Compare software

Bugbane vs MESH: catalog facts
Bugbane	MESH
Best for: Activists, journalists and others who want a first check of their Android phone for spyware	Best for: Civil society investigators doing remote spyware forensics on Android phones
Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence.	Free Free and open source under the AGPL-3.0.
Android	Android, Self-hosted
Runs forensic checks on the phone itself via Wireless ADB Built by a group that researches spyware All 3 strengths for Bugbane Runs forensic checks on the phone itself via Wireless ADB Built by a group that researches spyware Open source	Remote Android forensics without physical access to the device Self-hostable, peer-to-peer and end-to-end encrypted All 3 strengths for MESH Remote Android forensics without physical access to the device Self-hostable, peer-to-peer and end-to-end encrypted Built to work under censorship
Still in beta, with rough edges Basic triage, not a full forensic investigation	Intended for consent-based, authorized investigations only Specialist tool aimed at forensic investigators rather than general users All 3 limitations for MESH Intended for consent-based, authorized investigations only Specialist tool aimed at forensic investigators rather than general users No tagged releases on GitHub
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: AGPL-3.0
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Bugbane bugbane.org github.com/osservatorionessuno/bugbane f-droid.org/packages/org.osservatorionessuno.bugbane.beta Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for MESH barghest.asia/work/mesh github.com/BARGHEST-ngo/MESH f-droid.org/packages/com.barghest.mesh Catalog checked October 2, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.