The bigger question is which software works well?

Earthmate/garmin app seems to have mixed reviews.

User input appreciated.
Was gifted the Mini. Choice now limited to 'what software app' vs pitfalls/pros/cons etc.

I have an old Delorme(now Garmi)in reach and I have a mini I got but haven’t set up yet. My son got an Explorer with the maps and loves it.

Garmin’s UI is not very intuitive and takes some practice to get good at it. I never had a problem with my in reach or using it.

We used an Inreach on our sailing passage from Georgia to the British Virgin Islands. Use it to keep in touch with our weather router a couple times per day and to have it track us for the wives and significant others.

Communicating back and forth from the device directly is cumbersome, no keyboard. But, using the phone app (Earthmate) paired with the device worked well, phone has a "keyboard".

At that time, a couple years ago, you could only pair one phone at a time to the device so that was somewhat limiting because whoever was paired would have to disconnect to allow someone else to pair their phone and message someone. Don't know if they have improved the app since then but my judgement at the time was that it was a bit rudimentary.

All that said, it served it's purpose of allowing us to communicate from the middle of the ocean and have people keep an eye on us.

Use a mini paired with earthmate frequently. Agree with the poster above that earthmate isn’t the easiest to use but I use it to communicate, via text, with the wife (on my phone) and to have the ability to call in the Calvary if needed... i.e I don’t need much out of it so it works great for my needs.

I don't have the mini, I have the explorer+ .

Same/same...if you are using the app.

Practically a requirement where I work and live in Alaska.

I don't find the app difficult to use. I have found that often messages won't get pushed to the app from the inreach. It can be awkward when you're using the app to communicate and all of a sudden the messages don't make sense, or you're waiting on a message and it never comes.

Only hiccup I've run into. Battery lasts for days, if not weeks depending on type of use.
Messaging back and forth with the office and family sure make being hundreds of miles from the nearest road and phone service much more approachable. We also use it in between cell service when traveling for business, and to communicate with each other when in the field (inreach direct to inreach). We'll probably get more of them soon, currently we share two for our business.