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Best Satellite Messengers 2023 | Satellite Communicator Reviews


Call it a satellite communicator or a satellite messenger. Either way, you don’t want to go off the grid without one. In emergencies, these handheld devices let you call for help, but most of the time, they’re a conduit for texting with family or friends when cell service is spotty at best. Some even have navigation features to help you find your way.

Garmin and Spot are the biggest names on the market, but in recent years new competitors have joined the fray with more affordable options designed to work with your smartphone. Whether hiking, roaming the backcountry, or fishing at sea, these are the best satellite messengers to keep on hand.

Are you searching for helpful backcountry tech? Check our picks for the best Garmin watches for women, GPS units for hikers, and smartwatches.

The Best Satellite Messengers

What to Consider

Iridium Versus Globalstar: Which Satellite Network is Best?

If you can see the sky, you can usually send a message with a satellite communicator. That’s because these devices transmit radio waves up to satellites in low Earth orbit to send texts. They also work with separate GPS satellites (based in medium Earth orbit, thousands of miles farther from the surface) to pinpoint and track your location.

There are a handful of private satellite communication networks in the outdoor recreation market, but the two big players are Iridium and Globalstar.

Iridium started commercial service in 1998 and recently replaced its aging orbiting infrastructure with the help of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. The company promises global coverage through 66 satellites and a few spares that are 476 miles from Earth. Globalstar, which owns Spot, began in 2007 and offers coverage in 120 countries, including coverage across the Americas, Europe, Australia, and much of Africa and Asia.

Either network is fine for most adventurers, but if you’re planning a trip to the poles, in central Africa, or parts of the Middle East, choose Iridium’s broader coverage.

Remember, the clearer the path to the sky, the better your connection will be. For the best service, avoid sending texts from tight canyons, dense forests, or in cloudy conditions. It’s also a good idea to ensure your message was delivered before throwing your communicator in your pack, as the fabric or other gear can also interrupt transmission.

Know Your Messaging Preferences

Selecting your preferred messaging capabilities can help you choose the right satellite communicator. The majority of models offer two-way messaging so you can receive texts from loved ones or emergency responders, but Spot offers devices with outgoing capabilities only. The option to send custom or preset messages (programmed before you leave home) via SMS or email is also fairly standard, but some gadgets only allow for one or the other.

You also have a choice between a standalone device or one that integrates with your phone via Bluetooth. Standalone units almost always have a screen for mapping purposes and have either a qwerty or touchscreen keyboard for messaging. These extras come with a price penalty, but it’s a fair tradeoff if you want to save weight by ditching your phone. Then again, if you’re photographing your adventures with your phone, choosing an integrated device will let you save some dough.

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Other Considerations

All satellite messengers have GPS location tracking in case of emergency, or so your contacts back home can monitor where your device is. A few devices stop there, but many provide offline maps, downloadable waypoints, or other features commonly found in handheld GPS units. If you already use and are committed to a GPS app or prefer paper maps, skipping out on real-time navigation is another way to save money.

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As with any battery-operated gear you’ll be hauling on your back, bike, or boat, don’t forget to factor in battery life and weight. And remember, just like your cell phone, your satellite communicator requires a data plan to send and receive messages and track your location.

Most companies offer annual and monthly subscriptions, which are more cost-effective for people who only take a few trips each year. There are often activation fees to start (or resume) service, and you can also get dinged with coverage charges unless you’ve selected an unlimited plan. It’s a good idea to review a specific company’s policy before purchasing.

satellite messenger service plans

Ash Bartholomew

How We Evaluated

To find the best satellite communicators, we started with 12 gadgets and considered the features, price, weight, and battery life. Those that we were able to test accompanied us on backpacking trips and other excursions. While using them, we paid attention to their user-friendliness and reliability. For models we haven’t gotten in our hands yet, we consulted reviews from expert sites, including OutdoorGearLab, Gear Patrol, Backpacker, Adventure Alan, and Outside. We also read dozens of user reviews from retailers like REI and Backcountry.


When the inReach Mini launched in 2018, it drew some attention. It was cheaper, smaller, and lighter than previous devices in the inReach family. Its update sees it excel further, earning its spot at the top of many reviewers’ lists.

The pint-size package is appealing to the ultralight crowd, but it punches above its weight regarding features. From the device, you can exchange two-way preset and custom texts, send an SOS, get weather reports, receive basic navigation info, and track your location in intervals as short as two minutes—the most detailed reporting from any company. Pair it with Garmin’s Earthmate smartphone app, and you have even greater functionality: namely, the ability to download offline maps; check your mileage, vert, and other stats; and use a touchscreen keyboard instead of the plodding scrolling version on the Mini—a seamless feature. Moreover, conservative usage extends the battery life for week-long adventures or more ambitious thru-hikes.

Aside from the sluggish built-in keyboard, the biggest shortcoming is that Garmin’s most affordable service plan limits you to 10 custom messages (including any received texts) and doesn’t cover tracking. Checking, sending, or logging your location costs 10 cents per transaction on the basic service plan, so consider upgrading if you anticipate heavy usage.


