Comparison

Marshal vs SH4 DESIGNER

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

Head to head
About

Marshal

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Marshal is your drive expert in the field and allows you to commission, clone, diagnose issues, and monitor the drive in just a few screen taps. Easy to use, Marshal gets your drive up and running in under 60 seconds. Powered by Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, simply connect to the drive by placing your mobile device close to the NFC logo. Data transfer takes less than 0.5s. Marshal supports you with: Commissioning • Power off or on commissioning (even in the box) • FastStart – assisted commissioning. Only 4 simple steps to get you up and running • Advanced features available in parameter setting • Pre-set application configurations Cloning • Parameters can be easily transferred from one drive to another - just tap to write as many drives as you want • Back-up and restore the configuration via the app Share • Share configuration via Outlook, OneDrive, WhatsApp etc. • Shared configurations are compatible with Marshal & Connect (our PC commissioning tool) • Export configuration to PDF format Offline capabilities • Create new configurations in the app • Open existing projects to review/change parameters Diagnostics • Guided diagnostics for the system even without drive alarms or trips • Diagnostics available with power off or on • Get support with drive alarms within the app • Error log & active error diagnostics – view active and historical error info • Differences from default – compare configuration against factory defaults Registration • Activate the 5 Year Warranty via the app • Access & download support materials via your CT account Monitoring and security • Quick view of parameter settings & drive status • Restrict access to drive configuration via PIN • Quick visualisation of I/O, motor, and speed settings

About

SH4 DESIGNER

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SH4 DESIGNER allows to connect through wi-fi to all DATASENSING SH4 ADVANCED safety light curtains and perform all necessary operations: 1. Monitoring the status of the device 2. Check the alignment of the device beams 3. Check the value of the device inputs and outputs 4. Configure the device safety functions: restart, EDM, total muting, partial muting, dynamic muting, override, fixed blanking, floating blanking, reduced resolution 5. Change the parameters associated to the safety functions 6. Change the topology of the devices when connected in cascade 7. Read messages of configuration errors or faults 8. Check and save the report of the configuration before activating the safety light curtain 9. Read the documentation of the device related to safety functions and parameters All information related to DATASENSING SH4 safety light curtains are available on the website www.datasensing.com

Screenshots

Marshal4 screens
SH4 DESIGNER4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Marshal at every 2 months against SH4 DESIGNER's every 7 months. SH4 DESIGNER's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marshal ships an update every 2 months, SH4 DESIGNER every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on July 16, 2026 and May 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Marshal versus SH4 DESIGNER: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarshalSH4 DESIGNER
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size241 MB100 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperControl Techniques LimitedDatasensing S.r.l.

In-app purchases

None

Marshal

No in-app purchases

None

SH4 DESIGNER

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Marshal free?
Marshal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SH4 DESIGNER free?
SH4 DESIGNER is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Marshal or SH4 DESIGNER have ads?
Neither Marshal nor SH4 DESIGNER shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Marshal or SH4 DESIGNER?
Marshal ships an update every 2 months, and SH4 DESIGNER every 7 months. Most recently, Marshal was updated on July 16, 2026 and SH4 DESIGNER on May 17, 2026.

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