mDNSShark vs PingKit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
mDNSShark
Discover and analyze devices on your local network. This tool reveals what services devices are broadcasting, maps network topology, and assesses security risks. It offers packet capture and optional TLS inspection for deeper insights into network traffic.
- Device discovery (mDNS, SSDP/UPnP)
- Network topology mapping
- Security risk assessment
- Packet capture and export
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
- Optional TLS inspection
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mDNSShark is an open-source network scanner for iPhone, built for privacy-minded engineers and anyone curious about what is on their Wi-Fi. It listens to Multicast DNS (mDNS), DNS-SD (Bonjour) and SSDP/UPnP to find printers, cameras, media servers, smart home gear and other services on your local network, with no setup and no account. FOR CURIOUS MINDS Ever wondered what your TV, thermostat or camera is saying on your network? mDNSShark shows you: what a device announces about itself, which ports answer, and what your phone talks to. Built by engineers for the curious minded and explorers, with literal values and nothing hidden. WHAT YOU GET - Device discovery: Bonjour/mDNS, SSDP/UPnP, an ARP table read and a light sweep of your own subnet, with MAC vendor lookup. A long list of Bonjour service types is browsed, including cameras, Matter, Thread, appliances and 3D printers. - See what a device says about itself: TXT records are listed exactly as received, and vendors come from the device's own claim or its MAC. - Topology: a map of how devices connect, centered on your gateway, with devices on other networks shown apart. A Networks sheet lists this phone's networks, gateways and off-network devices. - Security assessment: flags risky exposed services such as Telnet, FTP, SMB and RTSP, and checks device manufacturers against CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and the NVD. Only ports confirmed by a real connection are listed as open. - Probe this device: on request, and behind a confirmation, send the standard probes to a single address on another network. Devices that were never probed say Not probed. - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets: Devices Online, Scan Now and Security at a Glance. On iOS 26 and later, Scan Now starts a scan right from the widget. - Packet capture: see which servers your phone talks to (DNS lookups, IP addresses, ports), capture mDNS traffic, and export to pcap for Wireshark. - TLS Inspection (optional subscription): decrypt and read your own device's HTTPS traffic using a certificate you install and trust, with a bypass list for apps you want left alone. PRIVACY Scans and analysis run on your phone. Your device list and scan results are never uploaded; only vendor names are sent to the NVD when you tap Refresh CISA Data. Widgets read a snapshot stored on your device. There is no telemetry, no analytics, and no trackers. Two things leave your device, and both are visible to you: while Packet Capture is on, DNS lookups go to the resolver you choose (Google Public DNS by default), and the Refresh CISA Data button you tap yourself downloads CISA's public catalog and asks the NVD about device vendors seen on your network. Discovery needs only local network access; Packet Capture also asks you to allow a VPN configuration. SUPPORT ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT The optional TLS Inspection subscription helps fund active development of mDNSShark: new features, fixes and upkeep. SUBSCRIPTION TLS Inspection Monthly is an auto-renewing monthly subscription. The price and any free trial are shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, or when a free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel any time in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Discovery, scans, and the Security tab are free. OPEN SOURCE AND YOUR VOICE mDNSShark is built in the open and your ideas shape it. Found a bug or want a feature? Open an issue and tell us. Contributions are welcome too. Bugs and feature requests: https://github.com/Shapehaven-Innovations/mDNSShark/issues Source code: https://github.com/Shapehaven-Innovations/mDNSShark Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://shapehaveninnovations.com/privacy.html
PingKit
Diagnose and monitor your network performance with a suite of professional tools. Identify internet speed issues, track website uptime, and gain insights into your network's health. Offers AI-powered explanations for complex network problems.
