Tablet Command vs ICS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tablet Command
This app provides tactical incident management tools for emergency responders on iPads. It allows users to drag and drop units, track progress with checklists, and time-stamp actions. Reports can be exported for after-action analysis, enhancing safety and organization during emergencies.
- Drag and drop unit assignments
- Automatic PAR timers
- Timestamped action logging
- Customizable checklists
- Incident report export
- Resource management
- Map and satellite views
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Tablet Command is the premier tactical worksheet app for iPad OS. Tablet Command was created by a team of career emergency responders and professional software developers and supports all-hazard incident command and incident management. Tap and drag units into assignments, map progress against critical checklists, and time-stamp every action throughout an incident. Tablet Command is a real-time incident command platform designed for emergency response operations, helping incident commanders manage resources, assignments, and accountability with clarity and speed. POWERFUL COMMAND FEATURES ON YOUR iPAD: - Drag and drop units to create assignments and set automatic PAR timers - Toggle between scene views: satellite, map or units view - Automatically timestamp every action - Create groups and divisions that can accept multiple units - User-defined work and PAR timers - Export time-stamped incident reports directly off the fire ground via e-mail or SMS - Increase safety by recognizing crew fatigue with automatic work timers per unit - Assess overall incident status at a glance - Track elapsed incident time to the second from anywhere on the fireground - Configure and customize an unlimited number of resources - Create and use customized checklists for any type of emergency - Manage resources in a map view (Especially useful for wildland) - Export detailed incident data to support after-action analysis Tablet Command provides an all-risk incident command system (ICS)- aligned response, accountability, and resource management solution. INTERNET CONNECTION IS NOT REQUIRED FOR CORE FUNCTIONALITY TABLET COMMAND IS AN IDEAL TRAINING PLATFORM for aspiring incident managers and will be a trusted companion for veteran managers in real-time emergency management. Incident commanders who use Tablet Command are more organized and more apt to follow standard operating guidelines. TABLET COMMAND ENTERPRISE Tablet Command is also available as an enterprise solution for your department. ENTERPRISE FEATURES: - CAD Integration - requires custom development - Customize Mapping - Supports ArcGIS Online Integration to support customized web maps for your agency - Staffing Integration - supports various staffing solutions including Telestaff, Crewsense, CAD, etc - Automatic vehicle location (AVL) of units on the map - Transfer Command of incidents in progress to other incident managers - Fire Mapper Enterprise integration to display live Fire Mapper layers on the incident map - Standardize checklists, resources, and assignments department wide - View incidents and CAD comments from CAD feed - Auto-populate units assigned to incident from CAD feed - Configure and share resources via a web portal Location services disclaimer: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
ICS
This application simplifies the creation and sharing of ICS-214 forms. It offers an intuitive workflow for adding details and activity entries, with offline capabilities for uninterrupted work. Users can pre-populate forms with default fields to save time during ongoing incidents.
- Friendly workflow for details and entries
- Offline authoring and editing
- Shareable ICS-214 form export
- Set default fields for pre-population
- Optimized for field use
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An easy-to-use app to help prepare and share the ICS-214 form. Friendly workflow: Add details and activity entries using a friendly workflow optimized for field use. Work Offline: Designed to work completely offline for authoring and editing activity details even while off the grid. Share Official ICS-214: When connectivity is available, use the share option to export or send out a copy of the ICS-214 form. Set Default Fields: Use the "214 Default Fields" option in settings to set defaults that will pre-populate new ICS-214 forms upon creation. This will save time when working the same incident and/or with the same team for multiple operational periods. Coming next: Support for spreadsheet format, preview the form, edit filename, attach images & location, electronically sign PDFs, and more.
Screenshots
Verdict
Tablet Command and ICS both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of ICS's written reviews are positive against 75% of Tablet Command's. ICS also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Tablet Command against 4.2 for ICS. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 6 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Tablet Command's written reviews are positive against 86% of ICS's.
| Parameter | Tablet Command | ICS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (14 ratings) | 4.2 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 14.0.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 222 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tablet Command, Inc | Mike Comer |
Customer experience
Tablet Command
ICS
In-app purchases
Tablet Command
No in-app purchases
ICS
No in-app purchases









