Comparison

mDNSShark vs BeaconWave

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Device discovery (mDNS, SSDP/UPnP)
  • Network topology mapping
  • Security risk assessment
  • Packet capture and export
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Optional TLS inspection
Features
Read full description

mDNSShark is a network scanner for your WiFi and LAN. It finds every device with Bonjour, mDNS, SSDP, ARP and a port scan, names cameras, speakers, smart home gear and NAS boxes, and flags risky open ports. Capture your phone's packets, export a PCAP, and optionally inspect HTTPS. Open source, no account, no tracking: every scan runs on your iPhone. 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

About

BeaconWave

Features
Read full description

The complete Bluetooth toolkit for developers and engineers. BeaconWave lets you manage, scan, and broadcast Bluetooth beacons — all from one app. Whether you're testing a beacon installation or building an indoor positioning system, everything you need is right here. MANAGE YOUR BEACONS Register beacons with UUID, Major, and Minor values. Your entire beacon inventory, organized and always at hand. SCAN FOR iBEACONS Add scan target UUIDs — preset or custom — and detect iBeacon signals in range. Know exactly which beacons are broadcasting nearby. DISCOVER BLE DEVICES Switch to BLE mode to scan for any Bluetooth device around you. Signal strength in dBm and proximity labels, updated in real time. BROADCAST YOUR OWN Turn your iPhone into an iBeacon. Configure UUID, Major, Minor, and TX Power to simulate any beacon — no extra hardware needed. Add a name and memo to track your test setups. Perfect for: • Retail beacon deployment and testing • Indoor navigation development • IoT and smart space prototyping • Bluetooth education and exploration

Screenshots

mDNSShark4 screens
BeaconWave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BeaconWave at none against mDNSShark's 1. BeaconWave also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.2). 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. mDNSShark sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. BeaconWave asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
mDNSShark versus BeaconWave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermDNSSharkBeaconWave
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.215.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShapeHaven Innovations LLCHironori Tsumuraya

In-app purchases

1 purchases

mDNSShark

Subscriptions1
  • TLS Inspection Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
None

BeaconWave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is mDNSShark free?
mDNSShark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BeaconWave free?
BeaconWave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do mDNSShark or BeaconWave have ads?
Neither mDNSShark nor BeaconWave shows ads.

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