# Drone Buddy vs Meshtastic

The clearest difference is rating: Drone Buddy at 4.7 against Meshtastic's 4.1. Drone Buddy also leads on ratings volume (8.4K vs 835) and review sentiment (55% vs 44%). Meshtastic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drone Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Meshtastic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Drone Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drone Buddy has 8.4K ratings behind it against 835, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Drone Buddy's written reviews are positive against 44% of Meshtastic's.

Drone Buddy ships an update every 10 days, Meshtastic every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drone Buddy | Meshtastic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (8.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-buddy-fly-drone-safely/id992303145/reviews)** | [4.1 (835 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8.4K** | 835 |
| Positive reviews | **54.8% of reviews** | 44.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 127 MB | 144 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Kirway LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450953426) | [Meshtastic LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586432533) |

## What reviewers say

### Drone Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-buddy-fly-drone-safely/id992303145)

This app provides drone pilots with essential flight data, including weather radar, wind maps, and no-fly zone information. It helps users plan safe flights, discover new flying locations, and stay updated on drone news. An optional subscription offers advanced features.

**Highlights:** Weather radar and wind maps, No-fly zone data, Best flying window forecasts, Crowd-sourced flying spot discovery, Drone news updates, Drone flying hub for jobs and business

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Drone Buddy Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Drone Buddy Pro 3 months | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro | $17.99 | per 6 months |
| Drone Buddy Pro Access Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Unlock Drone Buddy Pro Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Unlock Pro Access Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Pro Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Unique and outstanding design
- 👍 Correct and reliable data
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 👍 Helpful for drone flying

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Missing vital data and information
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🌍 Not accurate for non-US regions

**Reported bugs**

- Map crashes after populating airports
- Profile settings not saving
- Inconsistent wind speed data

**Requested features**

- Color-coded wind speed indicators
- Ability to report and verify no-fly zones
- Integration with air traffic control
- Metric units support


### Meshtastic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meshtastic/id1586432531)

This app enables off-grid, decentralized communication via a low-power mesh network. Send text messages in areas lacking cellular or WiFi service.

**Highlights:** Off-grid communication, Decentralized mesh network, Low-power LoRa radio support, Text messaging, No cellular/WiFi required

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Well-made app
- 🚀 Polished and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Powerful features for off-grid communication
- 👍 Great community and responsive developers
- 👍 Continuously improving with updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bluetooth connectivity issues
- 🐛 Unreliable messaging and node connections
- 🐛 Crashes and stability problems
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Lacking feature parity with Android version

**Reported bugs**

- Canned messages configuration issues
- Location sharing and traceroute functions not working
- Settings screen bugs and crashes
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices

**Requested features**

- Offline maps support
- Ability to customize notifications
- More sorting and filtering options for nodes
- Apple Watch and Shortcuts integration
- Improved documentation and user guidance


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drone Buddy free?

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

### Is Meshtastic free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Drone Buddy or Meshtastic?

Drone Buddy is rated higher. Drone Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.4K ratings, while Meshtastic averages 4.1 from 835 ratings.

### Do Drone Buddy or Meshtastic have ads?

Neither Drone Buddy nor Meshtastic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drone Buddy or Meshtastic?

Drone Buddy ships an update every 10 days, and Meshtastic every 9 days. Most recently, Drone Buddy was updated on October 28, 2026 and Meshtastic on October 27, 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.*