NCITE® Mobile Detective vs Cognito
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NCITE® Mobile Detective
This application provides law enforcement officials with secure access to NCIC and NLETS databases. It allows for querying individuals, vehicles, articles, and firearms, while complying with FBI CJIS Security Requirements. DL photos are available for participating states.
- Access NCIC and NLETS databases
- Query individuals, vehicles, articles, and guns
- Comply with CJIS Security Requirements
- FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption
- Retrieve DL photos from participating states
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FOR OFFICIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT USE ONLY -- UNAUTHORIZED ATTEMPTS TO ACCESS FBI AND STATE DATABASES ARE LOGGED AND REPORTED NCITE(R) Mobile Detective is an application designed for law enforcement officials to access information from NCIC and NLETS. The application complies with CJIS Security Requirements established by the FBI, including FIPS compliant encryption methods. With NCITE Mobile Detective, you can query individuals, vehicles, articles, guns, and boats, as well as perform many other NLETS queries. The application returns DL photos for all states that participate in photo queries (most states). Agencies interested can visit www.ncite.com.
Cognito
Access information and knowledge rapidly with this search tool. It also provides a convenient history of your past queries for easy reference.
- Quick information search
- Knowledge access
- Search history tracking
- User-friendly interface
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Cognito lets you quickly search for information and knowledge, and you can also see a history of your searches!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Cognito at every 5 weeks against NCITE® Mobile Detective's every 10 months. Cognito also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). NCITE® Mobile Detective's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 4.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NCITE® Mobile Detective holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 5 respectively.
NCITE® Mobile Detective ships an update every 10 months, Cognito every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NCITE® Mobile Detective | Cognito |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) — better | 4.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HID Global | Renasnce Studios Ltd |
Customer experience
NCITE® Mobile Detective
Cognito
In-app purchases
NCITE® Mobile Detective
No in-app purchases
Cognito
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NCITE® Mobile Detective free?
Is Cognito free?
Which has better reviews, NCITE® Mobile Detective or Cognito?
Do NCITE® Mobile Detective or Cognito have ads?
Which is updated more often, NCITE® Mobile Detective or Cognito?
Other comparisons
