Comparison

Mantis Laser Academy vs DryFireOnline

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

Head to head
About

Mantis Laser Academy

This app provides a smart dry-fire laser training system using your smartphone's camera to detect hits, score shots, and time your performance. Enhance your marksmanship and speed with various drills, including competitive dueling modes, all from the convenience of your home.

Highlights
  • Automatic hit detection
  • Automatic scoring
  • Shot timing
  • Marksmanship drills
  • Speed drills
  • Dueling drills
  • Save training history
Read full description

TRAIN SMARTER: Mantis Laser Academy is a dry-fire laser training system, built around smart targets that support automatic hit detection, scoring, and shot time in the Laser Academy app from data provided by the camera on your smartphone. TRAIN AT HOME: Mantis Laser Academy enables you to set up a dry fire laser range that is powerful, safe, convenient, and very inexpensive. Laser Academy drills are built to enhance your shooting performance, in both marksmanship and speed. Test your skills against your friends using dueling drills that allow you to shoot side by side. KEY FEATURES: - Automatic target detection - Automatic shot detection - Automatic scoring - Marksmanship, speed, and reaction time drills - Shooter-to-shooter dueling drills - Save to history GETTING STARTED: Once you have your gear, you are ready to train. Before getting started check the training area and all firearms for safety. Ensure any firearms are unloaded and remove live ammunition from the training area. - Place the smart targets in the desired location. Avoid areas where glare from lights and windows may the affect detection of shots on the targets. - Place your smartphone on the tripod and point the rear camera at the target(s) you have placed. - If you are using a laser cartridge, load the laser cartridge into the chamber of your firearm. - Launch the Mantis Laser Academy app on your phone, select a drill, and proceed to train. DRILLS and SMART TARGETS: The Mantis Laser Academy app has a variety of drills focused on different aspects of shooting. Some drills require specific smart targets. Other drills work with any smart target. Several drills support multiple targets and allow local competition between shooters. Smart targets are automatically detected and scored by Mantis Laser Academy. Using smart targets provides the most enjoyable and valuable training experience. The Control Target allows you to Start, Stop, Clear, and Close in the app by shooting specific regions on the Control Target. Mantis Laser Academy has a selection of free drills and a selection of drills that can be purchased or unlocked. You can purchase a single drill or Full Access in the app. Our mission is to help every shooter improve their accuracy and confidence. Mantis Laser Academy is the latest innovation in our next-level shooting systems designed to help you achieve a higher level of proficiency. Train smarter, train better, train with Mantis.

About

DryFireOnline

Enhance your competitive shooting skills with this training tool. It simulates realistic targets and provides instant feedback on shot placement, time, and score when used with the companion website and a laser training cartridge. Create custom drills for personalized practice.

Highlights
  • Realistic static and moving target silhouettes
  • Custom drill creation
  • Instant shot placement feedback
  • Score and time tracking
  • Red laser training cartridge support
  • Companion website integration
Features
Read full description

Dry Fire Online is a training tool that helps you become a better competitive IPSC / IDPA / USPSA / GSSF / Steel Challenge shooter. It supports your dry fire training sessions by displaying realistically scaled static and moving target silhouettes and you can even create your own drills. This app can be used together with the DryFireOnline.com website to get instant feedback about your shot placement, time and score. The app connects to the website and using the device camera it can detect the red dot of common laser training cartridges. Your hits are displayed in the browser. IMPORTANT: - Requires a red laser training cartridge. Infrared cartridges are not supported. - Requires an additional notebook or tablet with a browser that can display the dryfireonline.com website. - Projector is recommended. EULA and Privacy Policy: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ https://dryfireonline.com/index.php?wf_mode=wf_mode_value_navigate_manual#terms_of_use

Screenshots

Mantis Laser Academy4 screens
DryFireOnline1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Mantis Laser Academy at 4.1K against DryFireOnline's 27. Mantis Laser Academy also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). DryFireOnline's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Mantis Laser Academy sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and DryFireOnline sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Mantis Laser Academy against 4.6 for DryFireOnline. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mantis Laser Academy has 4.1K ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Mantis Laser Academy's written reviews are positive against 70% of DryFireOnline's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mantis Laser Academy ships an update every 3 weeks, DryFireOnline every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mantis Laser Academy versus DryFireOnline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMantis Laser AcademyDryFireOnline
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.1K ratings) — better4.6 (27 ratings)
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.1K — better27
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size290 MB1 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMantis Tech LLCGabor Szigeti

Customer experience

Mantis Laser Academy

All ratings4,120 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews162 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative22.2%

DryFireOnline

All ratings27 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

Mantis Laser Academy

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes during Pistol Marksmanship course
  • Inability to add firearms and view history
  • Calibration tool obstructs view of crosshairs
  • Tripod instability causes false readings
  • Sound not working unless headphones are connected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to customize drills and courses
  • Integrate with Mantis X app for more comprehensive training
  • Implement daily shot count tracking
  • Allow manual entry of firearm settings
  • Add more training modes and game-like features

DryFireOnline

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Mantis Laser Academy

One-time10
  • Open Shooting - Multi-target$4.99
  • Shot From Guard/Low Ready$4.99
  • Bullseye - 10 Shot$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Holster Draw - Par Timed$4.99
  • Holster Draw$4.99
  • Multiple Shots and Targets$4.99
  • Close Contact from Holster$4.99
  • Hunt$4.99
  • 01 Darts$4.99
  • Lifetime Membership$49.99
3 purchases

DryFireOnline

Subscriptions3
  • Beginner Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Advanced Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Expert Subscription7 Days trial$6.991 Month

Questions

Is Mantis Laser Academy free?
Mantis Laser Academy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DryFireOnline free?
DryFireOnline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mantis Laser Academy or DryFireOnline?
Mantis Laser Academy is rated higher. Mantis Laser Academy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while DryFireOnline averages 4.6 from 27 ratings.
Do Mantis Laser Academy or DryFireOnline have ads?
Neither Mantis Laser Academy nor DryFireOnline shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mantis Laser Academy or DryFireOnline?
Mantis Laser Academy ships an update every 3 weeks, and DryFireOnline every 2 months. Most recently, Mantis Laser Academy was updated on November 7, 2026 and DryFireOnline on November 3, 2026.

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