Field Engineer vs CEL
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Field Engineer
This app allows engineers to manage accepted work orders, check in at locations, and upload documents. Users can report daily hours, request additional time, add expenses, and view financial information including transaction history and withdrawal options.
- Manage accepted work orders
- Check-in at work locations
- Upload documents
- Report and request hours
- Add expenses to work orders
- View profile and account balance
- Withdraw funds
Read full descriptionHide full description
NOTE: Please note this application is for Engineers only. Field Engineer (FE) mobile app provides its Engineer community with easy access to work orders that they have accepted to deliver. 1. View and manage accepted work order. 2. Able to checkout at a work location and able to upload documents right from the app. 3. Report daily hours against a work order and submit for approval, plus request for additional hours if required. 4. Add expenses to a work order. 5. View profile information and account balance, able to withdraw funds to Engineer's preferred method of payment. 6. View account transactions. 7. Registration and profile setup 8. Push Notification and managing alerts
CEL
This app optimizes wireless network installations when paired with specific CEL-FI hardware. It allows for system activation, software updates, and detailed signal analysis for improved performance. Features include antenna positioning and signal reporting for comprehensive network assessments.
- System activation and deactivation
- Software updates
- Antenna, band, and channel settings
- Antenna positioning
- Full signal reports
- Grid and talk out tests
- Network/donor assessments
Read full descriptionHide full description
Note: This app only works with CEL-FI COMPASS and Nextivity SHIELD systems. For all other CEL-FI products, use the CEL-FI WAVE app. The WAVE PRO app and CEL-FI COMPASS combine to facilitate and optimize CEL-FI and SHIELD installations. The COMPASS and COMPASS XR use a 3G/4G/5G and 700/800 MHz LMR service scanner to perform wireless network/donor assessments. Connect your COMPASS to a CEL-FI QUATRA system to Activate/Deactivate it, update software, or change Antenna, Band, and Channel settings. Optimization features with COMPASS XR include Antenna Positioning, Full Signal Report, Grid Test, and Talk Out Test. The legacy COMPASS also includes a Serving Cell Report and Speed Test. For more information and troubleshooting help, go to www.nextivityinc.com/support.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CEL at 4.3 against Field Engineer's 2.3. Field Engineer's advantage is review sentiment (21% vs 0%) and ratings volume (46 vs 6). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CEL holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Field Engineer has 46 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 21% of Field Engineer's written reviews are positive against 0% of CEL's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Field Engineer ships an update every 4 months, CEL every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Field Engineer | CEL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.3 (46 ratings) | 4.3 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 46 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Field Engineer Inc., | Nextivity, Inc |
Customer experience
Field Engineer
CEL
In-app purchases
Field Engineer
No in-app purchases
CEL
No in-app purchases
