Comparison

Nelos vs Stolo Systems

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

Head to head
About

Nelos

Features
Read full description

Stay connected beyond cell coverage. Nelos is an offline messaging, location sharing, and tracking app for families and small teams using MeshCore-compatible LoRa radios. Message your team, see everyone on a map, find trackers, and coordinate even when cell service or internet isn’t available. STAY TOGETHER OFF-GRID • See teammates and compatible trackers on one map • Send team messages and direct messages over LoRa • Track family members, pets, and personal belongings with compatible trackers • Find a tracker faster with Find Mode • Create Safe Zones and get alerts when a tracker leaves them • Send help requests and coordinate responses with your teams • Create and join teams offline using QR codes READY FOR THE OUTDOORS • Download detailed offline maps worldwide • Mark campsites, meeting points, hazards, and other locations with waypoints • Review the last 24 hours of location history MORE WITH NELOS PRO Unlock multiple active teams, unlimited offline maps, and up to 90 days of location history with a one-time lifetime purchase. PRIVACY-FOCUSED No account required. No central message server. Built for families, hiking, camping, outdoor adventures, travel, volunteer teams, festivals, and other off-grid situations. COMPATIBLE HARDWARE REQUIRED Off-grid communication requires MeshCore-compatible LoRa hardware. Download maps before heading out. Location updates and message delivery depend on your devices, radio conditions, terrain, positioning availability, and permissions. Help requests are sent to your Nelos teams, not emergency services. Nelos should not be your only means of communication or safety in critical situations.

About

Stolo Systems

This app provides encrypted, off-grid messaging that functions without internet connectivity. It creates a peer-to-peer mesh network using Wi-Fi, cellular, or LoRa radio, enabling secure communication of messages, photos, voice notes, and GPS locations even when cell towers or servers are unavailable.

Highlights
  • Off-grid encrypted messaging
  • Peer-to-peer mesh network
  • Works without internet
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Offline world map
  • Emergency SOS beacon
Features
Read full description

Stolo is an encrypted messenger that built off of Reticulum and LXMF Out of the box it is a private, end-to-end encrypted messenger: no account, no phone number, no sign-up. Your identity and your history live only on your device, and Stolo's gateway relays your messages across the internet. When you need more, the same app becomes your own network. Create a network, share one invitation, and everyone who joins is in each other's contacts, trusted, automatically. Phones link directly over Wi-Fi and cellular, and optional long-range LoRa radios carry messages where there is no signal at all. Messages to someone out of range wait and are delivered when they come back. What you can send, on or off the grid: • Messages, photos, and voice notes, end-to-end encrypted. Only the people in the conversation can read them. Not us. • Live GPS positions on a built-in offline world map. See yourself and your team with zero connectivity. Under the hood, Stolo is built on Reticulum, the open cryptographic mesh stack, and sets up in a minute with no config files. Used for backcountry trips, maritime, job sites, disaster response, and everyday group chats that should stay between the people in them. Built on privacy. Works every day, everywhere, and keeps working when nothing else does.

Screenshots

Nelos4 screens
Stolo Systems4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nelos at every 4 days against Stolo Systems's every 3 weeks. On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nelos ships an update every 4 days, Stolo Systems every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Nelos versus Stolo Systems: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNelosStolo Systems
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.7 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB265 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperThe Quyen LeStolo Systems Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Nelos

No in-app purchases

None

Stolo Systems

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nelos free?
Nelos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stolo Systems free?
Stolo Systems is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nelos or Stolo Systems have ads?
Neither Nelos nor Stolo Systems shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nelos or Stolo Systems?
Nelos ships an update every 4 days, and Stolo Systems every 3 weeks. Most recently, Nelos was updated on October 10, 2026 and Stolo Systems on October 5, 2026.

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