Meshtastic vs MeshCore

How the two LoRa mesh protocols differ — who relays, routing, range, encryption, apps, and licensing — and why PRMSH runs Meshtastic.

Checked October 2026 Compared against Meshtastic 2.7.26 (stable), Meshtastic 2.8.1 (alpha), and MeshCore 1.18.0. Both projects move fast — their official documentation wins over this page. Comparison adapted from NoDak Mesh.

Meshtastic and MeshCore both send text messages over LoRa radios with no cell service and no internet. The difference that drives everything else is who relays: in Meshtastic, every node can relay by default; in MeshCore, only dedicated repeaters relay, and personal radios only send and receive.

PRMSH runs Meshtastic. Everything else on this site — settings, roles, the map — is written for Meshtastic. Its sister network, MeshCore Puerto Rico, runs MeshCore across the island.

The short answer

Pick Meshtastic if…	Pick MeshCore if…
You want radios to talk right away, with no setup	You’re building town or regional coverage with repeaters on high points
You’re hiking, at an event, or off-grid with no fixed infrastructure	Many users share the mesh and airtime is the bottleneck
You want fully open-source firmware and apps	You want direct messages to follow a fixed, learned path
Your local mesh runs Meshtastic — in Puerto Rico, it does	Your local mesh runs MeshCore

They can't hear each other The two protocols use different packet formats, encryption, LoRa sync words, and usually different frequencies. A MeshCore radio is invisible to the Puerto Rico Meshtastic mesh, and the reverse. Most boards run either firmware, so you can reflash — but identity, contacts, and settings don't carry over.

Side by side

	Meshtastic	MeshCore
Who relays	Every node by default (`CLIENT`), plus routers	Repeaters only — companion radios don’t relay
How messages travel	Managed flooding; DMs switch to next-hop routing once a route is known (since 2.6)	Channels flood through repeaters; DMs flood once, then follow a learned path
Hop limit	1–7, default 3	Up to 63 (1-byte paths), or 32 / 21 with larger path IDs
Message length	200 bytes in the apps	160 bytes (150 in DMs, less in channels)
Encryption	AES channels, public-key DMs (2.5), signed broadcasts (2.8)	Ed25519 identities, signed adverts, AES-128 DMs and channels
Phone app	Free and open source	Free; not open source; an in-app purchase removes a wait timer on remote repeater management
Firmware license	GPL-3.0	MIT
Default US preset	LongFast — 906.875 MHz, 250 kHz, SF11	Recommended — 910.525 MHz, 62.5 kHz, SF7
Infrastructure needed	None — two handhelds already form a mesh	At least one repeater to go beyond direct range
Started	2020	2025

How each one moves a message

Meshtastic: managed flooding

A node that hears a packet waits briefly and listens before rebroadcasting. Nodes with weaker signal — usually farther away — get to relay first, which pushes the message outward.
The hop limit (default 3, max 7) stops a message from spreading forever.
Since 2.6, direct messages learn a next-hop route after a reply, and fall back to flooding if that neighbor goes quiet.
Roles set relay behavior: CLIENT relays when needed, CLIENT_MUTE never relays, ROUTER and ROUTER_LATE always rebroadcast. See Recommended Settings for which role fits Puerto Rico nodes.
In 2.8, background broadcasts lower their own hop limit once channel utilization reaches about 20%. Chat keeps the full limit.

MeshCore: repeaters and learned paths

Three roles: companion (personal radio, doesn’t relay), repeater (relays for everyone), and room server (a login-based message board).
The first DM to a contact floods. The recipient’s delivery report carries the path back, and the sender stores it and embeds it in later messages.
Repeaters keep no routing tables — the path lives with the sender.
Channel messages always flood. Repeater owners can cap how far floods travel.
Since 1.14, 2- or 3-byte path IDs avoid ID collisions, but repeaters older than 1.14 drop those packets.

Which has more range?

Neither, by protocol alone. Range per hop comes from radio settings, transmit power, antenna, height, and terrain.

On paper, Meshtastic’s LongFast (SF11) has roughly 4 dB more link budget per hop than MeshCore’s SF7 preset.
MeshCore’s narrower preset uses less airtime per message and sits in a smaller slice of noisy spectrum.
Some MeshCore regions run SF8 or SF9, which narrows the gap.

The number and placement of relays matter more than the preset — which in Puerto Rico’s terrain means elevation. See Why Elevation Beats Wattage.

Encryption and privacy

Meshtastic: channels share an AES key, and the default channel’s key is public. DMs use public-key encryption since 2.5. Version 2.8 signs broadcasts, but still accepts unsigned packets from older firmware by default.
MeshCore: each node has its own Ed25519 key and signs its adverts. DMs use an AES-128 key derived from a shared secret. Channel keys are shared, and the Public channel’s key is published.

In both systems, anyone on the mesh can read the default public channel. Use a private channel or a direct message for anything sensitive.

Apps and hardware

Same boards: Heltec V3 and V4, RAK WisBlock, LilyGo T-Beam, T-Echo, T-Deck, and Seeed T1000-E run either firmware. See Recommended Hardware.
Meshtastic apps: free and open source for Android, iPhone, and web. They connect over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or USB.
MeshCore app: the official app is free on Android, iPhone, desktop, and web, but closed source. The firmware is open, and community clients exist. Standalone devices like the T-Deck run MeshCore without a phone.

What’s new in 2026

Meshtastic 2.8 (alpha)

LongTurbo can't hear LongFast New US nodes set up on-device or with the current Android app start on the LongTurbo preset. A LongTurbo node can't hear the Puerto Rico mesh, which runs LongFast. If a new radio sees no one, check the preset first.

Signed broadcasts.
Node IDs derive from the public key, so updated nodes get new IDs.
Position sharing on public channels and all telemetry broadcasts become opt-in.
Automatic hop scaling and rate limits on busy meshes.
2.7.26 stays the stable release — run stable on any node others depend on.

MeshCore 1.18

A command line for companions, including commands from allowed contacts.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi together in one companion build on several ESP32 boards.
A gentler default for repeater loop detection.
Builds on 1.14’s larger path IDs and 1.15’s over-the-air updates for nRF52 companions.

Frequently asked questions

Can Meshtastic and MeshCore talk to each other? No. Packet format, encryption, sync word, and presets all differ.

Can one radio switch between them? Yes, by reflashing. Set region and preset again afterward — nothing carries over.

Which is better? It depends on the network. MeshCore suits planned, repeater-based networks, especially dense cities where airtime runs short. Meshtastic suits groups with no fixed infrastructure. In practice, run whatever your local mesh runs.

Should I use MeshCore in Puerto Rico? To reach the PRMSH mesh, no — it runs Meshtastic, and a MeshCore radio won’t see it. Start with Getting Started. If MeshCore fits you better, join the sister network, MeshCore Puerto Rico.

Is MeshCore free? Yes. The firmware is MIT-licensed and the app is free, with an optional purchase for phone-based repeater management without the wait timer.