Comparison

Pulse vs MainframeMonitor

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

Head to head
About

Pulse

Monitor your device's performance, network activity, and data privacy. Securely store sensitive information, inspect app privacy reports, and perform advanced network diagnostics. Includes a Python IDE and SSH client for comprehensive system management.

Highlights
  • Live device performance monitoring (CPU, RAM, Battery)
  • Extensive network diagnostic tools (15+)
  • Zero-knowledge secrets vault with TOTP authenticator
  • On-device privacy report analysis
  • Security posture assessment with AI advisor
  • SSH, SFTP, and FTP client
  • On-device Python IDE
Features
Read full description

Pulse answers every question about your iPhone or iPad: how it performs, what your network is doing, who is watching your data, and whether your device and secrets are safe. No faked numbers. No ads. No account. No in-app purchases. Every feature on first launch. DEVICE MONITOR Live CPU with per-core breakdown across performance and efficiency cores. RAM in real time: wired, active, inactive, available. Battery level, charge state, and a live discharge graph. Storage with one-tap cache clear. Thermal state. Device Health Score: a 0 to 100 gauge across CPU, RAM, storage, battery, and uptime. NETWORK WORKBENCH (15 tools) Ping, traceroute with geo path, DNS across 9 record types, port scanner, LAN scanner, Bonjour, Whois, SSL inspector, TLS scanner, speed test, API Request, WebSocket tester, subnet calculator, Wake on LAN, QR codes, and a raw TCP, UDP, and TLS socket client. Live traffic by interface, the routing table, a Wi-Fi toolkit, and Wi-Fi sharing by QR and NFC. SECRETS VAULT AND AUTHENTICATOR A zero knowledge password vault with envelope encryption (AES-256-GCM). Unrecoverable by design: no server, no backdoor. Unlock with a PIN or Face ID. Organize logins, cards, and notes in nested folders. A built in TOTP authenticator and AES file and text encryption. Optional auto lock, clipboard auto clear, and erase after ten failed attempts. iOS AutoFill fills saved logins into other apps and Safari, gated behind Face ID. PRIVACY INSPECTOR Import your iOS App Privacy Report and Pulse parses it on your device. Nothing leaves your phone. See which apps used your location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos, and calendar over the last 7 days, with a heatmap of when. Every domain each app contacted is classified and risk scored against a bundled tracker list. SECURITY CENTER Nine on-device checks produce a 0 to 100 posture score: Passcode, Biometrics, Data Protection, Screen Privacy, Sandbox Integrity, Debugger detection, VPN, HTTP Proxy, and Low Power Mode. Each links to the right iOS Settings page, and an on-device AI advisor tells you what to fix. SSH, SFTP, AND FTP CLIENT Connect over SSH with password, key, or two factor auth, with ProxyJump. Generate Ed25519, RSA, and ECDSA keys on device. Upload, download, and manage files over SFTP. A separate FTP and FTPS manager, and an in app terminal with 59 commands. ON-DEVICE PYTHON IDE Run real Python on your phone, fully offline. Multi-file projects with working imports, a code editor, and a Run console. ADVANCED TOOLS NFC Toolkit: read, write, and inspect NDEF tags (MIFARE, NTAG, ISO14443, ISO15693). BLE Explorer: scan peripherals, browse the GATT tree, and read, write, and subscribe to characteristics. Storage Scanner: find duplicate photos, large videos, screenshots, and cache. Sizes come from system metadata, so iCloud originals are never downloaded. Dev Toolbox: SHA-256 and SHA-512 hashing, Base64, JWT decode, regex tester, UUID and password generators, and Unix epoch converter. SENSORS (23 hardware tests) Motion (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, barometer), GPS and compass, proximity, NFC, Bluetooth, UWB, Face ID, microphone, speaker, haptics, every camera, LiDAR, torch, multi-touch, and a display color test. Exportable as timestamped CSV. WIDGETS, AI, AND SHORTCUTS Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets plus a RAM Live Activity in the Dynamic Island. On iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, an on-device AI explains your Health Score and security posture, with no API key and no network call, and all generated text is labelled. Ask Siri to check battery, storage, or network, and find SSH hosts in Spotlight. 10 LANGUAGES English, Arabic (RTL), Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Korean. DATA INTEGRITY Every value comes from a real iOS API or is clearly labelled. Values Apple does not expose, like battery cycle count and Wi-Fi signal strength, are never faked. What you see is what the device reports.

About

MainframeMonitor

Transform your iPhone into a vintage mainframe with a nostalgic CRT display. Monitor live system stats like battery, CPU, and memory, all within an authentic retro console experience. Includes hidden classic text-based games.

Highlights
  • Live system monitoring (battery, CPU, memory, storage)
  • Home screen widgets
  • Authentic CRT effects (glow, scanlines)
  • Retro boot sequence
  • Hidden classic text-based games
  • Customizable color themes (Green, Amber)
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a mainframe from the golden age of computing. MAINFRAME MONITOR shows your device's live stats wrapped in a nostalgic CRT console – complete with phosphor glow, scanlines, a boot sequence and satisfying key clicks. Choose between classic GREEN or warm AMBER, each with its own matching app icon. ■ LIVE SYSTEM MONITOR • Battery, CPU, memory and free storage • Uptime, network status and device info • All in real time, right on the glowing screen ■ HOME SCREEN WIDGET • Keep your key system stats always in view • In the same retro CRT style ■ REAL MAINFRAME FEELING • Authentic boot sequence on launch • Scanlines, glow and CRT effects • Terminal-style PF function-key controls ■ HIDDEN CLASSIC GAMES • Snake, Hamurabi, Void Patrol and Bagels • Text-based retro games, just like on the old terminals ■ FAIR & PRIVATE • Completely free • No ads, no trackers, no accounts • All data stays on your device Whether as a stylish system monitor, a home screen widget or a hands-on piece of computing history – MAINFRAME MONITOR brings back the charm of the old data centers. Made with attention to detail. Be sure to check out my other apps right inside the app.

Screenshots

Pulse4 screens
MainframeMonitor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pulse at every 5 days against MainframeMonitor's every 10 days. 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Pulse against 5.0 for MainframeMonitor. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulse ships an update every 5 days, MainframeMonitor every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Pulse versus MainframeMonitor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulseMainframeMonitor
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarwan AljasmiRalf Langhoff

Customer experience

Pulse

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

MainframeMonitor

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

In-app purchases

None

Pulse

No in-app purchases

None

MainframeMonitor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pulse free?
Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MainframeMonitor free?
MainframeMonitor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pulse or MainframeMonitor?
Pulse and MainframeMonitor are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Pulse or MainframeMonitor have ads?
Neither Pulse nor MainframeMonitor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse or MainframeMonitor?
Pulse ships an update every 5 days, and MainframeMonitor every 10 days. Most recently, Pulse was updated on October 7, 2026 and MainframeMonitor on October 14, 2026.

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