MeshCore or Meshtastic - which should I choose?

Both are excellent. Choose based primarily on what your local community already uses - joining an existing active network is almost always more valuable than picking the technically superior option and being alone on it. Choose Meshtastic if: Your local area already has an active Meshtastic network You want the largest app ecosystem and community support You want the most beginner-friendly experience with polished apps You want the widest hardware compatibility Choose MeshCore if: Your local community uses MeshCore You are building dedicated repeater infrastructure You want stronger ECDH encryption for direct messages You are deploying a large network (50+ nodes) where flooding creates congestion Can they interoperate? No. Different packet formats and routing protocols. A MeshCore node and a Meshtastic node cannot communicate even on the same frequency. Many operators run both on separate devices for different purposes. Technical comparison Feature Meshtastic MeshCore Routing Flooding Path-based (path discovery) Community size Larger Smaller, more technical Hardware support Very broad Good (915 MHz boards) Best for Personal use, joining existing mesh Infrastructure, large networks