Comparison

NetSupport Manager Control vs Supportwave

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

Head to head
About

NetSupport Manager Control

Access and manage remote computers from your iOS device. View, chat, and control PCs with full remote capabilities, including hardware inventory and secure encryption. Ideal for IT professionals needing on-the-go support.

Highlights
  • Remote control (view, share, control)
  • Text chat and messaging
  • Thumbnail view of connected clients
  • Hardware inventory reports
  • PIN Connect for instant user location
  • Secure encryption options
  • Multi-monitor support
Features
Read full description

The NetSupport Manager Control for iOS provides mobile remote control for existing NetSupport Manager remote control users remotely from any iPad, iPhone or iPod. The mobile Control allows a user to quickly search and connect to both local computers by either IP address or PC name, or to browse, connect and view remote computers utilizing the free NetSupport Manager Internet Gateway component. The NetSupport Manager Control provides full remote control, chat and message capabilities of any remote PC running an existing NetSupport Manager Client (version 11.04 or later). KEY FEATURES: Browse your local network or an established NetSupport Internet Gateway to find remote NetSupport Manager Clients. PIN Connect feature allows a technician to instantly locate a user anywhere across the enterprise simply by both parties entering a unique PIN code. Thumbnail view of each connected Client device. See a list of previously connected Clients for instant ongoing connectivity. ‘Recently Connected’ list provides quick access to the most recently viewed Clients. Remote Control – Watch (view only), Share (both parties can view and interact) or Control (remote screen and keyboard are locked) any NetSupport Manager-enabled remote PC. View the remote PC using pinch, pan and zoom to highlight key screen information. Toggle between ‘touch’ and ‘cursor/mouse pointer’ mode if more accuracy is required when controlling a remote Client machine. Adjust color depth during remote control sessions from full color, to 256, 16 or just 2 colors when reading remote documents. Conduct a text chat session with the remote user. Send a message to the remote user with an optional time-out facility. Ideal for alerting your users of impending server or email maintenance. Generate a full hardware inventory report for a remote device on demand. Includes powerful compression to minimize data usage. Use 64, 128 or 256-bit encryption for each session. Multi-monitor support. Utilize unique security keys to ensure your copy of NetSupport Manager is only accessible to your users. One-click send Ctrl+Alt+Delete for remote login or PC management. GETTING STARTED 1) Install this free NetSupport Manager Control app on your Apple iOS device. 2) If you are new to NetSupport Manager, you will need to download and install the NetSupport Manager Client software on each of the computers that you want to remote control. Visit the NetSupport Manager website for download instructions. 3) Wirelessly connect your device to the same network as the client computers (or for anywhere access, install the free NetSupport Gateway, designed to support this scenario. Refer to the NetSupport Manager website for help configuring the Gateway). 4) From the NetSupport Manager Control browse and find your Clients. 5) Select a Client and choose to View, Chat or send a Message.

About

Supportwave

Manage your workforce, devices, networks, and applications from one platform. Access a network of skilled IT experts for efficient support and to enhance your business IT operations. IT technicians can also join to offer their services and earn.

Highlights
  • Workforce management
  • Device management
  • Network management
  • Application management
  • On-demand IT expert access
  • Remote IT infrastructure monitoring
Features
Read full description

Supportwave's companion app for techs and field engineers working on the Supportwave Platform. It's the tool you use to do the job: pick up assignments, run calls, update work in the field, and clear your queue without opening a laptop. Built for people doing the work: Between jobs, on a callout, or covering on-call at 2 am, Supportwave keeps your tickets, your calls, and your customer context in one place. • Pick up jobs assigned to you. Notes, photos, time logs, status. All from the phone. • Open a ticket and see everything that matters: history, attachments, last actions, who touched it last. • Reply to customer chats without leaving the ticket thread. • Send quotes and invoices the moment work is signed off. • Snap photos straight into a ticket or invoice from the camera. • Manage your skills so the right jobs land in your queue. The Field First Details: • Face ID and fingerprint unlock - fast in, fast out. • Push notifications for new assignments, replies, and escalations. Silence the rest. • Dark mode that won't blind you on a 6 am job. • Tablet support for techs who work off an iPad on the bench. • Background voice and audio so calls survive a screen lock. What you get back: Less laptop. Less app-switching. Less "I'll update the ticket when I'm back at my desk." Tickets close faster. Customers get answers sooner. Your queue stays clean. Privacy & Security: • Biometric unlock secures your session on shared or lost devices. • Camera, mic, and notifications are all permission-gated. REQUIRES A SUPPORTWAVE TECHNICIAN ACCOUNT This app is for technicians already signed up on the Supportwave platform. Bug, request, or stuck? Tap Settings → Help inside the app, or email support@supportwave.com.

Screenshots

NetSupport Manager Control4 screens
Supportwave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NetSupport Manager Control at 74% against Supportwave's 43%. NetSupport Manager Control also leads on rating (3.5 vs 3.2) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Supportwave's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (11 vs 2). On price, 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

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

NetSupport Manager Control holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Supportwave has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of NetSupport Manager Control's written reviews are positive against 43% of Supportwave's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NetSupport Manager Control ships an update every 2 months, Supportwave every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NetSupport Manager Control versus Supportwave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNetSupport Manager ControlSupportwave
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings) — better3.2 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings211 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.3 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNetSupport LtdSupportwave LTD

Customer experience

NetSupport Manager Control

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative23.7%

Supportwave

All ratings11 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative45.5%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%

In-app purchases

None

NetSupport Manager Control

No in-app purchases

None

Supportwave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NetSupport Manager Control free?
NetSupport Manager Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Supportwave free?
Supportwave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NetSupport Manager Control or Supportwave?
NetSupport Manager Control is rated higher. NetSupport Manager Control averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Supportwave averages 3.2 from 11 ratings.
Do NetSupport Manager Control or Supportwave have ads?
Neither NetSupport Manager Control nor Supportwave shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NetSupport Manager Control or Supportwave?
NetSupport Manager Control ships an update every 2 months, and Supportwave every 3 days. Most recently, NetSupport Manager Control was updated on September 28, 2026 and Supportwave on October 19, 2026.

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