Comparison

Dock Watch vs Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit

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

Head to head
About

Dock Watch

This app notifies drivers when a loading dock light turns green, allowing them to rest. It pairs with a portable device clipped to the light and tracks dock times for future planning.

Highlights
  • Instant green light notifications
  • Tracks time to red and back to green
  • Calculates total dock time
  • Records dock times across the US
  • Facilitates trip planning and bidding
Features
Read full description

The Dock Watch app provides notification to the driver when the loading dock light has turned green, allowing the driver to get good rest while waiting to be loaded/unloaded. By harnessing the power of a smartphone or tablet, Dock Watch is the only system that gives the driver the peace of mind of knowing that they will be instantly notified as soon as the loading dock light turns green. Simply download the free app and pair it to the portable Dock Watch device that the driver will clip on to the loading dock light. This device is available for purchase on dockwatch.io. Clip the device on the loading dock light, activate/arm it and wait for notification that the light has turned green. The app also keeps track of how long it took for the light to turn red, how long it took for the light to turn back to green from red and the total time the driver is in the dock from activation to green light. The Dock Watch system keeps track of dock times all over the US where the device has been used and this information will be used in the future to allow drivers/companies to look up average wait times at facilities and in turn enable them to better plan their trips or bid the lane.

About

Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit

This app provides fire alarm technicians with essential field tools for calculations, project management, and reporting. It includes features for device tracking, service logging, and professional report generation, streamlining on-site work.

Highlights
  • Fire alarm field calculators
  • DIP switch and rotary dial addressing
  • Barcode and QR scanning
  • Battery load and date code tools
  • Conduit fill and resistor references
  • Project, floor, and device records
  • Service tracking for devices and extinguishers
Features
Read full description

Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit is a field app for fire alarm technicians who need fast calculations, organized project records, service tracking, and professional reports while working on site. Bring everyday fire alarm tools into one place. Use DIP switch and rotary dial addressing, barcode and QR scanning, battery load calculations, battery date decoding, conduit fill calculations, resistor band references, and technician-focused utilities for service, inspection, troubleshooting, installation, and documentation. Create projects for buildings, panels, floors, and devices. Record device type, location, address, serial number, zone, status, notes, tags, and service dates. Track smoke and heat detectors, pull stations, duct detectors, notification appliances, modules, panels, annunciators, batteries, flow and tamper switches, extinguishers, and other fire protection assets. Service Mode helps technicians work through devices by project, floor, or asset type. Record completed service, dirty devices, trouble conditions, missing or replaced devices, inaccessible assets, extinguisher recharge or hydro requirements, and other field results. Site Notes keeps job details and observations organized with each project. NEW FIELD WORKFLOWS • Shared Scan lets one technician scan device barcodes while another technician receives and organizes the records. • Scan to Plan allows devices to be placed directly on an imported floor plan for faster mapping and documentation. • Barcode Sheet Printing creates printable barcode or QR code sheets for device labeling and field identification. The scanner captures serial numbers and QR codes with duplicate detection and can add scanned values directly to device records. Addressing tools can also send calculated values into records to reduce repeated typing. Generate project PDFs, floor reports, service reports, dirty device reports, extinguisher reports, status reports, CSV exports, and project summaries. Share reports through the device share sheet or create an expiring project link and QR code to transfer project data. KEY FEATURES • Fire alarm field calculators • DIP switch and rotary dial addressing • Barcode and QR scanning • Battery load and date code tools • Conduit fill and resistor references • Project, floor, and device records • Service tracking for devices and extinguishers • Shared Scan collaboration • Scan to Plan floor-plan mapping • Printable barcode and QR code sheets • PDF, CSV, and text reports • Project links and QR transfer • Dark, field-friendly interface MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION PLANS Solo Pro — $4.99/month Premium tools and features for an individual technician. Team — $24.99/month A shared workspace for a small team to collaborate on projects and records. Company — $44.99/month Higher workspace limits and advanced company features for larger operations. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Feature availability, workspace limits, storage, and collaboration options vary by plan. Prices shown are in USD. The App Store displays the applicable local price before purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit is made for technicians who want faster field entry, fewer scattered notes, better collaboration, and cleaner project handoffs. IMPORTANT Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any manufacturer or brand. Names such as Honeywell, Fire-Lite, Silent Knight, Notifier, System Sensor, Edwards, EST, Kidde, Siemens, Simplex, Johnson Controls, Potter, Bosch, Mircom, Gentex, Wheelock, Eaton, Gamewell-FCI, Hochiki, Apollo, Power-Sonic, CSB, Yuasa, Deka, East Penn, EnerSys, Ansul, Amerex, Buckeye, and others are trademarks of their respective owners and are referenced only for technician search and field identification context.

Screenshots

Dock Watch4 screens
Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dock Watch at none against Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit's 3. Dock Watch also leads on ads (none vs shown). Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 27 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Dock Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Dock Watch against 5.0 for Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dock Watch ships an update every 27 months, Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Dock Watch versus Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDock WatchFire Alarm Tech Toolkit
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 27 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChad HerzogTravis Foreman

In-app purchases

None

Dock Watch

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit

Subscriptions3
  • 1 Month Solo Pro$4.991 Month
  • Team Monthly$24.991 Month
  • Company Monthly$44.991 Month

Questions

Is Dock Watch free?
Dock Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit free?
Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dock Watch or Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit?
Dock Watch and Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Dock Watch or Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit have ads?
Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit shows ads; Dock Watch does not.
Which is updated more often, Dock Watch or Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit?
Dock Watch ships an update every 27 months, and Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit every 2 months. Most recently, Dock Watch was updated on October 24, 2026 and Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit on October 31, 2026.

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