Spot’s X meets the definition of a value pick by balancing affordability with a fairly robust feature set. Its screen is larger than the inReach Mini, and it has a full qwerty keyboard—two things that aid user-friendliness but adds weight.

The large battery can last a lengthy 240 hours when using 10-minute interval tracking, according to Spot. Although it’s relatively basic, the X does have built-in navigation. Create waypoints by dropping pins from the unit or entering GPS coordinates on the Spot Mapping website and syncing your device. In the field, use the built-in compass to help navigate to your chosen destination. You won’t see an actual map, nor will you find one in the Spot X app, which has the same capabilities as the device. The app’s purpose, then, is to act as a different interface, not a supplement.

Where Spot does offer more is in its optional S.O.V. service plan, $3 per month or $30 annually, for non-emergency vehicle snafus. You can spend less on a sat comm device, but the X’s combination of two-way messaging, tracking, and navigation features earn it our best buy.


A contender for the best value, the Zoleo doesn’t offer navigation or location tracking at programmed intervals, though you can choose to send your coordinates in texts, and they’re automatically shared with the rescue team when you use the SOS button. That won’t be a dealbreaker for the explorers who use satellite communicators to, you know, communicate. And there, it shines.

The physical hardware has check-in and SOS buttons so that you can use it in the field as a one-way standalone device. But if you want to converse, bring your phone and connect to the compatible app. There you can send and respond to emails and texts, and because you’ll get a dedicated SMS number and email address, contacts can reach you without any barriers. (That’s counter to the many models that require you to send a message to someone before they can communicate with you.)

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The character limits on traditional texts and emails—160 and 240, respectively—are similar to competitors unless the recipient is also using the Zoleo app, which increases it to 950 per message. When you’re in cellular or Wi-Fi range, the device defaults to sending texts and emails over these networks, so you can save your credits for when you need them. Every incoming and outgoing message and weather report counts toward your limit on the two lower-tier service plans that start at a pricey $20 per month.


Best Pay-As-You-Go

ACR Electronics ACR Electronics Bivy Stick Satellite Messenger

ACR Electronics Bivy Stick Satellite Messenger

Best Pay-As-You-Go

ACR Electronics ACR Electronics Bivy Stick Satellite Messenger

Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Provides weather reporting
Cons
  • Relatively short battery life

Key Specs

Dimensions 6.75 x 3.14 x 1.75 in.
Weight 3.5 oz.
Battery Life Up to 120 hours
Real-Time Navigation Yes
Standalone Device No

Bivy is the no-annual-contract service provider of the sat comms world. Instead, you pay for 20, 100, or unlimited credits, each good for one action, such as exchanging messages, sharing your location, getting a weather report, or logging an hour of tracking.

For occasional adventurers, this pay-as-you-go model lets you save in the long run. As for the hardware, there are major improvements compared to the first-generation device. We appreciate that Bivy added check-in and SOS buttons and chopped the weight in half by reducing the size of the battery from 5,200 mAh to 1,400 mAh.

This Bivy Stick should last for weekend trips, but you’ll need to bring a power supply for anything longer. From the app, we could send and receive texts and emails, navigate with the offline maps, manage our waypoints, and scout beta for future trips. It’s a great choice for ultralight explorers or anyone with a fear of commitment.


Best One-Way Messenger

SPOT Gen4 Satellite Communicator

Gen4 Satellite Communicator

Best One-Way Messenger

SPOT Gen4 Satellite Communicator

Pros
  • Very affordable
Cons
  • Preset messages only
  • No navigation features

Key Specs

Dimensions 3.48 x 2.66 x 0.93 in.
Weight 5 oz.
Battery Life Up to 52 days
Real-Time Navigation No
Standalone Device Yes

The Gen4 is the latest one-way communicator from Spot devices. It looks more like an external hard drive than the chunky tactical appearance of its predecessor, but the changes aren’t all cosmetic. The water resistance increased from IPX7 to IPX8, so the device should survive a dunk in water up to 6.5 feet deep for 30 minutes or less.

Without a screen or Bluetooth capability, the Gen4 is fairly basic, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Aside from powering it on or off and sending a few pre-programmed messages throughout the day, we mostly forgot we had it on us. Our peaceful nature retreat wasn’t interrupted by group texts or other non-essential communication. And we liked that it has the same vehicle rescue service (for an additional fee) as the X, though we thankfully didn’t have to use it.

The Gen4 doesn’t offer any navigation, which wasn’t a dealbreaker for our tester, who is a regular All Trails user and carries paper maps as a backup. We appreciated the detailed tracking (the shortest interval is 2.5 minutes), though it wasn’t perfectly reliable when the device was dangling from our tester’s pack.

The Gen4 also has a motion-activated track setting so the device won’t eat up data (or battery) when you stop for lunch or other breaks. And you should make it through plenty of trips before swapping the four long-lasting AAA batteries for a fresh set. Finally, the very affordable price tag makes the Gen4 a great deal if you’re willing to go without a few features.


