Comparison

PokePVE vs Specula

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

Head to head
About

PokePVE

Manage Proxmox VE virtual machines and containers directly from your iOS device. Offers full cluster overview, guest hardware editing, backup and snapshot management, and native VNC/terminal connections with a polished iOS experience.

Highlights
  • Full cluster overview with live metrics
  • Complete VM and container management
  • Edit guest hardware on the fly
  • Backup and snapshot creation/restoration
  • Full storage management
  • Native VNC client
  • Native terminal emulator
Features
Read full description

PokePVE is the Proxmox VE client built for people who run real infrastructure. Manage VMs and containers, edit guest hardware, handle backups and snapshots, browse storage, and connect via native VNC or terminal — all with a clean, native iOS experience that feels as complete as the Proxmox WebUI itself. No compromises. No missing features. Just Proxmox, properly. — FEATURES — - Full cluster overview See all your nodes, guests, and storage at a glance. Live CPU, memory, network, and disk metrics, updated in real time. - Complete VM and CT management Start, stop, reboot, clone, migrate, and destroy. Create new guests from scratch or from templates. Everything you'd do in the WebUI — in a few taps. - Edit guest hardware on the fly Adjust CPU cores, memory, disks, network adapters, PCI passthrough, and more. Something most clients simply don't offer. - Backups and snapshots, mastered Create, restore, schedule, and roll back — directly from your phone. - Storage, fully managed Browse ISOs, templates, backups, and volumes across all storage backends. Upload, delete, inspect — no need to switch to a browser. - Native VNC, built in SwiftUI A real VNC client, not a WebKit wrapper. Smooth, responsive, and designed for touch. Works with Linux desktops, Windows guests, and console sessions. - Native terminal emulator A proper terminal for xterm.js sessions and SSH-style workflows — with native iOS keyboard support and gesture controls. - Designed for iOS Pure SwiftUI. Dark mode. Dynamic Type. Haptics. The kind of polish you'd expect from a first-party app. — WHO IT'S FOR — - Sysadmins and DevOps engineers managing production clusters - Homelab enthusiasts running Proxmox at home - Developers spinning up test environments on the go - Anyone who's ever wished the Proxmox WebUI fit in their pocket — NOTES — - Requires a Proxmox VE server (version 7.x or later recommended) - Supports API token and username/password authentication - Works over LAN, VPN (WireGuard, Tailscale), or direct internet - No data collected. No accounts. Your server, your keys, your control. — DISCLAIMER — PokePVE is an independent, third-party client and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH. Proxmox® and Proxmox VE® are trademarks of Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. — LEGAL — Privacy Policy: https://1248.ink/apps/pokepve/en/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Specula

Features
Read full description

Specula watches the services you host yourself and tells you at a glance which ones are running, which are struggling and which one just went down. No account, no middleman server, no telemetry: the app queries your machines directly on your network. Your API keys stay on your device. A DASHBOARD, NOT A LIST OF LINKS Every service shows its real metrics, read through its own API: Immich's photo count, AdGuard's blocked queries, your NAS's free space, Proxmox's containers, the volumes filling up. The service type is recognised automatically — Immich, Nextcloud, Home Assistant, Proxmox, OpenMediaVault, UniFi, Portainer, Vaultwarden, Paperless and many more. UP AND RUNNING IN THREE MINUTES Scan your network: Specula finds your services on its own. Or import the services.yaml you already use with Homepage — groups, URLs and widgets carry over as they are. Otherwise, add an address by hand. THE OUTAGES THAT MATTER A service that stops answering after three attempts triggers a notification. The status wall keeps thirty days of history and works out each service's real uptime. Alerts — service offline, disk full, temperature — are enabled one by one, and a volume that is meant to be full is excluded with a single gesture. WHEREVER YOU LOOK iPhone, iPad, Mac, with widgets on the Home Screen and the Lock Screen, a Live Activity during an outage and access from the Mac menu bar. One address per service: the one that answers from your device, whether you go through the local network, a VPN, a reverse proxy or a tunnel. TRY IT BEFORE YOU SET IT UP A complete demo mode, with simulated data, shows you the app working without installing anything. FOUR SERVICES ON THE HOUSE The first four services are free, with no account and no time limit. Beyond that, each slot is bought once and stays yours, and you can also lift the limit permanently in one go and support the project. See the App Store for pricing. Slots you buy follow you from one device to another.

Screenshots

PokePVE4 screens
Specula4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Specula at every 3 days against PokePVE's monthly. Specula also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. PokePVE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Specula sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PokePVE ships an update monthly, Specula every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
PokePVE versus Specula: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPokePVESpecula
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer泽彬 谢Sylvain Malard

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PokePVE

Subscriptions2
  • PokePVE Pro Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • PokePVE Pro Annual Subscription$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • PokePVE Pro Lifetime Access$12.99
2 purchases

Specula

One-time2
  • Service slot$0.49
  • Unlimited services$17.99

Questions

Is PokePVE free?
PokePVE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Specula free?
Specula is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PokePVE or Specula have ads?
Neither PokePVE nor Specula shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PokePVE or Specula?
PokePVE ships an update monthly, and Specula every 3 days. Most recently, PokePVE was updated on October 20, 2026 and Specula on October 8, 2026.

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