Comparison

FMS Detective vs Anvil

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

Head to head
About

FMS Detective

This app provides remote administration for FileMaker Server, allowing users to monitor server status, manage databases, and interact with connected clients from their mobile device. It offers real-time insights into server activity and operational controls for databases and schedules.

Highlights
  • Live server status overview
  • Database management (pause, resume, open, close)
  • Client monitoring and messaging
  • Schedule management (run on demand, abort)
  • Server overview with activity counts
  • Encryption key entry for databases
Features
Read full description

FMS Detective for iOS is a free admin companion for FileMaker Server. Check on your server, message and disconnect users, and manage your hosted databases from anywhere your phone has signal. Pair it with FMS Detective for Mac (fmsdetective.com) to get the full picture — the Mac app goes deep into your log files; the iOS app is what you reach for when you're away from your desk and need to act now. Everything happens between your phone and the FileMaker Server you administer. No accounts, no analytics, no telemetry, no third-party SDKs. Your credentials live in iOS Keychain on your device only. WHAT YOU CAN DO Server overview • Live status of your FileMaker Server with name, version, and IP • Activity counts: databases hosted, clients connected, schedules, plugins • License type, certificate expiration, backup configuration • Service status for Data API, OData, WebDirect, and ODBC/JDBC Databases • Searchable list with status, encryption, client count, and size at a glance • Tap a database to see who's connected, their privilege set, and how long they've been in • Operational actions: pause, resume, open, close, flush • Encryption key entry for encrypted-at-rest databases Clients • Searchable list of every connected FileMaker Pro, Go, WebDirect, Data API, and OData client • Tap a client to see open files, account name, and privilege set • Send a message to one client (Pro / Go / WebDirect only) • Broadcast a message to every connected client at once • Disconnect a client with optional grace period and warning message Schedules • Searchable list with enabled / disabled state, status, and last error code • Run any schedule on demand with one tap • Abort a running schedule with confirmation PRIVACY The app never sends data anywhere except to the FileMaker Server you connect it to. No analytics, no tracking, no advertising. Read the full privacy policy at https://www.fmsdetective.com/ios-privacy.html. REQUIREMENTS • iOS 17 or later • A FileMaker Server you administer (Admin API access) ABOUT FMS Detective for iOS is built and maintained by the same developer behind FMS Detective for Mac. Visit fmsdetective.com for the desktop version.

About

Anvil

A native toolkit for developers on macOS, iPhone, and iPad that streamlines everyday formatting, encoding, conversion, and inspection tasks. It supports a wide range of data types and formats, offering a focused and fast interface for common development workflows.

Highlights
  • JSON formatting and validation
  • Base64, URL, and HTML entity encoding/decoding
  • Timestamp and number base conversion
  • JWT decoding and payload inspection
  • UUID, ULID, and QR code generation
  • String analysis and data cleaning
Features
Read full description

Anvil is a native developer toolkit for macOS, iPhone, and iPad, built to make everyday formatting, encoding, conversion, and inspection tasks faster. Work with JSON, Base64, URLs, timestamps, JWTs, UUIDs, hashes, regular expressions, strings, SQL, CSV, YAML, QR codes, and more from one focused app. Instead of jumping between web utilities, Anvil keeps common developer workflows close at hand in a fast, native interface. Use Anvil to: Format, validate, repair, and inspect JSON. Encode and decode Base64, URLs, HTML entities, and escaped strings. Convert timestamps, number bases, CSV, YAML, and other structured data. Decode JWTs and inspect token payloads. Generate UUIDs, ULIDs, QR codes, hashes, sample text, and formatted code. Analyze strings, compare text, and clean up data while building or debugging. Anvil is designed for developers who want practical tools without clutter. Whether you are debugging an API response, preparing test data, checking a token, formatting a query, or converting values during development, Anvil gives you a polished native workspace for the small tasks that happen all day. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms and Conditions: https://anvilmac.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://anvilmac.com/privacy

Screenshots

FMS Detective4 screens
Anvil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FMS Detective at none against Anvil's 3. FMS Detective also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). 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. Anvil sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. FMS Detective 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 FMS Detective against 5.0 for Anvil. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FMS Detective versus Anvil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFMS DetectiveAnvil
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB96 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSamuel Rulon-MillerAlex Javier Rivas Martinez

Customer experience

FMS Detective

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Anvil

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

FMS Detective

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Anvil

Subscriptions2
  • Anvil Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Anvil Pro Yearly$37.991 Year
One-time1
  • Anvil Pro Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is FMS Detective free?
FMS Detective is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Anvil free?
Anvil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FMS Detective or Anvil?
FMS Detective and Anvil are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do FMS Detective or Anvil have ads?
Neither FMS Detective nor Anvil shows ads.

Other comparisons