Comparison

GlassDNS vs NetForge

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

Head to head
About

GlassDNS

Manage your DNS records directly from your iPhone or iPad. This app supports multiple DNS providers and offers full record management, including adding, editing, and deleting various record types. It's designed with security and native iOS features in mind.

Highlights
  • Multi-provider DNS support
  • Full DNS record management
  • A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SRV record types
  • Secure API credential storage
  • Native iOS design with light/dark mode
  • Bilingual support (English & Chinese)
Features
Read full description

GlassDNS is a DNS management app that lets you manage DNS records right from your iPhone and iPad. MULTI-PROVIDER SUPPORT Connect multiple DNS providers in one app. Currently supports Cloudflare and Alibaba Cloud DNS, with more coming soon. FULL DNS RECORD MANAGEMENT - View, add, edit, and delete DNS records - Support for A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, and SRV record types - Filter and search records by type or name - Pull to refresh for real-time updates SECURE BY DESIGN - API credentials stored in iOS Keychain - All data stays on your device - No tracking or analytics NATIVE DESIGN - Built with native iOS 26 Liquid Glass controls - Light and dark mode, or follow the system - Three-column layout on iPad - Dynamic Type and VoiceOver support - Bilingual support (English & Chinese)

About

NetForge

This app provides over 60 industry-standard network diagnostic tools for engineers. It offers a one-time purchase for lifetime access to all features, including connectivity tests, email server analysis, and vendor command references.

Highlights
  • 60+ industry-standard network diagnostics
  • DNS, Ping, WHOIS, TLS inspection
  • Subnet calculator
  • Traceroute and TCP port scanning
  • Email server and VoIP testing
  • Offline vendor command references
  • One-tap diagnostic workflows (Recipes)
Features
Read full description

NetForge is the network engineer's pocket toolkit — 60+ industry-standard diagnostics in a single iOS app, with no subscription, no ads, and no recurring fees. Pay once, use forever. WHAT'S FREE • DNS Lookup — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, NS, SOA records • Ping — ICMP echo with packet loss + latency stats • Public IP / ASN — your external address and provider in one tap • Subnet Calculator — IPv4 + IPv6 CIDR math, wildcard masks, host counts, binary view • TLS Certificate Inspector — certificate chain, expiry, SAN, signature algorithm, grade • WHOIS Lookup — IANA referral chain for any domain or IP WHAT NETFORGE PRO UNLOCKS ($19.99 one-time) Connectivity & Performance • Traceroute (ICMP + UDP) • TCP port scan with banner grab • Speed test (download / upload / latency) • Cloud region pinger (AWS / GCP / Azure latency comparison) • HTTP latency benchmark with full timing breakdown Email Server Suite • SMTP probe with STARTTLS detection • IMAP / POP3 reachability • SPF, DMARC, DKIM analyzer • Email header parser • RBL / blacklist checker Microsoft 365 & Active Directory • Autodiscover (V2 + DNS lookup paths) • ActiveSync probe • Exchange Web Services probe • Office 365 service endpoints • AD port suite (Kerberos, LDAP, GC, RPC, SMB) • LDAP probe with anonymous bind • OpenID Connect discovery • RADIUS + TACACS+ authentication probes VoIP & Conferencing • SIP OPTIONS ping • STUN binding test (NAT type detection) • MOS / R-Factor calculator • Microsoft Teams network test • Zoom network test • Cisco Unified Communications port reference Vendor Command References Quick offline references for the syntax engineers actually need: • Cisco IOS / NX-OS • Juniper Junos • Palo Alto PAN-OS • Fortinet FortiOS • MikroTik RouterOS • Aruba ArubaOS / AOS-CX • Ubiquiti UniFi / EdgeOS Security & Web • HTTP request inspector (full headers + body) • Security headers grader (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame, more) • CDN detection • Cisco Type 7 password decoder Reference Tools • MAC OUI lookup (offline IEEE database) • IANA port reference • RFC quick-find • Linux networking cheatsheet • STP topology calculator • Database connectivity probe (MySQL, Postgres, Redis, Mongo, MSSQL, Oracle, Cassandra, Elasticsearch, CouchDB) • Bonjour / mDNS browser • Wake-on-LAN Recipes Chain multiple tools into one-tap diagnostic workflows: • Domain Health Check (DNS + TLS + headers + CDN) • Email Security Audit (SPF + DMARC + MX) • Mail Server Reachability • Office 365 Connectivity • VoIP Readiness • Domain Controller Sweep • Web Performance Audit Pro features include unlimited workspaces, saved targets, full run history, and every tool added in future updates. WHY ONE-TIME PRICING Network engineers don't want a subscription tax for a tool they use a few times a week. Pay $19.99 once. Use it forever. Future tools and updates included. PRIVACY NetForge runs every diagnostic on your device. Your queries don't go to a NetForge backend — they go directly from your iPhone to the host you're testing. We don't collect telemetry, we don't sell data, and we don't have ads. Privacy Policy: https://andyarevalo.com/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://andyarevalo.com/terms.html Support: https://andyarevalo.com/support.html

Screenshots

GlassDNS4 screens
NetForge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GlassDNS at none against NetForge's 1. NetForge's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. NetForge sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GlassDNS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for GlassDNS against 5.0 for NetForge. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GlassDNS ships an update every 7 months, NetForge weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
GlassDNS versus NetForge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlassDNSNetForge
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.417.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer良瑀 童Andy Arevalo

Customer experience

GlassDNS

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

NetForge

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

GlassDNS

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

NetForge

One-time1
  • NetForge Pro$19.99

Questions

Is GlassDNS free?
GlassDNS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NetForge free?
NetForge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GlassDNS or NetForge?
GlassDNS and NetForge are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do GlassDNS or NetForge have ads?
Neither GlassDNS nor NetForge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GlassDNS or NetForge?
GlassDNS ships an update every 7 months, and NetForge weekly. Most recently, GlassDNS was updated on October 31, 2026 and NetForge on October 31, 2026.

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