# PortKnock vs Ping

The clearest difference is price: Ping at Free against PortKnock's $0.99. Ping also leads on ratings volume (376 vs 9) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). PortKnock's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Ping is free to download; PortKnock costs $0.99 up front. Ping sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PortKnock asks for nothing beyond the download.

PortKnock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ping has 376 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of PortKnock's written reviews are positive against 85% of Ping's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PortKnock ships an update every 7 months, Ping every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PortKnock | Ping |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/portknock/id358353536/reviews)** | [4.3 (376 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ping-network-utility/id576773404/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **376** |
| Positive reviews | 76.0% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 11 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Danny Sung](https://appshunter.io/developer/1555969244) | [Iurii Mozharovskyi](https://appshunter.io/developer/411678880) |

## What reviewers say

### PortKnock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/portknock/id358353536)

This utility allows network administrators to send custom port knock sequences to servers. It requires a port knock daemon on the server and offers features like password protection, knock validation, and host management.

**Highlights:** Password Protection, Knock Validation, Import/Export Hosts, Auto App Launcher, Shows External IP Address, TCP/UDP Configuration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ping

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ping-network-utility/id576773404)

This network utility tests host reachability on IP networks. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6, with configurable settings for TTL, timeout, interval, and packet size. The app includes a library of favorite hosts and operates in the background.

**Highlights:** IPv4 and IPv6 support, Configurable TTL, timeout, interval, packet size, Favorite hosts library, Background mode, Free to use

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Golden Star | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Accurate ping results
- 🚀 Convenient for network diagnostics
- 👍 Useful for IT professionals
- 👍 Excellent for home/business users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Favorites list issues (disappearing/changing)
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior (showing host as down when it's up)
- 🔍 Lacks DNS resolution information
- 🔍 No background ping capability
- 🔍 Limited customization options (packet size, interval, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- Sliders are difficult to use for precise settings
- Ping results not always accurate
- App becomes unresponsive or crashes at times

**Requested features**

- Add audible ping notification
- Implement dark mode
- Allow setting custom port for pinging
- Provide timestamp for ping history
- Extend ping interval options (up to 1 minute)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PortKnock free?

PortKnock costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Ping free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PortKnock or Ping?

PortKnock is rated higher. PortKnock averages 5.0 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Ping averages 4.3 from 376 ratings.

### Do PortKnock or Ping have ads?

Neither PortKnock nor Ping shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PortKnock or Ping?

PortKnock ships an update every 7 months, and Ping every 3 months. Most recently, PortKnock was updated on October 9, 2026 and Ping on October 15, 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.*