Mesh apps: message without cell service or internet
These free phone apps send messages directly between nearby phones over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, so they can work at a crowded festival, during an outage or when the network is down. They don't need extra hardware, but the range is short: you need other people running the same app nearby. The Meshtastic app is listed for comparison, because it's free too but only works with a LoRa radio.
Every value comes from the app's own GitHub/GitLab repo, release page, official site or docs, or a named news report, and shows its source and the date we checked it (2026-10-30). Range figures are as reported by the app makers or the press. We haven't tested these apps. Anything we couldn't confirm is marked unverified.
| Bitchat | Briar | Meshtastic app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Phone-to-phone chat over a Bluetooth mesh, with an optional internet path over Nostr relays. Cost: Free | Secure messaging, forums and blogs that sync over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Tor, built for activists and journalists. Cost: Free | The free companion app for Meshtastic LoRa radios. Your phone talks to the radio, and the radio carries the message. Cost: Free app, but needs a Meshtastic radio |
| Needs extra hardware? | No, phone only | No, phone only | Yes, a Meshtastic LoRa radio (see radios) |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad (iOS 16 or later, per the App Store listing) and Mac; Android 8.0 or later, plus a Wear OS app Source: bitchat README (GitHub, permissionlesstech/bitchat) · bitchat mesh on the App Store · bitchat-android v2.2.0 release (GitHub), 2026-10-28 · checked 2026-10-30 | Android (Google Play, F-Droid or a direct APK). Briar Desktop 0.6.5-beta (2026-02-20) for Linux, Windows and macOS, which can't use Bluetooth. No iOS app is listed on the official download pages. Source: Briar source code and tags (code.briarproject.org) · Briar: Download Briar Desktop · checked 2026-10-30 | Android (Google Play, F-Droid); iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and visionOS Source: Meshtastic-Android (GitHub) · Meshtastic docs: Apple apps · checked 2026-10-30 |
| How it connects | Bluetooth LE mesh with multi-hop relay through nearby phones (up to 7 hops). Android also uses Wi-Fi Aware on supported phones. When online it can use Nostr relays on the internet for location channels and as a fallback for private messages. The Android app has built-in Tor for its internet traffic. Source: bitchat README (GitHub, permissionlesstech/bitchat) · bitchat-android README (GitHub) · checked 2026-10-30 | Offline: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (including a phone hotspot with no internet) or a USB stick or SD card. Online: the Tor network. Source: Briar: How it works · Briar Quick Start Guide · checked 2026-10-30 | Phone to radio: Bluetooth LE, USB or TCP/IP (network). Radio to radio: LoRa with multi-hop relay. Optional MQTT gateway nodes bridge meshes over the internet. Source: Meshtastic docs: Android app connections · Meshtastic docs: Overview · Meshtastic docs: Android app MQTT · checked 2026-10-30 |
| Range | As reported As reported, not tested by us: Bitchat's launch materials claimed more than 300 m (The Verge, 2025-07-08; BISI, 2026-01-27). A 2026-10-29 Ouest-France report says a direct phone-to-phone hop usually reaches a few tens of metres and that bodies, bags and crowds shorten it, with more distance possible through relays. The code sets a hop limit, not a distance. Source: The Verge: Jack Dorsey made an encrypted Bluetooth messaging app, 2025-07-08 · BISI: Bitchat, Bluetooth mesh networks and internet shutdowns, 2026-01-27 · Amphisciences (Ouest-France): Avec Bitchat, chaque téléphone devient une antenne relais, 2026-10-29 · checked 2026-10-30 | Briar's guide says Bluetooth and Wi-Fi reach around 10 metres, depending on obstacles. Messages sync only with your contacts, not with strangers, and private messages go only directly from sender to recipient. Source: Briar Quick Start Guide · checked 2026-10-30 | Set by the LoRa radios, not the phone. It depends on the radio, antenna, terrain and modem preset (higher spreading factors trade speed for range). The docs we checked don't give a single distance. Source: Meshtastic docs: Overview · checked 2026-10-30 |
