Comparison

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment vs Remote PLC

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

Head to head
About

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment

Create custom industrial monitoring and control interfaces on iOS devices. Design dynamic dashboards with various elements and connect them to PLC systems. Develop and test projects for free, with activation fees for deployment.

Highlights
  • Customizable page layouts
  • Real-time monitoring and control
  • Support for major PLC brands
  • On-screen project editing
  • Export/import project and asset files
  • Cloud storage and deployment options
  • Native PLC communication protocols
Features
Read full description

HMI Draw is a *native* iOS application for creating Human Machine Interfaces for real time monitoring and control of industrial PLC based systems and processes. Data is presented in highly customizable page layouts much like a presentations app. Who's this for. The app is aimed at automation engineers or industrial machine manufacturers on many sectors including but not limited to building automation, industrial processing, power plants, water plants, industrial equipment, transportation and so on, who want to provide instant, reliable access to real time data right from iOS devices. What you'll get for the price of the app. HMI Draw allows you to create efficient, advanced, highly responsive "Human Machine Interfaces" right on your iPad screen with unprecedented ease of use and fun. The HMI Draw app is fully native and supports all major Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) brands. For the price of the app (FREE) you can *fully* develop and test projects of any complexity. No restrictions on number of pages, tags or PLCs are applied at this stage. You only pay for project activations when you are ready to deploy to end users. HMI Draw essential Features. - Very fast, launches and connects immediately regardless of project size. - All data types including Strings, Arrays and Dictionaries fully supported. - HMI Projects are edited on-screen as you run and monitor your process. - You can export and edit your project files as text on your PC or Mac. - Export/import asset files such as images, pdfs or audio files from HMI Draw to your PC or Mac. - Optional project storage in the cloud and easy deployment to end users devices. - Native PLC communication protocols. Connections are performed with no intermediate servers or boxes. - Major PLC brands supported, including: Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi, Omron, Opto 22, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Wago. - TCP/IP based security. Getting Started: creating a HMI Pad project. Projects are created like a mix of PowerPoint and Excel. The concept is quite simple. You lay out elements such as Sliders, Switches, Buttons, Images, Text Fields, Knobs, Trends, Gauges, Bar Indicators, Web browser, Array pickers, even Gesture Recognizers and much more onto pages. You connect on-screen objects with iPad sensors and PLC tags through simple links or powerful expressions. That's it !!. The result is a stunning, dynamic, real-time presentation of your PLC controlled process as you'd never imagined. Examples Ready for You. Explore the examples and take the liberty to make changes on them. Create your own test projects from scratch or based on the examples. HMI Draw will comprehensively tell you what inconsistencies or problems there may be in your project as you build them. New examples are being added on a regular basis or by user request. What's Next. There’s a lot more that we haven’t mentioned here, such as the page navigation interface, the embedded file server, the model browser, the model seeker, the automatic expression completer, the inspector viewer, alarm notifications, iPad sensors, bar code scanner, user access levels, password on launch, PLC validation codes, individual tag diagnostics, background processing, automatic network switching, and much much more. You surely will identify some of these features by just exploring the app, but the single source where everything is covered is the HMI Draw Reference Manual. Feel free to download it from our site and look at the full possibilities, you’ll love the product. Technical Support. We provide a free on-line support service based on public forums on our web site: http://www.sweetwilliamsl.com/support/forums Or through direct email: support@sweetwilliamsl.com. We also hold a public youTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/hmipad. Feel free to direct your questions, suggestions or feedback to any of the above. We'll be happy to hear from you.

About

Remote PLC

Monitor and control Automationdirect.com's CLICK and CLICK PLUS Programmable Logic Controllers in real time. View and edit PLC registers, check project information, and manage user accounts with customizable monitor windows.

Highlights
  • Real-time monitoring and control
  • View and edit PLC registers
  • Multiple level user accounts
  • Customizable monitor windows
  • Access PLC error logs
  • Check PLC project information
Features
Read full description

Remote PLC is an application for real time monitoring and control for the CLICK and CLICK PLUS Programmable Control product lines offered by Automationdirect.com. For this app to function as designed, a CLICK PLC with ethernet or Bluetooth support is required. The Remote PLC app offers a quick method of connecting to a PLC to view and edit values in the PLC registers, as well as check the PLC project information, including the Error logs. Main Features: -Multiple Level User Accounts. Once connected, the authorized users can view and edit Monitor Windows based on their permission levels setup in the project file. -Custom Monitor windows can be created and stored to the PLC using the CLICK Programming software version 3.60 or later. Monitor Window access can be based on the user permissions. - Monitor and edit designated discrete and integer values within the PLC. Timer / Counter values can easily be viewed and edited. - PLC type and status, such as PLC Error Logs, scan times (Min and Max), as well as Project file information. Requirements: • All current CLICK and CLICK PLUS PLCs with ethernet/Bluetooth support the Remote PLC app. • The PLC must be using firmware Version 3.60 or later. • CLICK Programming Software Version 3.60 or later is required to program and configure the PLC to support the Remote PLC App. • The CPU must have compatible network settings with the device running the Remote PLC App.

Screenshots

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment3 screens
Remote PLC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment at 53% against Remote PLC's 0%. HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.1). Remote PLC's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, 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. HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Remote PLC asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Remote PLC holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 53% of HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment's written reviews are positive against 0% of Remote PLC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment ships an update every 6 weeks, Remote PLC every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment versus Remote PLC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environmentRemote PLC
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (7 ratings)4.3 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSweetWilliam, S.L.Automationdirect.com

Customer experience

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative40.0%

Remote PLC

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment

One-time3
  • Activation for One Use$149.99
  • Activation for Five Uses$449.99
  • Activation for Ten Uses$799.99
None

Remote PLC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment free?
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Remote PLC free?
Remote PLC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Remote PLC?
Remote PLC is rated higher. HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment averages 3.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Remote PLC averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.
Do HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Remote PLC have ads?
Neither HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment nor Remote PLC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Remote PLC?
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment ships an update every 6 weeks, and Remote PLC every 5 months. Most recently, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment was updated on June 11, 2026 and Remote PLC on September 9, 2026.

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