Most Affordable Annual Plan

Somewear Labs Global Satellite Hotspot

Global Satellite Hotspot

Most Affordable Annual Plan

Somewear Labs Global Satellite Hotspot

Pros
  • Most affordable annual service plan
  • Long battery life
Cons
  • Need your phone for messaging and navigation

Key Specs

Dimensions 3 x 3.6 x 0.8 in.
Weight 4 oz.
Battery Life Up to 240 hours
Real-Time Navigation Yes
Standalone Device No

Somewear debuted at the end of 2018 with its Global Hotspot and a shockingly low-base service plan, and continues to offer one of the least expensive on the market. The “Ultralight” plan’s $100 annual fee shaves $45 or more off similar plans from competitors, though you’re limited to 10 messages and 75 pin drops each month.

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Still, it’s an attractive option for infrequent users who can stomach the initial price tag, which feels steep for a satellite communicator as reliant on a phone as the Hotspot is. All messaging, mapping, and weather reporting happens in the app. Without it, you’re limited to initiating or stopping tracking (by hitting the power button three times) and sending an SOS, which we were glad to see in an emergency if our phone was dead.

Of course, the major advantage of this design is how easy it was to use. The app was very intuitive and allowed us to send texts through cellular and Wi-Fi networks when we were in range. The tracking was accurate even under tree cover, but we were disappointed that there’s no option to share mapping links to social media. Thanks to the petite size and secure bungee, the Hotspot was more comfortable to carry on a shoulder strap than larger models that often dangle from a carabiner. We also appreciated the long battery life, though it far exceeded our phones.


Best Navigation

Garmin Montana 700i Satellite Communicator

Montana 700i Satellite Communicator

Best Navigation

Garmin Montana 700i Satellite Communicator

Key Specs

Dimensions 7.2 x 3.6 x 1.3 in.
Weight 14.5 oz.
Battery Life Up to 300 hours
Real-Time Navigation Yes
Standalone Device Yes

Garmin holds nothing back in the Montana series. The 700i has a full-color 5-inch touchscreen that’s 50 percent larger than the previous model and comes equipped with preloaded road maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and inReach satellite communication tech. These updates transform the Montana from a handheld-only GPS unit to one that’s ready for the road and lets you communicate with emergency personnel or your family wherever you roam. Optional map views include satellite imagery and public land boundaries delineated on the preloaded topographic maps.

The 700i has the same service plans as other Garmin satt devices, meaning it’s able to record your location as frequently as every two minutes, but tracking isn’t included in the basic option. Still, the standalone unit, which can last nearly two weeks in Expedition mode, is very capable. Use it to check weather forecasts, monitor changing conditions in real-time thanks to the on-board barometer, message other inReach-enabled devices (handy for communicating with parties at basecamp while you go for the summit), connect to your phone or Wi-Fi, and sync with Garmin’s Alpha and Astro trackers for hunting dogs.

It’s a hefty device—more than twice as heavy as the next lightest on our list—and some will balk at the price. But if you employ it in your car, adventure rig, and the backcountry, the Montana is worth the investment.


Best Personal Locator Beacon

ACR Electronics ResQLink 400 Personal Locator Beacon

ResQLink 400 Personal Locator Beacon

Best Personal Locator Beacon

ACR Electronics ResQLink 400 Personal Locator Beacon

Key Specs

Dimensions 4.52 x 2.03 x 1.49 in.
Weight 5.28 oz.
Battery Life Up to 24 hours
Real-Time Navigation No
Standalone Device Yes

While technically not a messenger, the ACR Electronics ResQLink 400 is still a helpful communicator for emergencies. This lightweight personal beacon uses GPS positioning to send your location to emergency satellite systems Galileo GNSS and MEOSAR (Medium Earth Orbiting Search and Rescue).

Simply register your ResQLink 400 with a unique digital HEX ID, and your distress signal will automatically identify you as the beacon owner. After the distress beacon is relayed to the Mission Control Center, the nearest search and rescue authority and RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) will launch its search.

This is a solid option for those looking for a safety net in case of emergency and who don’t need the ability to message regularly. It also, amazingly, doesn’t require a subscription. It has an LED and IR strobe light so rescuers can see you in from afar, while waterproofing and built-in buoyancy help protects against loss while at sea. The battery has a five-year shelf life, and turning it on will give you peace of mind for up to a day.

Many reviewers say this nifty, lightweight device is trustworthy for backcountry hikes and solo fishing trips. One user review at REI says that they’re on their third device in the last several decades—not a bad track record.

Headshot of Adrienne Donica

Editor

Adrienne Donica tested hiking, camping, and other adventure gear as Popular Mechanics‘ outdoors editor, before going on to edit gear reviews for Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, and Bicycling as Expert Reviews editor. Find her on the trail, working on her latest cocktail project, or eating mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Headshot of Kevin Cortez

Commerce Editor

Kevin Cortez is a Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics, Bicycling, and Runner’s World. A culture and product journalist for over nine years, he’s covered everything from men’s fashion and sneakers to e-bikes and video games. He was most recently the style editor for a leading product-recommendation site, and previously covered the music and podcasting industries at Mass Appeal and The A.V. Club. In his spare time, he walks his perfect little dog, Cash, and reads graphic novels. He has also written for Leafly, Input, Vulture and Genius.

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