Comparison

FLIR Tools vs RIDGID Thermal

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

Head to head
About

FLIR Tools

This app allows professional thermographers to view and capture live infrared video and stills from select FLIR cameras on their mobile devices. It enables remote operation of cameras, data analysis, and report generation for thermal imaging inspections.

Highlights
  • Live infrared video streaming
  • Remote camera operation
  • Import and analyze thermal images
  • Measurement tools
  • Create and email reports
  • Image information display
  • Control camera settings
Features
Read full description

FLIR Tools Mobile - an intuitive app for FLIR cameras. FLIR Tools Mobile lets professional thermographers use an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to see and capture live, streaming infrared video and stills from select FLIR cameras. With FLIR Tools Mobile the camera can be stationed in one area and operated wirelessly from another – highly useful for IR inspections of energized equipment or performing IR surveys in hard-to-reach locations and harsh working environments. Streaming video and remote access also gives decision makers and others on your team a valuable opportunity to observe and collaborate in the thermal imaging process Using FLIR Tools Mobile, you can do one or more of the following: • Import images from your infrared camera • Lay out and move measurement tools on the image • Read out temperature measurements • Zoom in on images • On the iPhone/iPad, remotely take snapshots when a camera is connected • On the camera, take snapshots that will automatically be saved in the iPhone/iPad • Delete any images on the iPhone/iPad • Display an image’s GPS coordinates on maps • Create and e-mail imagesheets • Create and e-mail reports • Print imagesheets and reports to any AirPrint-enabled printer • Save images to iPhone/iPad photo library • Display image information, such as object parameters, text comments, file information, etc. • Play-back voice comments • Change level and span • Change general settings in the app • Change palette FLIR Tools Mobile lets you take control of the following features on selected cameras: • Auto and manual focus • Level and span • Color palettes • Temperature measurement analytics • Spot • Area box • Circle • Line • Parameter settings • Emissivity • Reflected temperature • Relative humidity • Atmospheric temperature • IR and visible light image blending • Picture-in-picture • Thermal fusion • Image storage • MPEG 4 video • Radiometric JPEG stills

About

RIDGID Thermal

Connect to Wi-Fi enabled thermal imagers to transfer, analyze, and organize thermal images on your smartphone or tablet. Easily add measurements, annotations, and adjust color palettes before saving and sharing your findings.

Highlights
  • Wi-Fi image transfer
  • Thermal image analysis
  • Spot measurements
  • Image annotations
  • Temperature display
  • Color palette adjustment
  • Image sharing
Features
Read full description

RIDGID Thermal works exclusively with RT-5x, RT-7x and RT-9x Wi-Fi enabled thermal imagers from RIDGID. The app allows seamless transfer of thermal images from the imager to your smartphone or tablet for analysis, organization and sharing. Create multiple spot measurements within an image, easily make annotations, and show the max and min temperatures within an area. It’s easy to navigate between the visual image and the thermal image and well adjust the thermal color palette displayed. Save images and analysis to your photo library and quickly share with others.

Screenshots

FLIR Tools4 screens
RIDGID Thermal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: FLIR Tools at monthly against RIDGID Thermal's every 9 months. RIDGID Thermal's advantage is ratings volume (128 vs 19) and review sentiment (26% vs 18%). On price, rating, 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 1.8 for FLIR Tools against 1.8 for RIDGID Thermal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RIDGID Thermal has 128 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 18% of FLIR Tools's written reviews are positive against 26% of RIDGID Thermal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FLIR Tools ships an update monthly, RIDGID Thermal every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FLIR Tools versus RIDGID Thermal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFLIR ToolsRIDGID Thermal
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (19 ratings)1.8 (128 ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.7% of reviews26.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19128 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size192 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFLIR Systems AktiebolagRIDGID Software Solutions

Customer experience

FLIR Tools

All ratings19 ratings
Positive10.5%
Neutral10.5%
Negative78.9%
Written reviews164 reviews
Positive17.7%
Neutral9.8%
Negative72.6%

RIDGID Thermal

All ratings128 ratings
Positive18.8%
Neutral4.7%
Negative76.6%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive26.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative70.6%

User reviews

FLIR Tools

From 19 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📱 Works well with compatible cameras for image transfer
  • 🎨 Good editing tools for thermal image analysis
  • 📊 Useful for field reporting and client presentations
  • 🔧 Spot temperature measurement and annotation features
  • ⚡ Quick image review capability in the field

Room to improve

  • 🔌 Persistent connection issues with cameras
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
  • 📉 Significant loss of features after updates
  • 🚫 Limited device compatibility despite marketing
  • ⚠️ Poor remote control functionality

RIDGID Thermal

From 128 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works as intended (with hardware)
  • 💡 Explains hardware requirement

Room to improve

  • 👎 Requires external thermal camera
  • 👎 App doesn't take photos
  • 👎 App doesn't detect heat
  • 👎 App is a scam
  • 👎 App is useless without hardware

Bugs and requests

FLIR Tools

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App fails to detect cameras on same network
  • Connection timeout errors when attempting to import
  • App crashes when creating or exporting reports
  • Freezing during image import process
  • Device discovery never locates camera
Show 16 more
  • Select-all function selects but provides no action options
  • App becomes unresponsive after connecting to camera
  • Images import multiple times from single transfer
  • Temperature readings display incorrectly (Celsius vs Fahrenheit mismatch)
  • App crashes on iOS 15 and newer versions
  • Bluetooth import creates duplicate files
  • Streaming feature non-functional
  • Images lose thermal data when imported from Photos app
  • Cannot open files from Files or Photos app
  • Screen jumps while typing report details
  • Imported images not sorted or grouped properly
  • Thermal image and visible image different sizes after toggle
  • Connection error with IP address entry
  • App unresponsive with ad-hoc WiFi connections
  • PDF generation crashes application
  • Camera display shows basic thermal image with no controls after upload

Requested features

17 requests
  • Restore remote control capabilities for camera adjustment
  • Enable bulk select-all and batch delete/save operations
  • Add image editing features (palette, level, span adjustments)
  • Restore multiple report templates and layout options
  • Support for Bluetooth connectivity on older cameras
Show 12 more
  • Video streaming functionality
  • Cloud integration with FLIR Ignite
  • Ability to edit reports after publishing
  • Remove or disable watermark option
  • Volume button support for remote image capture
  • Direct email/export functionality from app
  • Support for more camera models (C3-X, E6-XT, TG267, etc.)
  • Swipe and long-press multi-select for images
  • Auto-pairing with discovered devices
  • Better image organization and sorting
  • Emissivity editing capability
  • Notes/annotations for video files

RIDGID Thermal

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App connects to network without permission
  • App requests location access
  • App doesn't take photos
  • App doesn't detect heat
  • App shows pre-taken photos
Show 3 more
  • App black screen on launch
  • App can't import photos
  • App can't connect camera to wifi

In-app purchases

None

FLIR Tools

No in-app purchases

None

RIDGID Thermal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FLIR Tools free?
FLIR Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RIDGID Thermal free?
RIDGID Thermal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FLIR Tools or RIDGID Thermal?
RIDGID Thermal is rated higher. FLIR Tools averages 1.8 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while RIDGID Thermal averages 1.8 from 128 ratings.
Do FLIR Tools or RIDGID Thermal have ads?
Neither FLIR Tools nor RIDGID Thermal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FLIR Tools or RIDGID Thermal?
FLIR Tools ships an update monthly, and RIDGID Thermal every 9 months. Most recently, FLIR Tools was updated on November 1, 2026 and RIDGID Thermal on November 3, 2026.

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