Comparison

NetCLI vs IT Playbook

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

Head to head
About

NetCLI

This app provides a portable Cisco networking lab for learning and practicing network configuration. Build custom topologies, simulate realistic IOS terminals, and troubleshoot network issues with hands-on labs and interactive trainers.

Highlights
  • Build custom network topologies
  • Realistic Cisco IOS terminal simulator
  • Guided troubleshooting labs
  • Searchable Cisco command library
  • Subnetting, VLSM, and IPv6 trainers
  • Comprehensive quizzes
Features
Read full description

NetCLI is a hands-on network simulator for Cisco CCNA right on your phone. Build topologies, type real Cisco IOS commands on routers and switches, and master subnetting anywhere—no PC required. Designed for students preparing for CCNA 200-301, networking courses, and IT professionals who want to sharpen their CLI skills on the go. BUILD & CONFIGURE YOUR OWN LAB • My Lab: Add routers, switches, and PCs. Connect links and configure each device from an authentic terminal. • Cisco IOS Command Line: User, privileged, and global configuration modes, show commands, contextual ? help, and realistic IOS error messages. • PC Terminal: Desktop-style command prompt with ping, traceroute, and packet diagnostics. • Ready-to-use Scenarios: Pre-built topologies and guided exercises when you need practice inspiration. • Up to 6 devices per topology with integrated lab notes. LEARN STEP BY STEP • Structured Lessons: Guided walkthroughs covering core networking fundamentals up to advanced CCNA topics. • Exam Readiness Check: 15-minute, 15-question diagnostic tests to benchmark your exam prep. • Topic Quizzes: Randomized multiple-choice practice sorted by difficulty. SUBNETTING & IP PRACTICE • Subnetting Trainer: Practice finding network ID, broadcast, usable host ranges, and wildcard masks across 4 difficulty tiers. • Advanced Addressing: Dedicated trainers for IPv6, VLSM, and CIDR calculations. NETWORK ENGINEER REFERENCE TOOLKIT • 200+ Command Library: Instant syntax lookup for VLANs, OSPF, ACLs, DHCP, NAT/PAT, IPv6, and SSH—with one-tap lab tests. • Config Explainer: Paste Cisco running configs and get plain-English explanations line by line. • Troubleshooting Playbooks: Layer-by-layer OSI diagnostics paired with the exact verification commands. • Interactive Reference: Visual OSI model and networking reference sheets. SYNC & CUSTOMIZE • Cloud Backup: Free account syncing to save your topologies and learning progress across devices. • Full Dark and Light theme support. NetCLI is an independent educational tool. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Cisco Systems, Inc. Cisco, Cisco IOS, CCNA, and Packet Tracer are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc.

About

IT Playbook

Learn IT infrastructure and software concepts through narrated courses and interactive quizzes. Follow along on screen or listen offline, with flashcards and progress tracking to reinforce learning. Access a free beginner course monthly.

Highlights
  • Narrated IT courses
  • Interactive quizzes with explanations
  • Offline reading and listening
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
  • Progress tracking and streaks
  • Monthly free beginner course
Features
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What actually happens when you type git push? Why does Kubernetes bring a container back after you kill it? How does a database find one row among millions in a blink? IT Playbook answers questions like these in 30 courses, from your first line of Python to Linux, Docker and Kubernetes, the cloud, networking, security and AI. Each one is written like a good book: one idea at a time, in plain words, nothing skipped. READ IT, OR JUST LISTEN Every lesson is read aloud in a natural voice, sentence by sentence, and the sentence you are hearing lights up on the page. Follow along, or switch on Play in background, put the phone in your pocket and keep learning on a walk, in the car or at the gym: the narration keeps going with the screen off. DON'T JUST READ ABOUT IT. PLAY WITH IT. 338 diagrams in the courses are alive. Kill a pod and watch Kubernetes bring it back. Break one step of a CI pipeline and see where everything stops. Drop numbers into a search tree, let an algorithm find the shortest route, watch scattered points sort themselves into groups. Tap, change a value, and see what happens. Things that take a page to explain click in ten seconds when you can poke them yourself. FLASHCARDS, HANDS-FREE Every course comes with its own flashcards, built from its glossary: almost 7,000 terms in all. Switch on Hands-free and the trainer runs by voice. It reads a definition, you say the term out loud, it tells you whether you got it and moves on. No tapping, no looking at the screen. Do a round while you cook or walk the dog, and the words simply stay with you. A smart schedule brings each card back right before you would forget it. ALSO INSIDE - One beginner course free every month, in full, for anyone with a free account. No credit card needed. - On top of that, the first chapter of all 30 courses is free, so you can try any topic before you decide. - A short quiz after every lesson, with an explanation for every answer, the wrong ones too. - Two voices, the speed you like, and a pause between sentences you can stretch while an idea sinks in. - Whole courses saved for offline, so a flight or a tunnel is no reason to stop. - A daily streak that counts reading and flashcards, because you need both. - Courses re-checked against the official documentation on a regular schedule, so what you learn is still true today. FREE, AND PAID Chapter one of every course is free, and so is every chapter overview and one beginner course each month, in full. An All Courses subscription opens everything: $16.00 a month, or $119.99 a year. Half price for the first year: $8.00 a month for the first twelve months, or $60.00 for the first year. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and it can be managed or cancelled in your Apple Account settings at any time. ONE ACCOUNT EVERYWHERE Your progress, your streak and your flashcard schedule follow you between the iPhone, the iPad, the Mac and the website, because they are the same account and the same data. Start a lesson on a laptop, finish it on a bus. Sign in with Apple or with Google. Delete the account, and everything with it, from Settings whenever you want. Terms of Use: https://itplaybook.org/portal/academy/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://itplaybook.org/portal/academy/privacy.html

Screenshots

NetCLI4 screens
IT Playbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NetCLI at none against IT Playbook's 2. NetCLI also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). IT Playbook's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. IT Playbook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $16.00 per month. NetCLI 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 NetCLI against 5.0 for IT Playbook. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NetCLI ships an update every 5 months, IT Playbook daily. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
NetCLI versus IT Playbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNetCLIIT Playbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian Garmann SchjelderupSERGEY OKINCHUK

Customer experience

NetCLI

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

IT Playbook

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

NetCLI

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

IT Playbook

Subscriptions2
  • All Courses, Monthly1 Month trial$16.001 Month
  • All Courses, Yearly1 Year trial$119.991 Year

Questions

Is NetCLI free?
NetCLI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IT Playbook free?
IT Playbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NetCLI or IT Playbook?
NetCLI and IT Playbook are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do NetCLI or IT Playbook have ads?
Neither NetCLI nor IT Playbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NetCLI or IT Playbook?
NetCLI ships an update every 5 months, and IT Playbook daily. Most recently, NetCLI was updated on October 28, 2026 and IT Playbook on October 24, 2026.

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