Sideband review
A free Reticulum client for messaging, voice, maps, location sharing, and telemetry.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Sideband is a free LXMF messaging and LXST telephony client for people communicating over Reticulum networks. It is available on Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows, and requires no account or Internet server. Its focus is distributed communication rather than a general-purpose chat service: users can exchange encrypted text, voice, audio, images, and files, and compatible LXMF clients can communicate with it. That makes it a fit for solo users and small groups already working with Reticulum, rather than people looking for conventional group chat or a standalone messaging network.
Its feature set reaches beyond messages. Sideband supports peer-to-peer telemetry and location sharing, online and locally stored offline maps, remote telemetry queries, and remote command execution with responses. Encrypted QR codes and lxm:// paper messaging offer ways to move messages outside a typical online exchange. A plugin system covers telemetry, commands, and services. These tools make Sideband relevant where messaging and remote status or command workflows belong together; buyers seeking only straightforward chat may find the specialized capabilities unnecessary. Group messaging is a notable boundary: it is described as a planned LXMF roadmap feature, not an available Sideband capability.
Sideband is free and works with Reticulum, MeshChat, and Nomad Network. Its infrastructure-less approach avoids an account and Internet server, but it still depends on a Reticulum network and is not a self-hosted service. The vendor describes transports including LoRa, packet radio, Wi-Fi, I2P, and encrypted QR messages. Documentation is the listed support channel, so teams that need other support options should weigh that fit. Choose Sideband for multi-platform Reticulum messaging with voice, maps, and telemetry; choose another app if group chat or a conventional account-based messaging experience is essential.
Sideband pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Supports text, voice, audio, image, and file messaging over Reticulum
- Combines location sharing, offline maps, and telemetry tools
- Runs on Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows without an account
- Where it doesn't
- Group messaging is not available
- Requires access to a Reticulum network
- Support is limited to documentation
Sideband fact sheet, pricing and score →
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