Comparison

MQTT vs IoT Central

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

Head to head
About

MQTT

Features
Read full description

The app has a control range with the ability to control between zero and five lights and doors, depending on the use case. By means of a red-green indicator, the user is shown the connection status of the server. In the settings area of the app the server connection details can be entered. Depending on the use case, the controls for the lights or doors can be switched on and off. For the individual lights and doors, the corresponding theme as well as the message can be set. In addition, further settings for the transmission can be selected.

About

IoT Central

Features
Read full description

With this app you can create an easy to use IoT Dashboard for you and your client. Features: 1. Can run as always on Dashboard. 2. Supports both MQTT (TCP) and Websocket protocol. 3. SSL for secure communication. 4. JSON Support for both subscribe and publish message. 5. Panels subscribe and / or publish the topic automatically, hence get updated in real time. 6. Designed to work with public broker efficiently (using device prefix). 7. Sent and Received timestamp from broker. 8. Material design. 9. Flexible panel width, merge any panels 10. More than 250 icons to customize specific panels. 11. Dark theme for comfortable use in low light. 12. Clone connection, device or panel for effortless configuration 13. Import/Export application configuration for easy share with multiple devices. 14. Re-connects automatically if connection lost. 15. Persist export message for log and graph. Available panels: -Button -Slider -Switch -LED Indicator -Combo Box -Radio Buttons -Multi-State Indicator -Progress -Gauge -Color Picker -Time Picker -Text Input -Text Log -Image -Barcode Scanner -Line graph -Bar graph -Chart -URI Launcher This list will grow upon feedback from users. Your feedback is much appreciated. If you find any issue please feel free to leave a comment in my blog with steps to reproduce. https://blog.snrlab.in/iot/iot-mqtt-panel-user-guide/

Screenshots

MQTT4 screens
IoT Central4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: IoT Central at every 9 days against MQTT's every 11 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MQTT ships an update every 11 months, IoT Central every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
MQTT versus IoT Central: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMQTTIoT Central
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 9 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarco GasserRahul Kundu

In-app purchases

None

MQTT

No in-app purchases

None

IoT Central

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MQTT free?
MQTT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IoT Central free?
IoT Central is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MQTT or IoT Central have ads?
Neither MQTT nor IoT Central shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MQTT or IoT Central?
MQTT ships an update every 11 months, and IoT Central every 9 days. Most recently, MQTT was updated on September 12, 2026 and IoT Central on September 13, 2026.

Other comparisons