Comparison

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment vs Sm@rtClient

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

Sm@rtClient

Remotely operate and monitor industrial HMI systems from your mobile device. Access operator stations, view system layouts, and interact with hardware buttons via touch input. Supports various SIMATIC HMI systems and offers both view-only and coordinated operation modes.

Highlights
  • Remote operation of HMI systems
  • View-only monitoring mode
  • Coordinated operation with active remote control
  • Access to hardware buttons
  • Automatic HMI panel detection
  • Browser-based access to Unified Panels
  • WebView access to PLC webpages
Read full description

The SIMATIC WinCC Sm@rtClient App, in combination with the SIMATIC WinCC Sm@rtServer, allows remote mobile operation and observation of SIMATIC HMI systems over Industrial Ethernet/WLAN (wireless). The app offers support for WebClient on Unified Panels, expanding accessibility through browser-based interfaces. It also supports WebView-based access to legacy webpages on PLCs, enabling users to access View of Things (VoT) pages. The app is available for SIMATIC HMI Comfort Panels, SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Advanced, SIMATIC Unified Panels, and PLCs. The scope of the Sm@rtClient concept allows an operator station to make its display available to the app. The station takes on the role of a Sm@rtServer, while the smartphone or tablet acts as the Sm@rtClient. Sm@rtServer functionality can be easily enabled with a single mouse click in the device’s configuration settings. The screen can be displayed on the Sm@rtClient in "View only" mode, or a full-fledged, coordinated operation can be set up. Coordinated operation ensures that only one user has control at a time — either the operator station with Sm@rtServer or the Sm@rtClient app. Additionally, the app supports easy connection setup through automatic HMI panel detection. The Sm@rtClient app not only shows the selected HMI screen but also mirrors the complete device layout, including functional hardware buttons. This enables users to interact with the system as if they were physically present in front of the panel — except buttons are triggered via touch input on the mobile screen. Functions: * Access to operator stations for the operation and setup of large, spatially separated machines * Flexible solution for safe and location-independent access to operator stations * Global access to plants (e.g. for service or maintenance staff) * Full access to hardware buttons on your Comfort Panel * Easy discovery of available Sm@rtServers * Coordinated operation through active remote control * View-only mode for passive monitoring * Support for WebClient on Unified Panels for browser-based access * Support for WebView-based access to legacy webpages on PLCs, enabling access to View of Things (VoT) pages

Screenshots

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment3 screens
Sm@rtClient4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment at 53% against Sm@rtClient's 0%. HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 10 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.0). Sm@rtClient's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). 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. HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Sm@rtClient asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment ships an update every 6 weeks, Sm@rtClient every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment versus Sm@rtClient: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environmentSm@rtClient
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews53.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSweetWilliam, S.L.Siemens AG

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%

Sm@rtClient

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

Sm@rtClient

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 Sm@rtClient free?
Sm@rtClient is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Sm@rtClient have ads?
Neither HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment nor Sm@rtClient shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment or Sm@rtClient?
HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment ships an update every 6 weeks, and Sm@rtClient every 10 months. Most recently, HMI Draw, native HMI/SCADA development environment was updated on September 28, 2026 and Sm@rtClient on October 1, 2026.

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