Comparison

Thread Doctor vs House ECG

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

Head to head
About

Thread Doctor

Diagnose and visualize your home's Thread mesh network for Matter accessories. Identify unresponsive devices, weak signal points, and battery issues to improve your smart home's performance and reliability.

Highlights
  • Mesh graph visualization
  • Device diagnostics (signal, battery, faults)
  • Identify devices with blinking light
  • AI-powered diagnosis with LLM API
  • Scan history and comparison
  • Export mesh data as JSON
  • Configure Matter device settings
Features
Read full description

Thread Doctor maps and helps diagnose the Thread mesh used by your Matter accessories paired in the Home app. When devices go unresponsive, respond slowly, or keep dropping off the network, Thread Doctor helps you see what is happening: routers, end devices, Border Routers, signal quality, battery levels, and possible weak points in your mesh. It reads supported Matter and Thread diagnostic data directly from your paired accessories and lets you change supported Matter device settings. Changes happen only when you explicitly apply them. Available values and settings depend on each accessory, firmware version, and platform support. WHAT IT HELPS ANSWER • Why do my Matter accessories show “No Response”? • Which device may be a weak point in my Thread mesh? • Where should I add another Thread router? • Which battery-powered accessories need attention? • Why did my Matter clock lose the time after a power cut? FREE FEATURES • Mesh graph with routers, child devices, Border Routers, signal values, link quality, and router-child relationships. • Device details for supported Matter and Thread attributes, including RSSI, LQI, RLOC16, routes, neighbors, Leader Router ID, sleep behavior, battery level, error rate, uptime, and more. • Force Sync (time) — set a Matter accessory's clock; shows device time, drift, and time source. • Identify — ask an accessory to blink its light so you can physically find it. • Possible weak-point detection based on topology data available during the scan. • Thread Leader identification. • Battery monitoring and filtering. • Separate lists and detail cards for HomeKit-only accessories, Matter-over-Wi-Fi devices, and Thread devices that hide diagnostics. • Self-reported device faults — radio, network, and hardware faults read from each accessory's Matter General Diagnostics cluster. • Matter device configuration — change supported settings such as power-on behavior, transition times, sensor delays, thermostat controls, and more. PRO FEATURES • AI Diagnose Use your own third-party LLM API key to analyze a structured mesh snapshot. Preview the outbound payload before sending; analysis starts only when you tap Analyze. • Scan history Browse past scans, compare snapshots, and review previous network states. • Snapshot export Share the raw mesh as JSON for troubleshooting, research, social posts, or your own scripts. One-time unlock. No subscription. PRIVACY Thread Doctor is designed to work locally. • No backend, analytics, telemetry, accounts, or third-party SDKs. • Pro unlock is handled through the standard in-app purchase system. • Your LLM API key is stored only on-device in the system Keychain. • Matter diagnostics and configuration changes use native APIs. Settings change only when you explicitly apply them. • Optional AI Diagnose sends data only after you preview the payload and tap Analyze. REQUIREMENTS • iOS 18 or later • Matter accessories paired in the Home app • Wi-Fi connection to the same network as your Border Routers • Optional AI Diagnose requires your own third-party LLM API key NOT A WI-FI NETWORK SCANNER Thread Doctor does not scan Wi-Fi networks. It reads supported Matter and Thread diagnostic information from paired smart home accessories. Thread Doctor is an independent indie project. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any platform provider, standards organization, or accessory manufacturer. Full data-flow documentation: https://threaddoctor.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

House ECG

Features
Read full description

Every building has its own vibration rhythm. House ECG uses the motion sensors in a dedicated iPhone to observe that rhythm over time—much like a long-term ECG for a house. Mount an iPhone 8 or newer at a fixed structural point, connect continuous power, place the screen face up, and keep House ECG open in the foreground. The app measures motion 50 times per second, establishes an initial reading for that exact installation point, and compares later stable observations with the same point. House ECG includes: - Three-direction vibration measurement, with north–south and east–west directions shown only when the phone's direction reading is reliable. - Welch spectral averaging with Hann windows and 50% overlap to reduce the influence of incidental bumps and noise. - A low-cost continuous watcher that performs fuller analysis only after a candidate vibration is detected. - Local candidate-event history and user labels for earthquake-like events, traffic, machinery, impact, device movement, or unknown events. - On-device SQLite storage for initial readings, history, and raw candidate-event waveforms. - Optional Sign in with Apple for Email notifications; basic monitoring does not require an account. - Optional comparison with the public USGS global earthquake catalog, approximate address, and weather context when an Email notification is requested. - Clear installation guidance and automatic reminders to create a new initial reading after moving, lifting, remounting, rotating, or changing floors. House ECG was conceived by a Taiwan-licensed civil engineer and National Taiwan University graduate who has participated in earthquake-related work since the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. The method is grounded in established vibration-analysis practice and is being improved through long-term field testing. Important: House ECG is a change-screening and field-observation tool. It is not a certified seismometer, earthquake early-warning system, structural safety certificate, or substitute for an inspection by a qualified professional. It does not declare a building safe or unsafe.

Screenshots

Thread Doctor4 screens
House ECG4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: House ECG at none against Thread Doctor's 1. House ECG also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Thread Doctor's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price 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. Thread Doctor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. House ECG asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Thread Doctor versus House ECG: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThread DoctorHouse ECG
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (33 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKonstantin Rafikov綠圖顧問有限公司

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Thread Doctor

One-time1
  • Thread Doctor Lifetime Pro$9.99
None

House ECG

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thread Doctor free?
Thread Doctor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is House ECG free?
House ECG is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Thread Doctor or House ECG have ads?
Neither Thread Doctor nor House ECG shows ads.

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