# Magic Smoke vs IP Scanner

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic Smoke | IP Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-smoke/id1594832483/reviews)** | [4.6 (891 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ip-scanner/id6443819966/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **891** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 60.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Caleb Barnett Wheeler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1719539575) | [Matia labs, inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1726732402) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic Smoke

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-smoke/id1594832483)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### IP Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ip-scanner/id6443819966)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Scanner Pro Upgrade (iOS) | $19.99 | one-time |
| IP Scanner Pro Upgrade (MacOS) | $19.99 | one-time |
| IP Scanner Ultra (from Pro) | $19.99 | one-time |
| IP Scanner Ultra | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and effective
- 🚀 Immediate response to issues
- 📈 Indispensable for home and SMB networks
- 🔍 Useful network scanning tool
- 🔧 Helps identify devices on the network

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes on startup or update
- 💰 Expensive for full functionality
- 🤔 Confusing or non-intuitive UI
- 🔍 Difficulty identifying some devices
- 🔋 Resource-intensive scanning

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Ability to print selected fields
- Include notes in printouts
- Resizable settings window
- Option to block or remove devices
- Improved device identification


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magic Smoke free?

Magic Smoke is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is IP Scanner free?

IP Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Magic Smoke or IP Scanner?

Magic Smoke is rated higher. Magic Smoke averages 5.0 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while IP Scanner averages 4.6 from 891 ratings.

### Do Magic Smoke or IP Scanner have ads?

Neither Magic Smoke nor IP Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Magic Smoke or IP Scanner?

Magic Smoke ships an update every 5 months, and IP Scanner fortnightly. Most recently, Magic Smoke was updated on September 25, 2026 and IP Scanner on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*