Here are some things to know about both projects
Meshtastic and MeshCore share the same core goal: providing decentralized, off-grid communication through low-power LoRa radio. They enable the transmission of text messages and GPS data across long distances without relying on cellular networks, Wi-Fi, or internet connectivity.
Meshtastic and the relatively new project MeshCore are two separate, different software projects that are not compatible with each other. Both can use inexpensive LoRa hardware.
Meshtastic
The idea for Meshtastic, developed by Kevin Hester (known as geeksville) in the USA, was first introduced on GitHub in 2019. It was created to support off-grid, long-range, low-power communication using LoRa radios. The project began to gain momentum in early 2020 with public firmware releases and growing community involvement, especially through the Meshtastic Forums and GitHub.
From 2021 onwards, the project expanded quickly with numerous contributors, new hardware integrations such as T-Beam, T-Echo, and RAK devices, and saw broad adoption in emergency communication, hiking, and disaster resilience.
MeshCore
MeshCore was introduced in early 2025 in the UK, initiated by Andy Kirby as founder, with Scott Powell from Ripple Radios contributing to the firmware and Liam Cottle supporting the client applications. From the beginning, the aim was to deliver a lightweight, multi-hop LoRa mesh communication system that operates independently of the internet or cellular networks, built on a new code base rather than derived from an existing project.
1. Suitable Use Cases for Meshtastic
Meshtastic is currently the more prominent and widely adopted project, utilizing a “flooding mesh” network. In this setup, each device functions simultaneously as a client and a repeater. When a message is sent, every node that receives it retransmits the data until it either reaches its destination or the defined maximum number of hops. The system appears to operate through stateless message forwarding
Motto: ‘Keep it simple, transparent and useful for people, especially in ad-hoc situations.’
Meshtastic Use Cases
Outdoor activities: Meshtastic is well-suited for groups such as bikers, hikers, skiers, paragliders, and sailors who need to stay connected in areas lacking mobile coverage. Its GPS feature allows users to see the real-time locations of all group members on a map within the Meshtastic app.
Crisis preparedness and emergency communication: When normal infrastructure fails during a natural disaster, Meshtastic can be used to quickly set up a self-sufficient communication network. No network planning is necessary, as the mesh text communication network is created ad-hoc simply by switching on several Meshtastic devices.
Events & festivals: For organizing teams in large or crowded environments where mobile networks often fail, such as festivals, sporting events, or exhibitions.
Meshtastic Advantages
- Very large and active community.
- Meshtastic is completely free and open source, including its Android/iOS mobile apps, and is licensed under the GPL license. Because Meshtastic is licensed under the GPL license, any project forks must also remain open source, helping ensure that improvements can benefit related projects.
- Well established and available on many different hardware platforms.
Meshtastic Disadvantages
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Many Meshtastic users report that certain messages fail to be delivered, attributing this to excessive telematic traffic, inefficient flood routing, and other contributing factors.
Places where Meshtastic is used
On the Meshtastic map (screenshot from November 2025), only nodes that are currently connected to the free Meshtastic MQTT server with available GPS data are shown. The figures provide an indication of the countries where devices are online. As a rough estimate, there may be five to ten times more nodes operating off-grid via LoRa without relying on an MQTT-based internet connection.
2. Suitable Use Cases for MeshCore
MeshCore is a more recent alternative project built on a C++ library that adopts a distinct networking approach. It is designed to provide autonomous, scalable, mission-critical mesh communication for complex and adaptive systems such as IoT sensor networks and semi-industrial deployments. Being state-aware, it continuously tracks neighboring nodes and overall network health.
Motto: ‘Make the network itself adaptive and intelligent, a more reliable mesh for systems.’
MeshCore Use Cases
Semi-industrial IoT scenarios include applications such as remote sensor networks and machinery control. Typical examples with largely fixed infrastructure are a multi-kilometer freight railyard, a shipping port, or an industrial storage depot. These environments are filled with metal containers and heavy machinery, while Wi-Fi coverage is limited or absent. Although cellular (LTE-M) could be used, it requires a monthly SIM card fee for each asset, making it prohibitively expensive when managing thousands of sensors.
