Wake vs Magic Packet
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Wake
Remotely power on PCs, Macs, and servers with this networking tool. It supports Wake On Lan devices and provides a status indicator to show if machines are online or offline. Ideal for managing multiple computers or accessing them from afar.
- Remote PC, Mac, and server startup
- Wake On Lan support
- Machine status indicator
- Automatic computer detection
- Shake to wake functionality
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Wake is a professional networking tool that lets you start up PCs, Macs and Servers remotely. Compatible with all 'Wake On Lan' capable devices, Wake even gives you a status indicator to tell you whether each machine is on or off. Features: * Wake button sends 'Wake On Lan' magic packet to start up a machine. * Works over wifi or cellular data network. * Status indicator glows to tell you whether each machine is on or off. * Automatically detects your computers for easy setup. * Shake'n'wake - shake the device to wake all computers! Typical Uses: * Start up a machine remotely, then use VNC or other remote access service to view files. * Monitor a list of business critical servers. * Start up a classroom full of PCs from your desk. For troubleshooting, go to davet.org/wake/support.html
Magic Packet
Remotely power on, off, or restart your computer from your local network or the internet. Ideal for accessing your PC for remote control, managing servers, or ensuring devices are ready when needed.
- Wake, turn off, and restart computers
- Remote control over internet
- Siri commands support
- Interactive widgets
- Host availability check
- Apple Watch support
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Magic Packet is an app for remote computer management over local network and the Internet. Wake, shut down, restart, and monitor your computers from iPhone, Apple Watch, widgets, and Siri. USE CASES: - Wake your home NAS before watching movies - Connect to your home PC via RDP, VNC, or TeamViewer - Prevent your computer from sleeping during downloads, streaming, or rendering - Remotely reboot frozen PCs - Shut down and restart computers over the Internet WAKE ON LAN: - Instant magic packet sending - Works over local network and the Internet - Custom UDP port for each host - SecureON support - Support for broadcast, IP addresses, and domain names REMOTE MANAGEMENT: - Shutdown, restart, sleep, hibernate, and lock - Works through Magic Packet Server for Windows, macOS, and Linux - Automatic server discovery in local network STATUS AND MONITORING: - Availability checks via ping or HTTP - Online / offline status with auto refresh - Laptop battery level monitoring - Quick host status checks SIRI, SHORTCUTS, AND WIDGETS: - Siri voice commands - Automations through Shortcuts - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets - Control Center controls (iOS 18) APPLE WATCH: - Control hosts directly from Apple Watch - Media and volume controls - Complications for quick access - iCloud sync MEDIA: - Play and pause - Next and previous track - Volume and mute controls - “Keep Awake” mode with timer HOST CUSTOMIZATION: - Unlimited hosts - Icons, SF Symbols, emoji, and letters - Custom colors - Custom action order - iCloud sync CONVENIENCE: - Dark mode support - Step-by-step Wake-on-LAN setup guides - Optimized for iPhone and iPad
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Magic Packet at 4.5 against Wake's 3.3. Magic Packet also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (104 vs 4). Wake's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $2.29) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Wake costs $0.99 and Magic Packet $2.29 up front. Wake sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Magic Packet sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Magic Packet holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic Packet has 104 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Wake's written reviews are positive against 72% of Magic Packet's.
Wake ships an update monthly, Magic Packet every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Wake | Magic Packet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $2.29 |
| Rating | 3.3 (4 ratings) | 4.5 (104 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.4% of reviews | 71.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 104 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dave Thompson | Nikita Somenkov |
Customer experience
Wake
Magic Packet
Bugs and requests
Wake
Reported bugs
9 issues- App freezes when pressing '+' button
- Crashes when selecting IP address
- Auto-detection not finding devices consistently
- Doesn't work on iPad 2
- Buttons ('+' and edit) do nothing in some cases
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- Persistent rating prompt notification
- Device list appears empty despite devices on network
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Help website unavailable
Requested features
11 requests- Support for WiFi-connected devices
- Remote wake-on-LAN over cellular networks
- Configurable port settings for multiple devices
- Support for domain names instead of IP addresses
- NetBIOS name display in device list
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- Automatic setup wizard
- Better support for modern network configurations
- Wake-on-demand functionality like Snow Leopard
- Support for Apple TV integration
- Shake and wake function with device selection
- Power status monitoring over remote connections
Magic Packet
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Wake
- Medium/large network AddOn$0.99
Magic Packet
- Buy me a coffee$2.99
- Buy me a dinner$19.99









