NetForge vs NearSight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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)
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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
NearSight
Discover the unseen world around you by decoding Bluetooth signals from nearby devices. Identify earbuds, trackers, and sensors, with optional AI insights for plain-language explanations. This app prioritizes privacy, working offline without ads or tracking.
- Real-time Bluetooth device scanning
- Device identification (make, model, type)
- Detection of unknown devices
- Raw advertisement and signal strength inspection
- Optional AI-powered insights
- Offline functionality
- Privacy-focused design
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See the hidden world around you. NearSight listens for the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals that nearby devices are constantly broadcasting and decodes what they actually are. Earbuds, watches, fitness trackers, beacons, smart-home sensors, item trackers, and more turn from anonymous radio noise into a clear, readable list right on your iPhone. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Scan live. Watch nearby devices appear in real time, sorted by how close they are. • Know what's there. NearSight recognizes a growing catalog of device types and shows make, model, and what each signal means, not just a cryptic address. • Notice the unexpected. Surface unknown or unfamiliar devices around you and decide for yourself what belongs. • Go deeper. Open any device to inspect its raw advertisement, signal strength, and parsed technical details. OPTIONAL AI INSIGHTS Turn on AI to get plain-language explanations of what NearSight is seeing. Bring your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key, or run a compact model entirely on your device. Your choice. AI is completely optional and stays off until you enable it. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Scanning happens on your iPhone. NearSight works fully offline and shows what it sees to no one but you. AI insights and anonymous telemetry are strictly opt-in and off by default. Nothing leaves your device unless you turn it on. No ads, no third-party tracking, no account required. WHAT NEARSIGHT CAN (AND CAN'T) SEE NearSight decodes the Bluetooth signals that devices broadcast but it can't see everything: • Not every device is recognized. New or niche hardware may show up as Unknown until we've researched it and added support. • Some devices are intentionally excluded. We don't surface certain safety-sensitive devices (for example personal panic buttons), because revealing someone's private safety equipment could put them at risk. However, AI Insights may identify such devices. • It only sees Bluetooth. Devices that are powered off, not currently broadcasting, or that use other radios (Wi-Fi-only cameras, wired, or cellular devices) are invisible to NearSight. NearSight is a Bluetooth explorer, not a safety or security device, bug sweeper, or hidden-camera detector. It cannot guarantee it will find every tracker, camera, or listening device near you, and not seeing something here does not mean it isn't there. If you have a real safety concern, use dedicated tools and contact local authorities. Questions, or a device you'd like us to identify? Email hello@nearsight.one.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NearSight at none against NetForge's 1. NetForge's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and device support (3 vs 1). 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
Both are free to download. NetForge sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NearSight asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for NetForge against 5.0 for NearSight. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
NetForge ships an update weekly, NearSight fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NetForge | NearSight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andy Arevalo | Benjamin Smith |
Customer experience
NetForge
NearSight
In-app purchases
NetForge
- NetForge Pro$19.99
NearSight
No in-app purchases









