USB Connection Information vs LightDrop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
USB Connection Information
Verify the real performance of your USB and Lightning connections. Measure data transfer speeds, estimate charging wattage, and identify device capabilities. Perfect for ensuring your cables and chargers are working optimally.
- Data Speed Testing
- Charging Speed & Voltage Fingerprinting
- Charging Curve Logging
- Device Capability Identification
- Detailed Drive Info
- Test History
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That "fast" charging cable might just be standard speed. Your expensive external SSD might be throttled by a bad cable. USB Connection Information helps you verify the real performance of your devices USB and lightning connections. STOP GUESSING. START KNOWING. Verify the actual transfer speeds of your connected external drives and estimate the real wattage reaching your battery. Perfect for anyone who's ever wondered "is this cable actually fast?" or "is this charger working properly?" CORE FEATURES - Data Speed Testing: Measure actual read and write speeds of external USB and Lightning drives to ensure your storage isn't bottlenecked. - Charging Speed & Voltage Fingerprinting: Calculate the actual wattage reaching your battery and use unique charging fingerprinting to estimate the specific USB-PD voltage rail (e.g., 5V, 9V, 15V) powering your device. - Charging Curve Logging: Chart your entire charging session to see how power delivery changes as the battery fills. - Device Capability Identification: See the exact maximum data speeds and charging wattage your specific iPhone or iPad model supports. - Detailed Drive Info: View connected volume names, file system formats, and total/available capacities. - Test History: Save and review past test results to compare different drives, cables, and chargers. BUILT FOR YOUR WORKFLOW - Simple, one-tap testing for both data speeds and charging rates. - Intelligent warnings to prevent testing internal storage by mistake or causing excessive drive wear. - Clear visualizations for your connection speed (e.g. USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0). EFFICIENT & PRIVATE Native SwiftUI app with minimal resource usage. Your data never leaves your device: no tracking, no telemetry, and no cloud sync. TECHNICAL NOTE Due to iOS system limitations, charging wattage is estimated by measuring battery percentage changes over time. This represents the actual power reaching the battery rather than the total charger output. For the most accurate results, run charging tests when your battery is between 20% and 50% and screen brightness is low.
LightDrop
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LightDrop moves files between two devices that share no network. One screen shows a QR code, the other device's camera reads it. No Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth, no cable, no account, no server — just light. WHEN YOU NEED IT • An air-gapped or locked-down machine that will never join your network. • A work computer where USB ports are disabled and cloud drives are blocked. • Guest Wi-Fi that isolates every client, or a hotel network you would rather not trust. • A second screen nearby when email, cloud drives, and cables are not an option. • Anywhere a file has to cross an air gap and email is not an option. HOW IT WORKS • Pick text or a file on the sending device. LightDrop turns it into an animated QR stream. • Point the receiving device's camera at that screen. Fragments land continuously and the progress grid fills in. • Fountain coding means order does not matter and a dropped frame never restarts the transfer — keep the camera pointed and it completes. TURBO TRANSFER (PRO) • A binary QR fountain that packs a full 8 bits per byte instead of encoding through text — 10–30× the throughput of standard mode. • Up to 2900 bytes per frame, at up to 30 frames per second. • LightDrop to LightDrop. Standard mode stays on as a compatible fallback, and the receiver recognises both automatically with nothing to configure. PASSWORD ENCRYPTION (PRO) • Encrypt the payload with a password before it ever reaches the screen. • A bystander's camera can record every QR code and still get nothing without the password. • Standard AES-GCM. Nothing leaves your device to make it work. IMAGES, HANDLED • Photos are compressed automatically before sending, so a normal picture takes a minute or two rather than ten. • The receiving device previews the image inline and saves it to your photo library in one tap. • Images are detected by file content, not by file extension. NO NETWORK MEANS NO NETWORK • No account. No sign-in. No email address. • No server ever receives your data, because there is no server. • No analytics SDK, no advertising identifier, no third-party trackers. • Works in airplane mode, in a shielded room, or on a machine that has never been online. ONE PURCHASE, EVERY DEVICE LightDrop is the same app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Pro unlocks on every device signed in to your Apple Account with a single purchase. PRICING • Monthly — 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers, then renews automatically each month unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. • Lifetime — pay once and own it, with Family Sharing for everyone in your group. GOOD TO KNOW • Transfer speed depends on the sending screen's size and brightness, the receiving camera, and how steady you hold the device. Keep both screens clean and reasonably close. • Large files take real time. LightDrop estimates the duration before you start, so the decision is yours. — Privacy Policy: https://yangworks.dev/lightdrop/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ LightDrop Pro Monthly is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings after purchase. The Lifetime option is a one-time purchase with no renewal.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: LightDrop at Free against USB Connection Information's $9.99. USB Connection Information's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
LightDrop is free to download; USB Connection Information costs $9.99 up front. LightDrop sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. USB Connection Information asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | USB Connection Information | LightDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Gauthier | 杨 高 |
In-app purchases
USB Connection Information
No in-app purchases
LightDrop
- LightDrop Pro — Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- LightDrop Pro — Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is USB Connection Information free?
Is LightDrop free?
Do USB Connection Information or LightDrop have ads?
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