Comparison

XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro vs WAVE Tactical Communicator

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro

Securely access your Milestone video surveillance system from your smartphone or tablet. View live video, play back recordings, and even speak through camera speakers. Receive push notifications for alarms and stream video directly from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • View live video streams
  • Playback recorded video
  • Export video footage
  • Listen to audio and speak through cameras
  • Receive alarm push notifications
  • Stream mobile device camera to system
Features
Read full description

"This free XProtect Mobile app gives you secure access to your Milestone video surveillance system anytime, anywhere from your smartphone or tablet. Available in 30 languages the application lets you conveniently view live video, play back and export recorded video, listen to audio and speak through the camera-connected speakers using the Push-To-Talk button. Compatible with XProtect Express and Professional, and the Milestone Husky™ NVR series*. (For use with XProtect Corporate, XProtect Expert, XProtect Professional+, XProtect Express+, XProtect Essential+, please download the ""XProtect® Mobile"" app) Additional product highlights: • Document any event while it happens by streaming video and audio from your mobile device’s camera directly into the Milestone solution • Get peace of mind and stay constantly on top of things by receiving push notifications based on alarms defined in the Milestone solution Try it out Download the app and take a look yourself. XProtect Mobile includes access to a demo server so you can explore the product even if you do not have a Milestone system installed already. Getting started In order to connect and view cameras from your Milestone system, you should have the latest version of the Milestone surveillance system and the XProtect Mobile server for Express and Professional installed. For further details on getting started, visit www.milestonesys.com/mobile. Milestone distributes and sells its market-leading XProtect® VMS and the Milestone Husky NVR Series through an authorized partner channel of distributors and resellers in more than 115 countries around the world. Please go to https://www.milestonesys.com/community/find-a-milestone-partner/ to find your local authorized Milestone reseller or distributor. *Users of Milestone Arcus video surveillance products can also use XProtect Mobile. For details on specific application functionality, contact a Milestone Arcus partner"

About

WAVE Tactical Communicator

This app transforms your device into a secure broadband push-to-talk handset for unified workgroup communications. It enables secure voice and text messaging, location sharing, and integrates with land mobile radio systems.

Highlights
  • Secure broadband push-to-talk
  • Encrypted voice and text messaging
  • Location and presence information
  • Group and private calls
  • Land mobile radio integration
  • Emergency support
Features
Read full description

WAVE Tactical Communicator by Motorola Solutions turns your device into a broadband push-to-talk (PTT) handset for fully secure, unified workgroup communications anywhere you have a network connection. WAVE is the industry's most powerful and flexible work group communication tool for secure PTT on the go. It transforms smartphones, tablets and PCs into team communication tools and integrates with land mobile radio (LMR) to provide unified voice, text messaging, location and presence in a single application. • AES256 encryption of all communications • Group calls for secure one-to-many communications • Private calls for secure one-to-one communications • Group and Private text messaging • Presence & location information • Emergency Support • Remote PTT accessories for most devices (Bluetooth low energy, wired headsets, badge microphones) WAVE Tactical Communicator is utilized on the WAVE Tactical System, which is Motorola's highly scalable, feature-rich, enterprise-grade PTT solution. It enables full interoperability between different radio systems and extends the reach of these systems using any combination of broadband networks and devices. Radio Integrations: • Motorola Solutions ASTRO 25 with wireline interface • Motorola Solutions DIMETRA with wireline interface • Motorola ASTRO 25 and TETRA with MOTOBRIDGE wireless interface • Motorola MOTOTRBO with wireline interface • Other vendor P25 and non-P25 systems with MOTOBRIDGE wireless interface • Other Analog Radio interfaces WAVE Tactical Communicator supports WAVE Server Release 5.19.1 and newer, and will operate in the following environments. • Public cellular networks, if the device is Mobile Device Managed and configured in Supervised mode • Private cellular network • Pre-configured Wi-Fi networks • Via a VPN over Wi-Fi and cellular networks Note: For use with Wi-Fi networks, the Wi-Fi must be configured via in App Settings under Configure Wi-Fi. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro3 screens
WAVE Tactical Communicator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: WAVE Tactical Communicator at every 2 months against XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro's every 21 months. WAVE Tactical Communicator also leads on review sentiment (25% vs 14%). XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.1 for XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro against 2.0 for WAVE Tactical Communicator. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 14% of XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro's written reviews are positive against 25% of WAVE Tactical Communicator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro ships an update every 21 months, WAVE Tactical Communicator every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro versus WAVE Tactical Communicator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXProtect® Mobile Express & ProWAVE Tactical Communicator
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (10 ratings) — better2.0 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews14.3% of reviews25.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1018 — better
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size164 MB133 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMILESTONE SYSTEMS A/SMotorola Solutions, Inc

Customer experience

XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro

All ratings10 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative78.6%

WAVE Tactical Communicator

All ratings16 ratings
Positive18.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative81.3%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro

No in-app purchases

None

WAVE Tactical Communicator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro free?
XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WAVE Tactical Communicator free?
WAVE Tactical Communicator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro or WAVE Tactical Communicator?
XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro is rated higher. XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro averages 2.1 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while WAVE Tactical Communicator averages 2.0 from 18 ratings.
Do XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro or WAVE Tactical Communicator have ads?
Neither XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro nor WAVE Tactical Communicator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro or WAVE Tactical Communicator?
XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro ships an update every 21 months, and WAVE Tactical Communicator every 2 months. Most recently, XProtect® Mobile Express & Pro was updated on November 3, 2026 and WAVE Tactical Communicator on November 3, 2026.

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