Comparison

Monitoring vs Plink

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Monitoring

Control and monitor your home or business alarm system remotely from your iPhone. View real-time events, manage user access, and receive instant notifications for alarm activations. Includes a mobile panic alarm feature with GPS location sharing.

Highlights
  • Remote alarm system status view
  • Real-time event logging
  • User access history
  • Set/Unset alarm functionality
  • Multiple system management
  • Direct communication with monitoring station
  • Mobile panic alarm with GPS
Read full description

Alarm Watch - Take control of your alarm system wherever you are in the world! View the status of your home and business alarms from your iPhone View recent events in real time. Find out who has been using the alarm, and when Set or Unset the alarm Multiple alarm systems are viewable and controllable from one account Interact with the monitoring station during any alarm activations Change closing time of your business when working late to prevent the monitoring station from disturbing you when working late Notify the monitoring station when you are going to work outside of normal business hours The application now includes a mobile panic alarm which sends the monitoring station your GPS coordinates during an emergency Notifications of alarm activations directly to your phone where you can respond by choosing to send the guard or type in a note for the monitoring team to read Functionality of the application requires that the alarm system is monitored by an affiliate of AlarmWatch. To set or Unset your alarm through the application, a special control module must be installed. Available for New Zealand alarm systems only (Ask your alarm installer, or visit www.alarmwatch.co.nz to learn more about these services).

About

Plink

This app provides users, site managers, and technicians with remote access to security systems. It allows for account management, site updates, signal history viewing, and control of system arming and disarming. It also facilitates alarm notifications and patrol management.

Highlights
  • Remote account and site management
  • Arm/disarm security panels
  • View signal and activation history
  • Receive alarm and event notifications
  • Manage patrol job requests and updates
  • Scan QR codes and NFC tags
  • Lone worker safety features
Features
Read full description

Client and Bureau Access • Users and Site Managers can access their accounts, view their sites, add new sites and update the site details including Contact details, User details, Zone details, Schedule details and Response details. Signal and Activation history can also be viewed through the Plink app. • Users can arm and disarm their panels and control outputs from the Plink app. • Users can view patrol history and view photos taken by patrols. • Users and Self Monitoring clients can commission and decommission their sites from the Plink app which turns monitoring on or off at the monitoring station. • Bureaus and Dealers can access their sites, view recent signal and activation history and update their client accounts. • Technicians can view live signal history of sites, turn test mode on and off and update account details. • Technicians can update workorders, add notes, add charges and digitally sign and complete them First Response • Users can receive Alarm and Event notifications which can be canceled if the User wants to respond to the event themselves or the User can fall back the event to the station for operator response. • Users can receive Late to Close notifications and extend the close time, cancel the Late to Close Monitoring or fall back the alarm to the station for operator response Patrol Response • Patrols can receive patrol job requests from Patriot Monitoring stations, provide an ETA or release the job back to the station if they are unable to accept the Job. • Patrols can view the job and site instructions, update the status when at the site and when they have left the site and add in notes and response details that are instantly sent back to the operating station. • Patrols can add photos to a job which are sent back to the monitoring station instantly and be viewed by the station operators. Patrol Site Checks • Patrols can scan QR codes and NFC stickers that transmit signals back to the Monitoring Station. Patrol Digital Run Sheets • Patrols are provided digital run sheets including sites ordered by time the check is due • Patrols can check off individual tasks required and codes to be scanned • Allows Patrols to perform site checks quickly and accurately with all details automatically logged • Patrols are notified on jobs due or when they are overdue • Patrols can send and receive details of Patrol runs automatically to and from the Patriot Station Lone Worker Mode • Lone Worker mode is available for Patrols, Lone workers and Static Guards. • Users can be setup with schedules and the Monitoring Station can be notified if the User fails to enable welfare checking before the start of their shift or if they turn off welfare checking during their scheduled shift. • Users can send a Duress Alarm to Patriot Monitoring Stations. • GPS locations on both welfare checks and Duress alarms are sent to the Patriot Monitoring Station so their location is available for the operator during response. • GPS locations can optionally be sent periodically during their shift. Notes: The different functions of the Patriot Plink app is configured for the user by the Patriot monitoring station. Additional Modules may be required to utilize the features listed. The panels and communicators that can be armed and disarmed & controls are limited to integrated brands. Contact your Monitoring Station or Patriot systems for more information.

Screenshots

Monitoring4 screens
Plink4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Monitoring at 67% against Plink's 0%. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monitoring ships an update every 3 months, Plink every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Monitoring versus Plink: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonitoringPlink
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—7 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB60 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNew Zealand Computing SolutionsPatriot Systems Limited

Customer experience

Monitoring

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Plink

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

Monitoring

No in-app purchases

None

Plink

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monitoring free?
Monitoring is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plink free?
Plink is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Monitoring or Plink have ads?
Neither Monitoring nor Plink shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monitoring or Plink?
Monitoring ships an update every 3 months, and Plink every 2 months. Most recently, Monitoring was updated on June 11, 2026 and Plink on September 10, 2026.

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