Comparison

STEELMAN vs AC Control

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

Head to head
About

STEELMAN

This app transforms your iOS device into a sound and vibration detection tool. It helps pinpoint defective or worn parts in machinery and vehicles by analyzing rattles, squeaks, and grinding sounds. Requires additional hardware for full functionality.

Highlights
  • Sound and vibration detection
  • Pinpoint defective parts
  • User-friendly interface
  • Analog/Digital display options
  • Adjustable sound settings
  • Informative user guide
Features
Read full description

Developed for the service technician in mind the STEELMAN SmartEAR LITE Sound & Vibration Detection app will assist in locating and pinpointing defective or worn parts in automobiles, heavy machinery or industrial equipment. When used to diagnose vibration, rattles, squeaks and grinding sounds, the SmartEAR LITE will simplify the task of locating and pinpointing the troubled area or part with ease. When used with our specially designed hardware kits your iOS device will be able to transform into a state of the art Sound & Vibration Detection Tool allowing for ease of locating and pinpointing those hard to find troubled areas or parts. ****NOTE: Additional hardware is required to use this app. For additional information on where to purchase this hardware, please visit https://www.jsproductsinc.com Features: User friendly interface and intuitive operation. Sound level reading displays average, peak and real-time values. Sound level readings are displayed in either Analog or Digital. Analog and Digital readings have 2 display panels the user can choose from. Analog Meter or Analog Wave-Form. Digital Numeric or Digital Bar Graph. Background sound off-setting, sample rates, decibel off-setting can be manually be set. Reset/Refresh buttons reset/refresh values to default settings. Sound Level Reading Sampling Rate Decibel Off-set Master Volume Control User information guide includes informative facts about sound perception and permissible noise level exposure as well as a sound level comparison reference chart. Additional Information: Required: Any iOS device running iOS5.0+. Recommended: iPhone 4 and newer/ iPod Touch 4 and newer. Compatible: iPad 2 and newer.

About

AC Control

Features
Read full description

One remote for every smart air conditioner in your home. AC Control discovers and operates Wi-Fi air conditioners on your local network without forcing you to install a separate app for every brand. Open the app, tap Scan, and the units around you appear in seconds โ€” sorted by protocol, ready to control. The app reads accessories already paired in your Apple Home, listens for Matter announcements, polls Daikin BRP069 adapters via REST, and watches the standard broadcast ports used by Tuya, Midea, and Gree. No cloud round-trip. No login. No tracking. DETECTS - HomeKit accessories (mDNS _hap._tcp) โ€” Apple-certified ACs and thermostats - Matter 1.2+ devices (mDNS _matter._tcp + _matterc._udp) โ€” Room Air Conditioner cluster, Thermostat, Fan - Daikin BRP069A/B/C adapters (mDNS _dkapi._tcp + HTTP REST) โ€” native Daikin local API - Tuya / Smart Life devices (UDP broadcast 6666 / 6667) โ€” Midea, Hisense, TCL, Pioneer, Kelvinator and 500+ rebrands - Midea V3 native protocol (UDP broadcast 6445) โ€” Comfee, Toshiba Wi-Fi adapter, Senville, Inventor - Gree EWPE Smart (UDP broadcast 7000) โ€” Gree-branded ACs and global rebadges - Bluetooth Low Energy peripherals โ€” Matter commissioning, HomeKit Accessory Protocol BLE FEATURES - Live temperature dial with mode-aware color (cool / heat / dry / fan / auto) - Temperature controls with min and max limits read from each device - Mode selector โ€” auto, cool, heat, dry, fan - Fan speed picker โ€” auto, low, medium, high, turbo - Swing โ€” off, vertical, horizontal, both - Power toggle with sensory feedback - Per-protocol color-coded badges and capability chips - Pull-to-refresh scan - Empty state with clear next steps - Designed for iOS 26 with Liquid Glass effects and Dynamic Type - VoiceOver labels on every interactive element PRIVACY AC Control does not require an account. There is no signup, no profile, no cloud login. Every byte of discovery and control traffic stays inside your home network โ€” the app never sends your AC list, IP addresses, or commands to any server owned by us. - No third-party analytics SDKs - No advertising identifiers (IDFA, ATT) - No telemetry, no crash reporting, no fingerprinting - HomeKit framework data is read-only and used in-process - Local Network and Bluetooth permissions are used only for AC discovery - UserDefaults stores UI preferences only (selected tab, scan toggle) - Keychain stores Tuya local key credentials when you pair a Tuya AC, used solely for LAN control INDIE-BUILT, NO STRINGS AC Control is hand-built by an indie developer. No upsells, no nags, no tier system. Honest about what it does and what it doesn't โ€” Tuya, Midea, and Gree LAN scan requires Apple's multicast networking entitlement, which is approved per-app; the in-app banner makes the status visible. LINKS Privacy Policy: https://legal.ingenieria.dev/ac-control/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://legal.ingenieria.dev/ac-control/terms-of-use.html Support: https://legal.ingenieria.dev/ac-control/support.html License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

STEELMAN4 screens
AC Control4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: STEELMAN at Free against AC Control's $4.99. STEELMAN also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 26.0). AC Control's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 22 months). On ads and in-app purchases 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

STEELMAN is free to download; AC Control costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

STEELMAN ships an update every 22 months, AC Control every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 4 level
STEELMAN versus AC Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSTEELMANAC Control
PriceFree โ€” better$4.99
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsEvery 2 months โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS9.0 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size20 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJS Products, Inc.Christian Irack Flores Maldonado

In-app purchases

None

STEELMAN

No in-app purchases

None

AC Control

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is STEELMAN free?
STEELMAN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AC Control free?
AC Control costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do STEELMAN or AC Control have ads?
Neither STEELMAN nor AC Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, STEELMAN or AC Control?
STEELMAN ships an update every 22 months, and AC Control every 2 months. Most recently, STEELMAN was updated on October 2, 2026 and AC Control on October 12, 2026.

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