# Crestools vs PondPal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PondPal at none against Crestools's 3. PondPal also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crestools sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. PondPal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Crestools ships an update every 4 months, PondPal every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crestools | PondPal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crestools/id1343313629/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **31** | — |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 34 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mehdi Boulhalfa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1208169115) | [Matt McReavy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1875834028) |

## What reviewers say

### Crestools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crestools/id1343313629)

This app helps developers and integrators manage Crestron devices via SSH or Telnet. It offers features like project grouping, file management, network scanning, and a built-in terminal for communication. Debug SimplWindows programs and share reports with ease.

**Highlights:** Project grouping for devices, SFTP file management, Network device discovery, SSH/Telnet terminal, Command reporting and sharing, SimplWindows program debugging, Cresnet device tree view

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crestools One | $19.99 | per year |
| Crestools Pro | $22.99 | one-time |
| Crestools Pro macOS | $22.99 | one-time |


### PondPal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pondpal/id6758930607)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crestools free?

Crestools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PondPal free?

PondPal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Crestools or PondPal have ads?

Neither Crestools nor PondPal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Crestools or PondPal?

Crestools ships an update every 4 months, and PondPal every 4 days. Most recently, Crestools was updated on June 1, 2026 and PondPal on September 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*