- WiFi speed testing
- Network diagnostics
- Uptime monitoring
- AI-powered explanations
- Device discovery
- Port scanning
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Is it your Wi-Fi, or is it your ISP? PingKit Guardian finds out, with a 1-week free trial. It tests your iPhone, your network, your router and the internet beyond it, then tells you in plain words where the problem is and what to do about it. While you are away, Guardian keeps watch: 10 sites or TCP ports checked every 5 minutes, with an alert when one goes down or recovers. The tools are free: 19 professional-grade network tools, no subscription needed. Devices on your network are found automatically and named from what they announce. Ask "Why is my internet slow?" and get a real answer instead of a number. GUARDIAN ($2.99/mo): • Where the problem is: your device, your network, your router, your ISP, or beyond • Fix It walkthrough: an ordered checklist for your exact router • Uptime Watch: 10 sites or TCP ports, checked every 5 minutes • Cert Monitor: 5 domains, with expiry alerts • Session Watch: game regions, two-hour sessions, lag under load, and where the lag is • Router mode: every port your router forwards from the internet • Cameras on your network, and whether each answers from the internet • Wake from anywhere through your Mac, with a Control Center button per device • Watch Mode, trends per network, and what changed since your last checkup • Monitoring through the companion Mac Agent while your Mac is awake: a morning briefing, alerts for the devices you choose, and a scan or speed test from anywhere • 90 days of history from your Mac • Apple Private Cloud Compute: answers questions too large for the model on your iPhone to hold on its own • Private iCloud sync between the Mac Agent and your iPhone GUARDIAN PLUS ($9.99/mo): • Cert Monitor: 50 domains • Alerts by email, with a Monday summary, or to a webhook • Sleep, restart and shut down your Macs and Linux machines • Four- and eight-hour gaming sessions, and your history as a spreadsheet • Several Macs • Scheduled reports and the signed ISO 27001 Compliance PDF • Everything in Guardian 19 FREE TOOLS: Smart Diagnostics, Speed Test, Ping, Visual Traceroute, MTR, Connection Monitor, Port Scanner, Bonjour Browser, Security Scan, Device Discovery, My Network, DNS Lookup, Whois, IP Geolocation, SSL Inspector, HTTP Analyzer, Subnet Calculator, Wake-on-LAN, Network Interfaces. AI THAT EXPLAINS YOUR NETWORK: Answers are written on your iPhone by Apple Intelligence where your iPhone and language allow, or with Guardian by Apple Private Cloud Compute. AI explanations and the assistant are free without a subscription: answers written on your iPhone are unlimited, and PingKit's own service gives you 15 a week, up to 5 a day. MONITOR TAB: Live connection, Uptime Watch, Cert Monitor, Mac Agent, scheduled speed tests and reports. Cert Monitor and Uptime Watch each include one permanently free slot. NEW IN 3.4: • Share Traceroute, Session Watch and Security Scan results as an image, without your Wi-Fi name or public IP address. • Traceroute explains the route in plain words. • History tells apart two networks that share a router address, and you can rename a network. • Devices recognizes many more kinds of device, from robot vacuums to solar inverters. • IPv6 across the tools. SIRI & SHORTCUTS: Speed test, "How's My Wi-Fi?", a gaming check, wake your computer, ping, port scan and DNS lookup, straight from Siri, Spotlight and Shortcuts. NOW IN 27 LANGUAGES. PRIVACY FIRST: All 19 diagnostic tools run on your device. No accounts, no tracking, no advertising. The Mac Agent syncs through your personal iCloud. When an answer needs PingKit's own service, PingKit asks first, and you can withdraw that permission at any time. PingKit Guardian: $2.99/mo or $24.99/yr. Guardian Plus: $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr. 1-week free trial on every plan. Cancel anytime. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pingkit.app/privacy-policy.html Terms of Service: https://pingkit.app/terms-of-service.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: PingKit at every 3 days against mDNSShark's every 2 weeks. PingKit also leads on ratings volume (15 vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. mDNSShark sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and PingKit sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for mDNSShark against 4.9 for PingKit. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PingKit has 15 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
mDNSShark ships an update every 2 weeks, PingKit every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | mDNSShark | PingKit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.9 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 15 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ShapeHaven Innovations LLC | PAUL SNYMAN |
Customer experience
mDNSShark
PingKit
In-app purchases
mDNSShark
- TLS Inspection Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
PingKit
- PingKit Guardian7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- PingKit Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- PingKit Guardian Plus7 Days trial$9.991 Month
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- PingKit Guardian7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- PingKit Guardian Plus7 Days trial$79.991 Year









