO NETWORK ⢠No account. No sign-in. No email address. ⢠No server ever receives your data, because there is no server. ⢠No analytics SDK, no advertising identifier, no third-party trackers. ⢠Works in airplane mode, in a shielded room, or on a machine that has never been online. ONE PURCHASE, EVERY DEVICE LightDrop is the same app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Pro unlocks on every device signed in to your Apple Account with a single purchase. PRICING ⢠Monthly ā 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers, then renews automatically each month unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. ⢠Lifetime ā pay once and own it, with Family Sharing for everyone in your group. GOOD TO KNOW ⢠Transfer speed depends on the sending screen's size and brightness, the receiving camera, and how steady you hold the device. Keep both screens clean and reasonably close. ⢠Large files take real time. LightDrop estimates the duration before you start, so the decision is yours. ā Privacy Policy: https://yangworks.dev/lightdrop/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ LightDrop Pro Monthly is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings after purchase. The Lifetime option is a one-time purchase with no renewal.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: LightDrop at none against BBStelnet's shown. LightDrop also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. BBStelnet sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and LightDrop sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | BBStelnet | LightDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | ā |
| Ads | Yes | No ā better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac ā better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hsu Chia-cheng | ęØ é« |
In-app purchases
BBStelnet
- Quick Key Cells +10$0.99
- Station Slots +5$0.99
- BBStelnet Pro$9.99
LightDrop
- LightDrop Pro ā Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- LightDrop Pro ā Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is BBStelnet free?
Is LightDrop free?
Do BBStelnet or LightDrop have ads?
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