Comparison

DipSwitch 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

DipSwitch

This app helps lighting technicians quickly configure fixture settings using a digital interface. It calculates dip switch configurations, allows for easy addressing and offsetting, and helps determine fixture capacity within a universe. Streamline your patching process with this intuitive tool.

Highlights
  • Calculate dip switch configurations
  • Enter address and see dip switch settings
  • Apply offset values for quick addressing
  • Determine fixture capacity per universe
  • Generate addresses for sequential fixtures
Features
Read full description

Set a DMX address on a dip-switch block without doing binary in your head, in the dark, up a ladder. Type the address, read the switches. DipSwitch draws the block the way it looks on the back of the fixture, so you can hold your phone next to the real thing and compare it switch for switch. It has been doing this job since 2008. ON THE FIXTURE • Enter an address and see the switch pattern immediately • The block is drawn to match real hardware, with the ON marking and channel weights • Set the number of switches to match your fixture, from 1 to 16 • Swap and mirror for blocks that are printed the other way round PLANNING A RIG • Set the offset to your fixture's channel footprint and step the whole rig one button at a time • See how many fixtures fit a 512-channel universe, and the last address you can use • Save fixtures you use often as profiles, so the channel count is one tap away • Know two addresses and need the rest? Enter both and the spacing does the work • Tick off fixtures as you patch them, and share the finished list as a PDF ON APPLE WATCH • The whole calculator on your wrist, for when one hand is holding the fixture • Turn the Digital Crown to step the address by your offset • A complication puts the current address on your watch face • Address, offset and fixture profiles stay in sync with your iPhone English, German and French. Free, no in-app purchases. Built in Luxembourg by a lighting technician who got tired of counting bits.

About

Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit

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

DipSwitch4 screens
Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DipSwitch at none against Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit's 3. DipSwitch also leads on ads (none vs shown). Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 13 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). On price 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. DipSwitch asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DipSwitch ships an update every 13 months, Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
DipSwitch versus Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDipSwitchFire Alarm Tech Toolkit
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBazinga sarlTravis Foreman

Bugs and requests

DipSwitch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes after iOS 10 update
  • Does not calculate dip switches after iOS 10 update
  • Does not work under OS 3
  • Does not work for some users

Requested features

6 requests
  • Apple Watch app
  • Manual or tutorial
  • Option to have OFF as 1 and ON as 0 for specific devices
  • User definable options (e.g., number of dip switches, all off=001)
  • Notepad feature to track set switches
Show 1 more
  • Dark mode option

Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

DipSwitch

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 DipSwitch free?
DipSwitch 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.
Do DipSwitch or Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit have ads?
Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit shows ads; DipSwitch does not.
Which is updated more often, DipSwitch or Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit?
DipSwitch ships an update every 13 months, and Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit every 2 months. Most recently, DipSwitch was updated on October 7, 2026 and Fire Alarm Tech Toolkit on October 5, 2026.

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