Comparison

NetGuard vs Owlert OS

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

Head to head
About

NetGuard

Scan your WiFi network to identify all connected devices, their details, and exposed services. It alerts you to new or unusual devices, helping you secure your network. An optional one-time purchase removes ads and unlocks advanced security features.

Highlights
  • Scan WiFi network for connected devices
  • View device name, type, and IP address
  • Detect new, returned, and missing devices
  • Speed test, ping, and DNS lookup
  • Network security score and fixes
  • Background intruder alerts
  • Port scanner and traceroute
Features
Read full description

NetGuard is a free iPhone app that scans your WiFi network in one tap and lists every connected device with a friendly name, type, IP address, and the services it exposes. It flags new, returned, and missing devices so you always know what changed and can spot anything that should not be on your network. NetGuard is free and ad supported, with an optional one-time NetGuard Pro purchase (no subscription, ever) that removes ads and adds deeper security tools. FREE - Scan your WiFi and see every device - Device details: name, type, IP, Bonjour services - Current network, connectivity and public IP - Speed test: download, upload and ping - Ping and DNS lookup tools NetGuard is free to use and ad supported. NETGUARD PRO (one-time purchase, no subscription, ever) - Removes all ads, permanently - Network security score with plain language fixes - New device alert log: a history of who joined your WiFi - Background intruder alerts - Name and track your devices - What changed: new, returned and missing devices - Port scanner, traceroute, Wake on LAN, router security check - CSV and PDF export Pay once and keep it forever. No subscription. Privacy first: Your network scan history is stored locally on your iPhone. Note that iOS does not expose MAC addresses to apps, so device identity is based on names and services. Where available, you can explore recommendations for our other apps. They load online; views and taps are counted as daily totals without personal profiles or user/device identifiers. Our privacy policy explains this feature and existing advertising. Privacy Policy: https://getnetguard.vercel.app/privacy

About

Owlert OS

This app monitors your home's Wi-Fi network for wireless security threats like jamming and deauthentication attacks. It provides real-time alerts and a live view of signal activity, helping you protect your connected security devices before a potential breach.

Highlights
  • Real-time alerts for deauthentication floods and jamming
  • Live signal view of Wi-Fi network activity
  • Manage multiple devices from a central dashboard
  • Privacy-focused monitoring of radio behavior
  • Easy setup process
  • Whole-home protection management
Features
Read full description

Owlert watches the Wi-Fi your cameras, doorbells and sensors depend on, and tells you when someone is attacking it. Cheap tools can flood a Wi-Fi network with forged disconnect messages or drown it in noise, knocking a camera offline before a break-in. To you, the camera just looks offline. Owlert listens for the attack itself and tells you what happened, in plain language. WHAT YOU GET • Alerts that explain themselves: what Owlert saw, on which network, and which sensors agreed • Real attack or false alarm? Answer with one tap, and Owlert learns your home • Spectrum Scope and a live channel waterfall: see how busy every Wi-Fi channel is • Wisdom scores for stability, visibility, protection and airtime • A timeline of everything detected, with a tap-to-look-back history • Every Owlert in one place: home, office or cabin • Test your alerts any time with a test warning or test alert BUILD YOUR OWLERT Owlert OS is free to flash on hardware you build from standard parts: an Arduino UNO Q and ESP32 radios. The parts list and step-by-step setup are at owlertos.com. OWLERT CLOUD Detection and the live dashboard on your network are free. Push and email alerts, remote access from anywhere, event history and automatic updates need an Owlert Cloud subscription, available at owlertos.com. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Owlert listens to radio behaviour around your network. It doesn't read your internet traffic, see camera footage or inspect your content. Owlert detects attacks and interference; it does not block or jam anything. Angry Owl Labs LLC · owlertos.com

Screenshots

NetGuard4 screens
Owlert OS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Owlert OS at none against NetGuard's 1. Owlert OS also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs weekly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. NetGuard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Owlert OS 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 NetGuard against 5.0 for Owlert OS. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NetGuard ships an update weekly, Owlert OS daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NetGuard versus Owlert OS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNetGuardOwlert OS
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings33
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLevin David SchwabAngry Owl Labs LLC

Customer experience

NetGuard

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Owlert OS

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NetGuard

One-time1
  • NetGuard Pro$4.99
None

Owlert OS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NetGuard free?
NetGuard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Owlert OS free?
Owlert OS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NetGuard or Owlert OS?
NetGuard and Owlert OS are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do NetGuard or Owlert OS have ads?
NetGuard shows ads; Owlert OS does not.
Which is updated more often, NetGuard or Owlert OS?
NetGuard ships an update weekly, and Owlert OS daily. Most recently, NetGuard was updated on October 24, 2026 and Owlert OS on October 28, 2026.

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