This is where MeshCore’s architecture excels, offering network efficiency, scalability, and ultra-low power consumption for:
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Asset Tracking: Operations managers can locate hundreds of shipping containers, chassis, and valuable portable equipment (e.g., generators, welding carts) across the yard.
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Condition Monitoring: Critical, hard-to-access infrastructure can be continuously monitored, including:
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Track Switches: Are they correctly positioned, and is the heating element functioning in winter?
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Refrigerated Containers: What is their current temperature and fuel level?
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Pumps: Are sump pumps in drainage culverts operating properly?
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Smart Farming / Precision Agriculture: Farmers can deploy a LoRa mesh network to link dozens of sensors across expansive fields. This enables monitoring of:
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Soil Moisture: Optimize irrigation by supplying water only where it is needed.
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Remote Weather: Gather hyper-local data on temperature and rainfall conditions.
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Livestock: Track the movement and location of cattle or other animals across large pastures.
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Equipment: Monitor fuel levels and the operational status of remote water pumps.
Establishing a large and efficient community network requires careful planning of fixed node deployments, defined roles and configurations, along with ongoing analysis and management of the mesh. This scenario is best suited to collaborative groups or a single organization overseeing the MeshCore nodes.
MeshCore Advantages
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A more efficient mesh network for larger communities can be achieved by strategically deploying fixed nodes with clearly defined roles in locations such as rooftops or hills, while leveraging the advanced networking capabilities of MeshCore. This approach enhances the reliability of text message delivery and confirmations, as routing is optimized for fixed infrastructures.
With fewer telemetry beacons and reduced overall network chatter, the system operates more quietly and efficiently since not every node retransmits all data. Additionally, MeshCore offers a “room server” bulletin board system (BBS) function, whereas Meshtastic has introduced a “store and forward” feature for devices equipped with pSRAM (pseudo-static random-access memory).
MeshCore Disadvantages
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MeshCore is released as open source under the MIT license, with the exception of the T-Deck firmware and Liam’s Android/iOS mobile apps, which remain proprietary (closed source). Since the MIT License does not obligate modified or derivative versions to be published or shared, forks of the project may have less incentive to contribute improvements back to the wider open-source community.
The mobile apps require a small one-time payment to unlock the full set of features or bypass enforced waiting times. The community is considerably smaller compared to Meshtastic, and the project relies heavily on the contributions of a few individuals—though they are highly skilled developers. May Scott and Liam continue to have long and productive careers.
Places where MeshCore is used
On the MeshCore map (screenshot from November 2025), the displayed nodes are likely all active devices connected through the MeshCore Android or iOS app with available GPS data. The figures provide an indication of the countries where MeshCore devices are online, with the UK and Germany currently serving as major activity hubs.
Within highly active MeshCore discussion groups, it is common to see multiple posts within a single minute. A noticeable number of Meshtastic users appear to be migrating to MeshCore networks, which often operate on alternative LoRa radio settings rather than “LongFast.” For instance, using the EU/UK (Narrow) Radio Settings is recommended to discover other MeshCore users across the European Union (EU)
Summary
Neither Meshtastic nor MeshCore can be considered inherently superior—it ultimately depends on the specific use case. Importantly, the competition between the two projects continues to drive innovation and improvement across both systems.
For beginners and mobile ad-hoc groups, Meshtastic offers the most accessible and well-established entry point. In contrast, for advanced users aiming to design a carefully planned, optimized static network with route-setting capabilities and greater message delivery reliability, MeshCore presents a strong alternative.
At present, however, there is still no indication of efforts to develop or support communication gateways between Meshtastic and MeshCore.
MeshCore vs Meshtastic: Key Differences Explained
Source: https://tech.swiss-1.ch/meshtastic-vs-meshcore-comparison-use-case/
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