Comparison

NetSupport Manager Control vs thinkCLI

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

thinkCLI

Features
Read full description

thinkCLI gives network engineers instant visibility into their firewalls. Connect to your FortiGate or Cisco FDM device, view live status across six dashboard cards, and run comprehensive AI-powered security audits — all from your iPhone or iPad. DASHBOARD AT A GLANCE • Interfaces — See what's up, what's down, IP assignments, and traffic stats • Firewall Policies — Browse all rules with hit counts and last-used timestamps • VPN Tunnels — Monitor IPSec tunnel status and encryption settings • System Info — Model, firmware version, serial number, and uptime • Admin Users — Review accounts and privilege levels • HA Status — Cluster sync state and failover readiness (FortiGate) Each card shows cached data instantly, with manual refresh when you need the latest. AI-POWERED SECURITY AUDITS Tap "Start Audit" to run a deep security assessment of your firewall configuration. Our AI analyzes your policies, interfaces, VPN settings, and admin accounts to identify: • Overly permissive rules • Unused or shadowed policies • Weak authentication settings • Missing security best practices • Configuration inconsistencies Audits typically complete in 2-5 minutes. View detailed findings as a comprehensive markdown report you can share with your team. BUILT FOR NETWORK PROS • Connect via HTTPS to devices on your local network or through VPN • Credentials stored securely in iOS Keychain with biometric protection • Works offline — cached dashboard data available without network access • Universal app optimized for iPhone and iPad SUPPORTED DEVICES • Fortinet FortiGate (REST API) • Cisco Firepower Device Manager (FDM) SUBSCRIPTION • Free: 3 security audits to get started • Premium: 20 audits per month Privacy-focused: Your device credentials never leave your phone. Audit analysis is performed server-side with configuration data transmitted securely.

Screenshots

NetSupport Manager Control4 screens
thinkCLI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NetSupport Manager Control at none against thinkCLI's 1. NetSupport Manager Control also leads on iOS requirement (12.3 vs 18.6). On price, ads 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. thinkCLI sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per month. NetSupport Manager Control asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
NetSupport Manager Control versus thinkCLI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNetSupport Manager ControlthinkCLI
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.3 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNetSupport LtdBlue Sodium Corp

In-app purchases

None

NetSupport Manager Control

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

thinkCLI

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$29.991 Month

Questions

Is NetSupport Manager Control free?
NetSupport Manager Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is thinkCLI free?
thinkCLI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NetSupport Manager Control or thinkCLI have ads?
Neither NetSupport Manager Control nor thinkCLI shows ads.

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