Magic Smoke vs IP Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic Smoke
Establish custom TCP connections to send specific commands. Save up to ten commands for quick access, or type any message directly. This utility is ideal for testing network connections and embedded systems.
- Custom TCP connection setup
- Save up to ten custom commands
- Send any typed message
- Appends carriage return and linefeed
- Supports IP address and port input
Read full descriptionHide full description
This app allows you to send custom commands via a TCP connection. You input the IP address and port number for the TCP connection you would like to create, and then you can customize the ten buttons to have ten saved commands. The “Any Command” text field can send any message that is typed into the text field. A carriage return and linefeed are appended to all messages. It was originally developed for the NCSU Embedded Systems course ECE 306, but it works for any TCP connection you would like to create!
IP Scanner
This app scans your local network to identify all active devices. It offers fast results, customizable device information, and tools like PING and Wake on LAN. Save and manage past scans for easy reference.
- Fast network scanning
- Customizable device names and icons
- Save and review past scans
- PING, Wake on LAN, Port Scan tools
- Save and import custom device lists
- Import/export scan results
Read full descriptionHide full description
IP Scanner for iOS scans your local area network to determine the identity of all active machines and internet devices on the LAN. Powerful results, yet easy, quick and intuitive to use. Key features: * Extremely fast scan results * Customizable results - assign your own names and icons to discovered devices * Save and consult past scans * PING, Wake on LAN and Port Scan tools built right in * Save and import custom device lists, or sync via iCloud * Import/export scan results via email or bonjour * Clean, professional design that is customizable and easy to use The free version has no restrictions at all on functionality and can identify up to 15 devices at a time. * To unlock unlimited devices in a scan, we offer an in-app upgrade to Pro. * For even more features, including realtime push notifications on network changes, a network DVR-style history browser and a true universal app bundle with native, optimized versions for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Watch, check out IP Scanner Ultra in the app store https://apple.co/3gz0tu6
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Magic Smoke at 100% against IP Scanner's 60%. Magic Smoke also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). IP Scanner's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (891 vs 10). On price 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
Both are free to download. IP Scanner sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Magic Smoke asks for nothing beyond the download.
Magic Smoke holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IP Scanner has 891 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Magic Smoke's written reviews are positive against 60% of IP Scanner's.
Magic Smoke ships an update every 5 months, IP Scanner fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Magic Smoke | IP Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (10 ratings) — better | 4.6 (891 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 60.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 891 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 26 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Caleb Barnett Wheeler | Matia labs, inc. |
Customer experience
Magic Smoke
IP Scanner
Bugs and requests
Magic Smoke
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
IP Scanner
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes on startup
- Unstable on macOS
- Inconsistent scan results across devices
- Loses custom device names after scans
- Detects devices that are no longer on the network
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to print selected fields
- Include notes in printouts
- Resizable settings window
- Option to block or remove devices
- Improved device identification
In-app purchases
Magic Smoke
No in-app purchases
IP Scanner
- IP Scanner Pro Upgrade (iOS)$19.99
- IP Scanner Pro Upgrade (MacOS)$19.99
- IP Scanner Ultra (from Pro)$19.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- IP Scanner Ultra$39.99
