# Network Lab vs Smart Home Playground

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smart Home Playground at none against Network Lab's 1. Smart Home Playground also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Network Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Smart Home Playground asks for nothing beyond the download.

Network Lab ships an update every 9 months, Smart Home Playground every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Network Lab | Smart Home Playground |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-home-playground/id6776854910/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **4** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 40 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Lauer](https://appshunter.io/developer/300205595) | [ARSHAM HATAMBEIKI](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776854912) |

## What reviewers say

### Network Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/network-lab/id6737435505)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unbegrenzte Benutzung | $9.99 | one-time |


### Smart Home Playground

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-home-playground/id6776854910)

Discover and visualize all devices connected to your home Wi-Fi network. This privacy-focused tool uses on-device AI to identify gadgets, services, and protocols, making your smart home ecosystem visible and manageable.

**Highlights:** Deep network scanning, Intelligent device identification, Service and protocol interrogation, Interactive visual network diagram, Universal Apple native app, 100% private, zero data harvesting

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Network Lab free?

Network Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Smart Home Playground free?

Smart Home Playground is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Network Lab or Smart Home Playground have ads?

Neither Network Lab nor Smart Home Playground shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Network Lab or Smart Home Playground?

Network Lab ships an update every 9 months, and Smart Home Playground every 2 months. Most recently, Network Lab was updated on September 17, 2026 and Smart Home Playground on September 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*