PortKnock vs HE.NET Network Tools
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PortKnock
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.
- Password Protection
- Knock Validation
- Import/Export Hosts
- Auto App Launcher
- Shows External IP Address
- TCP/UDP Configuration
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-- Overview -- This application is a simple port knocker for the iPhone, generally useful only to network administrators. You *must* have a port knock daemon running on your server for this application to be useful. Features in this version of Port Knock: - Password Protection - Knock Validation - Import/Export Hosts - Auto App Launcher(+) - Knock Progress Screen - Shows your External IP Address - Arbitrary number of ports per host - An unlimited number of host definitions - TCP/UDP configuration per port - Selectively sending knocks through WiFi or Carrier/3G networks - Configurable interpacket delay - Has no advertising -- Use Cases -- This app is ideal if you're on a WiFi network but don't have a port knocker on the available computers. If you're sitting behind a NAT, the iPhone/iPod Touch will have the same IP as any of the other computers on your network. This is also great to use with TouchTerm or any other ssh or telnet software for the iPhone.Just give it the hostname and a list of ports, and whether you want it to send TCP or UDP packets. -- Brief Description of Port Knocking for the Layman -- Port Knocking is a technique to secure services behind a firewall until a specific knock sequence is given. This is not to be confused with port scanning (a network management tool for discovering open services on a system). Imagine you left your kids at home alone. You don't want them to open the door for strangers. And when a stranger comes knocking, you don't even want them to come to the door, because you don't want them to know your kids are there. But, when you or other family members come, you might want them to open the door for you. So you teach them to listen for a certain rattat-tat-tat or special knock that only you and your family know. This is the same concept you can apply to your servers. If you run a knock daemon on your server, this app then lets you send the special knock to it. A more technical description of port knocking can be found on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_knocking -- Additional Info -- If you're in need of a knock server, I personally use Judd Vinet's knock daemon for linux. It's quite easy to use: http://www.zeroflux.org/projects/knock You can find of information and a nice list of other knock clients and servers over at http://www.portknocking.org/ -- Notes -- + There are some restrictions regarding the Auto App Launcher. For SSH, you can only create temporary connections. For Mail, you will always be shown a new compose mail window first. Unfortunately, this is due to the way App integration works on iOS. There's not much I can do to address these issues at this time. -- Support -- For better support, please send bug reports and feature requests to danny@sungheroes.com, rather than simply posting it in a review. You can find more info on using PortKnock at the main website: http://www.sungheroes.com/products/portknock-iphone/ -- History -- 2022-02-28 PortKnock 4.18 released. LaunchApp automatically works again. Fixed some import bugs. 2018-01-xx PortKnock 4.12 supports IPv6 2017-09-xx PortKnock 4.0 released for iOS 10.3 2013-02-15 PortKnock 3.2 should work again on iOS5 2011-Jul-10 PortKnock 3.0.833 released. Added password protection, knock validation, import/export hosts, auto app launcher, and knock progress screen. 2010-Dec-14 PortKnock 2.02 released. Added a 'copy hosts' feature. Host/Port reordering should now work correctly. Entry fields should now work properly on iOS 4.2.1. 2010-Sep-25 PortKnock 2.01 is now available in the app store. iPhone 4's should no longer have an issue. If you are experiencing problems, please email me. 2010-Sep-09 The iPhone4 issue should be resolved. A bug fix release has been submitted. Thank you all for your patience!
HE.NET Network Tools
A comprehensive suite of network diagnostic tools for professionals. It offers features like ARP/NDP lookup, DNS queries, IP calculations, bandwidth testing, and port scanning. Securely manage two-factor authentication codes and view network routing tables.
- ARP/NDP lookup
- DNS lookup
- IP Calculator
- iperf bandwidth test
- Port Scan
- SSL/TLS Information
- Two-factor authentication code storage
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This suite of networks tools implements most of the network diagnostics that you need as a Network Engineer or System Administrator. Please help us improve it by giving us feedback. + ARP / NDP: Lookup local devices found on your network using either ARP (IPv4) or NDP (IPv6). + Bonjour Browser: See what DNS-SD/Bonjour services are available on your network + DNS lookup: Search for a servers DNS zone records such as SOA, NS, A, AAAA, MX, PTR. + Interface Information: Get information regarding your device's current network state. + IP Calculator: Calculate the Netmask, Wildcard, Network, Host range, and Broadcast for a given subnet. + iperf: Check bandwidth against remote iperf services. + One Time Password: Securely store and view your TOTP and HOTP (two-factor authentication) codes. TOTP codes are available on the Apple Watch. + Ping: Send ICMP packets to a single IPv4/IPv6 address. + Ping Sweep: Send ICMP packets to an entire subnet range. + Traceroute: Find the route packets take to reach your destination. + Progressive Traceroute: Get detailed statistics for a given route. + Port Scan: Scan a list of TCP ports on any server. + Routing Table: See your local device's routing table. + SSL/TLS Information: Check available ciphers, protocols and what's being used when connecting to a remove service. + Whois: Get information regarding network resources. + NO ADS! Note: Recent iOS releases secure certain low-level network information, and as such will not be available in-app, such as MAC addresses for other network devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: HE.NET Network Tools at Free against PortKnock's $0.99. HE.NET Network Tools also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (70 vs 9). PortKnock's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases 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
HE.NET Network Tools is free to download; PortKnock costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PortKnock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HE.NET Network Tools has 70 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 78% of HE.NET Network Tools'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, HE.NET Network Tools every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 9, 2026.
| Parameter | PortKnock | HE.NET Network Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (9 ratings) — better | 4.0 (70 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.0% of reviews | 77.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 70 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Danny Sung | Hurricane Electric, LLC |
Customer experience
PortKnock
HE.NET Network Tools
Bugs and requests
PortKnock
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
HE.NET Network Tools
Reported bugs
12 issues- Interface Information crashes app immediately
- iperf3 fails with 'operation not permitted' error
- iperf2 crashes on iOS 8+
- DNS lookups not responding after updates
- iperf3 only runs for 1 second despite longer duration settings
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- iperf3 fails to start intermittently
- App crashes when selecting tools from menu
- Crashes on iOS 11 and later versions
- Neighbor Discovery crashes on iPhone 6
- Dark mode text hard to read on iPhone
- App crashes on iPad for multiple functions
- Ping and basic tools crash on iOS 11+
Requested features
12 requests- Vision Pro compatibility and controls
- SRV record lookup in DNS tool
- IPv6 subnet calculator
- WOL (Wake-on-LAN) magic packet support
- MTR (My Traceroute) tool
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- Telnet command for port testing
- Stop/pause button for running tests
- Multiple iperf test execution
- Configurable iperf parameters and bandwidth limits
- LAN device scanning capability
- Dark mode text color options
- Apple Watch app with full functionality
In-app purchases
PortKnock
No in-app purchases
HE.NET Network Tools
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PortKnock free?
Is HE.NET Network Tools free?
Which has better reviews, PortKnock or HE.NET Network Tools?
Do PortKnock or HE.NET Network Tools have ads?
Which is updated more often, PortKnock or HE.NET Network Tools?
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