Comparison

Smart Dash vs LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager

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

Head to head
About

Smart Dash

Read full description

Smart Dash is two things in one app: a no-code dashboard builder for real-time data, and a toolbox of IoT clients for the device on your bench. Connect a source, name the values you care about, drop widgets on a dashboard. From a raw endpoint to a live gauge in about five minutes, with no code. Six protocols, plus static values • MQTT: subscribe to topics with wildcards, publish to control • HTTP / REST: poll any endpoint with GET, POST, PUT, PATCH or DELETE • WebSocket: a persistent two-way stream, with per-tag message filters • Server-Sent Events (SSE): one-way push that reconnects itself • Socket.IO: named events, namespaces and custom paths • Bluetooth Low Energy: connect over GATT, or read broadcast beacons • Static values: fixed labels and placeholders Every protocol works on every plan. Reads and writes work on all of them, with JSON, raw bytes, hex, ASCII key:value, regex or your own parser, and byte-level addressing for binary payloads. Works with ESP32 and Arduino projects, Raspberry Pi scripts, Home Assistant, Node-RED, Shelly and Tasmota devices, energy monitors, and any REST API you already have. 15+ widgets, 20+ styles Sensor readouts, arc gauges, power meters and charts for reading. Buttons, switches, relays, sliders (horizontal, vertical and circular), light dimmers, fans, thermostats, selectors (segments, list or dropdown) and numeric inputs for writing back. Colour zones, units, decimals, icons and value transforms where needed. An IoT toolbox, included Seven standalone tools that need no dashboard, no account and no sign-up: • BLE Scanner: find devices, read and write their characteristics • Wi-Fi Provision: put an ESP32 onto your Wi-Fi network • API Tester: fire an HTTP request with any method, headers and body • MQTT Client: subscribe and publish against a broker • WebSocket Client: open a socket, exchange text or hex • SSE Client: watch an event stream, named events included • Socket.IO Client: connect, listen, emit, and see acknowledgements Useful on their own, and the fastest way to check that a device responds, and what it sends, before building a dashboard. Alerts on your terms Set rules on any widget (above, below, outside a range, equals) and get a notification when a reading crosses the line. Alerts are evaluated on the device and delivered as local notifications, so they work with no account and no cloud round-trip. Your data stays yours Smart Dash opens straight into a guest session. No sign-up wall, no account needed. Dashboards, sources and every credential you enter stay on your device. Sign in only if you want your dashboards backed up and waiting on your other devices, and room for more dashboards and sources. Signing in is free. The sensitive parts of a connection (API keys, tokens, passwords, and the addresses they reach) are encrypted on your device before anything is uploaded, with a key that never leaves your devices. We store the encrypted result and cannot read it. No advertising. No analytics SDK. Your phone talks to your devices directly. Plans Every protocol and every tool is available on every plan. Whether you sign in or stay a guest, you get a set number of dashboards, sources, and widgets per dashboard, plus one MQTT, one Bluetooth, and one Socket.IO connection at a time. HTTP, WebSocket, SSE, and Static sources have no such cap. Smart Dash Pro is an optional monthly subscription that removes the caps above. Good to know Alerts and live values need the app open on the dashboard. Smart Dash is not a safety, alarm, medical or life-critical system, please do not rely on it where a missed reading or a delayed alert could cause harm. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Smart Dash Terms: https://getsmartdash.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://getsmartdash.com/privacy

About

LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager

Manage LoRaWAN networks and devices from your mobile device. Monitor gateways, diagnose issues with AI assistance, and track device health with detailed metrics and charts. Supports offline operations and multiple server profiles.

Highlights
  • Device and gateway monitoring
  • Health scoring and trend tracking
  • AI-powered troubleshooting
  • Offline field operations
  • Multi-server profile support
  • Configurable alerts
Features
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LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager is a mobile operations kit for managing LoRaWAN networks powered by ChirpStack. Monitor devices, gateways, and applications from your phone — whether you're at your desk or in the field. DEVICE MANAGEMENT • View and manage all LoRaWAN devices with filtering, sorting, and map view • Scan QR codes on device packaging for instant lookup and onboarding • Add devices manually or from QR with pre-filled DevEUI and JoinEUI • Send downlink commands from a reusable command library • Compare health metrics across multiple devices side by side DEVICE HEALTH AND DIAGNOSTICS • Health scoring across four metrics: battery, connectivity, signal, and data quality • Interactive time-series charts with configurable date ranges • Trend tracking — see if devices are improving, stable, or declining • Battery chemistry detection with voltage curve analysis GATEWAY MONITORING • View gateway status, location, and last-seen timestamps • Edit gateway coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) • Optional Helium Hotspot monitoring alongside ChirpStack gateways ALERTS AND MONITORING • Configurable alert rules with critical, warning, and info severity levels • Track alerts through active, acknowledged, and resolved states • Inline actions to acknowledge or resolve alerts directly from the list AI-POWERED TROUBLESHOOTING (optional) • Natural language chat interface for diagnosing device issues • Automatic detection of common problems: offline devices, poor signal, battery drain • Actionable recommendations with direct links to affected devices • Powered by MoD AI — requires separate MoD backend configuration CONTACTS AND PHOTOS • Attach contact information and photos to devices, gateways, and applications • Profile-wide address book for quick field identification • Import and export contacts with optional image inclusion FIELD OPERATIONS • Site visit workflows with per-device checklists and progress tracking • Field technician access with read-only profiles • Shareable visit reports • Works offline — data persists locally and syncs when connectivity returns MULTI-SERVER PROFILES • Connect to multiple ChirpStack servers and switch between them • Import and export profiles for team onboarding • Auto-discover tenants or configure manually • Secure API token storage SETTINGS AND CUSTOMIZATION • Light, Dark, and Night (red-shifted) themes with system-auto option • Configurable startup screen: Home, Devices, or QR Scanner • Command library for reusable downlink templates with import/export HOW IT WORKS LoRACK! connects directly to your ChirpStack v4 server using gRPC-Web. No proxy or middleware is required — ChirpStack serves gRPC-Web natively. All data stays between your device and your server. REQUIREMENTS • A ChirpStack v4 server accessible from your device • A ChirpStack API token with appropriate permissions • Optional: MoD AI backend for AI-powered diagnostics SUPPORT • Email: support@nightjarsolutions.io • Web: nightjarsolutions.io

Screenshots

Smart Dash4 screens
LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager at none against Smart Dash's 4. Smart Dash's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Smart Dash sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smart Dash ships an update every 4 days, LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Smart Dash versus LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmart DashLoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGROSNET TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LIMITEDNightjar Solutions, LLC

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Smart Dash

Subscriptions1
  • Smart Dash Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
One-time3
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99
  • Buy me a meal$1.99
  • Big supporter$4.99
None

LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Smart Dash free?
Smart Dash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager free?
LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Smart Dash or LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager have ads?
Neither Smart Dash nor LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Smart Dash or LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager?
Smart Dash ships an update every 4 days, and LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager monthly. Most recently, Smart Dash was updated on November 8, 2026 and LoRACK! LoRaWAN Manager on November 9, 2026.

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