# Nelos vs CairnOS

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CairnOS at none against Nelos's 1. Nelos's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nelos sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CairnOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

Nelos ships an update every 6 days, CairnOS every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nelos | CairnOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairnos/id6819076554/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 74 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Quyen Le](https://appshunter.io/developer/1602478574) | [Christopher Van Hoose](https://appshunter.io/developer/1510007987) |

## What reviewers say

### Nelos

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nelos/id6777224613)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nelos Pro Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |


### CairnOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairnos/id6819076554)

Communicate off-grid using a mesh network of radios. Send messages, monitor network status, and explore maps without cell service or internet. Features include direct messages, channels, and on-device translation.

**Highlights:** LoRa mesh network communication, Direct messages and channels, On-device message translation, Network status dashboard, Offline map downloads, Message signing and verification

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nelos free?

Nelos is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CairnOS free?

CairnOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Nelos or CairnOS have ads?

Neither Nelos nor CairnOS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nelos or CairnOS?

Nelos ships an update every 6 days, and CairnOS every 4 days. Most recently, Nelos was updated on November 5, 2026 and CairnOS on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*