Odrid HMI vs FLEX Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Odrid HMI
This app acts as an operator panel for industrial control systems, enabling remote monitoring and control via Wi-Fi or mobile internet. It supports various industrial protocols and can also be used for home automation, offering a flexible alternative to traditional SCADA systems.
- Industrial control system communication
- Wi-Fi and mobile internet support
- Modbus/TCP and Siemens S7 protocols
- Home automation integration
- Multi-touch graphic HMIs
- Free development tool with test run
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NOTE: Read the description CAREFULLY before downloading! Operator panel for various industrial control system. Communication over Wi-Fi or mobile internet with the protocols Modbus/TCP (Class 0 and 1), Modbus RTU class 1 and Siemens S7 Communication (ISO-on-TCP). Odrid HMI is an alternative to traditional SCADA systems and operator panels. The app supports multiple data types and has easy navigation between pages using swipe gestures or buttons. Odrid HMI is also great to use for home automation with PLCs that have e.g. Modbus/TCP protocol is implemented to remotely control and monitor lighting, ventilation, heating etc in the residence or holiday home. Advantages: Excellent technical support. Free updates. Graphic HMIs with multi touch function can be created in minutes. Free-of-charge development tool with test run feature. Virtually unlimited number of pages, objects and variables. Does not require any third-party services. Genuine native app. Features: Parameters for communication such as IP address, port number, protocol, etc. can be specified per page. Automatic polling of all variables displayed in the current page, no need for separate tag list. Many formats for numeric variables such as 16 and 32 bit integer, unsigned, hex, ASCII, float (IEEE 754), etc. Prioritized event-driven transfer to the controller. Pages are edited in the measurement unit dp (Density Independent Pixels). Life bit for monitoring the operator panel in the controller. (Function similar to coordination area in Siemens S7.) Numeric variables can be displayed as predefined text for example alarms, sequence steps etc. Detailed diagnostics of connection and communication. Variable areas for system variables, local variables and constants. Possibility of automatic return to the start page after some time of inactivity. Selectable order for high and low words of 32-bit variables in the Modbus protocol. Poll interval can be set do save data traffic or battery. Support for Baltic, Central European, Chinese (GB2312, BIG5), Cyrillic, Eastern European, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese (Shift JIS), Turkish, Vietnamese and Western character sets. Ability to test run pages in the development tool. LED-objects can be displayed as rectangles and in any size e.g. for Andon-systems. Background color for pages can be selected. Modbus Device ID can be changed with GUI objects during operation. Image buttons. Password fields. Floating point and hexadecimal number formatting. Timestamp for page files. Hyperlinks. Document information in page files. Implemented protocols in the current version: Modbus/TCP: Class 0, Function 3 and 16. Reads and writes 64,512 holding registers. Modbus/TCP: Class 1, Function 1, 2, 4 and 5. Reads 65,535 discrete inputs, 65,535 input registers and reads and writes 65,535 outputs (coils). Modbus RTU: Class 0 and 1. Siemens S7 Communication: Reads and writes 8192 bytes in datablock 1 to 4095 and in the Input, Memory and Output areas. (Default value for highest Siemens S7 databock is 255.) Free-of-charge development tool for creating the pages to be used by Odrid HMI: https://www.idea-teknik.com/odrid_hmi_download.html Manual: https://www.idea-teknik.com/odrid_hmi_manual.html Version history: https://www.idea-teknik.com/odrid_hmi_version_history.html Modbus and Modbus/TCP are registered trademarks of Schneider Automation Inc. S7 and STEP 7 are trademarks of Siemens AG.
FLEX Explorer
This application allows users to connect to OPC UA Servers, browse their address spaces, and read/write data values. It also enables monitoring of data changes and attributes, simplifying the development of UA Client applications for iOS.
- Connect to OPC UA Servers
- Browse address space
- Read and write values
- Monitor data changes
- Monitor attributes
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FLEX Explorer OPC UA Client features: - Connect to any OPC UA Servers - Browse the address space - Read and Write values - Monitor data changes and attributes FLEX Explorer OPC UA Client is built using the Matrikon Flex OPC UA Client SDK, which simplifies developing UA Client applications for iOS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Odrid HMI at 70% against FLEX Explorer's 0%. Odrid HMI also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.0) and device support (4 vs 2). FLEX Explorer's advantage is price (Free vs $24.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
FLEX Explorer is free to download; Odrid HMI costs $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Odrid HMI holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Odrid HMI's written reviews are positive against 0% of FLEX Explorer's.
| Parameter | Odrid HMI | FLEX Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better | 1.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jan Almqvist | Honeywell International, Inc. |
Customer experience
Odrid HMI
FLEX Explorer
In-app purchases
Odrid HMI
No in-app purchases
FLEX Explorer
No in-app purchases









