Comparison

magic5 vs SmartController

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

Head to head
About

magic5

Features
Read full description

magic5 enables staff on the go to fill in job sheets on their phone or tablet, with items such as signatures, photos, drawings, diagrams, drop down lists, and check boxes. Track staff via GPS and ensure all aspects of the job sheet are entered with mandatory completion. Staff who are out and about can receive jobs sent from the office with high, medium and low priority status, as well as all of the specific job instructions. Once on site, the app user can fill in the job sheet, take photos, capture signatures, record travel times, and even price up materials and labour. When the job sheet is complete, it is sent back to the office for review, sign-off and further processing. Your customer can receive an invoice before staff have even left site! magic5 can link with Microsoft Office, Sage, Salesforce, ClicData, and many, many more systems - just ask!

About

SmartController

Features
Read full description

Brigade’s new SmartController dongle and app allows users to remotely configure a Brigade MDR via the SmartController app. Features include – β€’ Display live information including device, storage and network status β€’ Playback footage stored on the MDR β€’ View live images from the MDR β€’ Create exclusive Wi-fi hotspots so that mobile devices can connect to individual MDRs β€’ Export data, upgrade firmware, load configuration data and much more For more information on SmartController and Mobile Digital Recording, visit - https://brigade-electronics.com/mdr-hub/

Screenshots

magic54 screens
SmartController4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: magic5 at every 6 weeks against SmartController's every 12 months. SmartController's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

magic5 ships an update every 6 weeks, SmartController every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
magic5 versus SmartController: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametermagic5SmartController
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks β€” betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.09.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size56 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCadence Computing LtdBrigade Electronics Group PLC

In-app purchases

None

magic5

No in-app purchases

None

SmartController

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is magic5 free?
magic5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SmartController free?
SmartController is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do magic5 or SmartController have ads?
Neither magic5 nor SmartController shows ads.
Which is updated more often, magic5 or SmartController?
magic5 ships an update every 6 weeks, and SmartController every 12 months. Most recently, magic5 was updated on June 1, 2026 and SmartController on September 8, 2026.

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