| Store-and-forward | Yes. Private messages to someone out of range are kept (up to 100 per person for 24 hours) and resent when they reconnect. Other phones can carry sealed copies, and recent public messages stay available to sync for 6 hours. Nostr relays can hold messages when online. Source: bitchat whitepaper (GitHub) · checked 2026-10-30 | Forum and blog posts are carried between contacts as people move. Private messages aren't relayed. The optional Briar Mailbox app on a spare Android device holds encrypted messages while you're offline. Source: Briar Quick Start Guide · Briar: Download Briar Mailbox · checked 2026-10-30 | The radio buffers 8, 16 or 32 packets (depending on hardware) for a phone that isn't connected Source: Meshtastic docs: Overview · checked 2026-10-30 |
| Encryption | Private messages are end-to-end encrypted with the Noise Protocol, with forward secrecy for live sessions. Stored mail and Nostr private envelopes have no forward secrecy. Public channels are public. The whitepaper warns that a persistent device ID and nickname are visible to nearby radios. Source: bitchat README (GitHub, permissionlesstech/bitchat) · bitchat whitepaper (GitHub) · checked 2026-10-30 | All communication between devices is end-to-end encrypted. Tor hides who is talking to whom when online. The account is stored on the device, encrypted with your password. Source: Briar: How it works · Briar Quick Start Guide · checked 2026-10-30 | Channel messages use AES-CTR with the channel key (AES-128 or AES-256). Direct messages use an X25519 shared key with AES-256-CCM. Source: Meshtastic docs: Encryption · checked 2026-10-30 |
| Account needed? | No account, phone number or email Source: bitchat README (GitHub, permissionlesstech/bitchat) · checked 2026-10-30 | A local account (nickname and password) stored only on your device. No server sign-up. Source: Briar Quick Start Guide · checked 2026-10-30 | unverified |
| Open source | Yes. The iOS/macOS code is public domain (Unlicense). The Android repo's LICENSE.md is GPL-3.0, though its README describes it as public domain. Source: bitchat README (GitHub, permissionlesstech/bitchat) · bitchat-android LICENSE.md (GitHub) · checked 2026-10-30 | Yes, GPL-3.0 or later Source: Briar source code and tags (code.briarproject.org) · checked 2026-10-30 | Yes, GPL-3.0 (Android and Apple apps) Source: Meshtastic-Android (GitHub) · Meshtastic-Apple (GitHub) · checked 2026-10-30 |
| Latest version | iOS/macOS: 1.8.0 (2026-10-23) GitHub release; App Store shows 1.8.0 dated 2026-10-24. bitchat v1.8.0 release (GitHub), 2026-10-23 · bitchat mesh on the App Store Android: 2.2.0 (2026-10-28) GitHub release; Google Play version unverified. bitchat-android v2.2.0 release (GitHub), 2026-10-28 | Android: 1.5.24 (2026-10-30) release tag on code.briarproject.org. F-Droid's suggested version was 1.5.22 when we checked, and the Google Play version is unverified.. Briar source code and tags (code.briarproject.org) · Briar on F-Droid Desktop (beta): 0.6.5-beta (2026-02-20) official download page. Briar: Download Briar Desktop | Android: 2.8.3 (2026-10-19) GitHub release. Meshtastic-Android v2.8.3 release (GitHub), 2026-10-19 Apple: 2.7.26 (2026-10-27) GitHub release; App Store shows 2.7.26. Meshtastic-Apple v2.7.26 release (GitHub), 2026-10-27 · Meshtastic on the App Store |
| Official links | App Store Google Play iOS source (GitHub) Android source (GitHub) | Official site Google Play F-Droid Desktop download Source code | Official site Google Play F-Droid App Store Android source Apple source |
| Worth knowing | The project README warns that the repository has faced takedown demands and that unofficial mirrors can't be verified. Install from the official stores or the GitHub release pages only. | Briar's own guide notes that it uses a lot of battery and data when connected over the internet. | Without a radio, the app can't send anything off-grid. |
App or radio?
A phone app is free and works right away, but phones reach only a short distance and the mesh exists only where enough people run the app. A LoRa radio costs money and has to be charged and set up, but it's built for much longer links. Read Bitchat vs Meshtastic: do you need a radio or just an app? or compare radios in the device table.
None of these call for help
None of these apps contact emergency services. For SOS far from other people, see satellite messengers and phone satellite texting.
Looked at but not listed
- Berty: Its GitHub repo is still active (latest release v2.471.14 on 2026-07-03, plus mostly dependency updates in October 2026), but the US App Store build is 2.470.9 from 2025-01-22, and the README says the app 'has not yet been hardened'. We'll reconsider it when store releases resume. (Berty README (GitHub) · Berty Messenger on the App Store)
Only install apps from the official stores or project pages linked above. Copies from other sites can't be verified.
Bitchat, Briar and Meshtastic are names and trademarks of their respective owners. MeshCompare is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.