HE.NET Network Tools vs XCAL
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HE.NET Network Tools
A comprehensive suite of network diagnostic tools for professionals. It offers features like ARP/NDP lookup, DNS queries, IP calculations, bandwidth testing, and port scanning. Securely manage two-factor authentication codes and view network routing tables.
- ARP/NDP lookup
- DNS lookup
- IP Calculator
- iperf bandwidth test
- Port Scan
- SSL/TLS Information
- Two-factor authentication code storage
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This suite of networks tools implements most of the network diagnostics that you need as a Network Engineer or System Administrator. Please help us improve it by giving us feedback. + ARP / NDP: Lookup local devices found on your network using either ARP (IPv4) or NDP (IPv6). + Bonjour Browser: See what DNS-SD/Bonjour services are available on your network + DNS lookup: Search for a servers DNS zone records such as SOA, NS, A, AAAA, MX, PTR. + Interface Information: Get information regarding your device's current network state. + IP Calculator: Calculate the Netmask, Wildcard, Network, Host range, and Broadcast for a given subnet. + iperf: Check bandwidth against remote iperf services. + One Time Password: Securely store and view your TOTP and HOTP (two-factor authentication) codes. TOTP codes are available on the Apple Watch. + Ping: Send ICMP packets to a single IPv4/IPv6 address. + Ping Sweep: Send ICMP packets to an entire subnet range. + Traceroute: Find the route packets take to reach your destination. + Progressive Traceroute: Get detailed statistics for a given route. + Port Scan: Scan a list of TCP ports on any server. + Routing Table: See your local device's routing table. + SSL/TLS Information: Check available ciphers, protocols and what's being used when connecting to a remove service. + Whois: Get information regarding network resources. + NO ADS! Note: Recent iOS releases secure certain low-level network information, and as such will not be available in-app, such as MAC addresses for other network devices.
XCAL
This application allows for Quality of Service and Quality of Experience testing across various network technologies. It runs as a standalone app on iPhones and supports automated testing for comprehensive network analysis.
- QoS and QoE testing
- Supports all network technologies
- Handheld stand-alone application
- Automated testing capabilities
- iPhone compatible
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LIG Accuver provides solution for handheld based-on which is XCAL-Smart. The app is a handheld based stand-alone application running on iPhone that enables QoS and QoE testing across all network technologies. XCAL-Smart also supports automated testing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: XCAL at 5.0 against HE.NET Network Tools's 4.0. XCAL also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 76%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). HE.NET Network Tools's advantage is ratings volume (72 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
XCAL holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HE.NET Network Tools has 72 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of HE.NET Network Tools's written reviews are positive against 100% of XCAL's.
HE.NET Network Tools ships an update every 2 months, XCAL every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HE.NET Network Tools | XCAL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (72 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 72 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hurricane Electric, LLC | Innowireless Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
HE.NET Network Tools
XCAL
Bugs and requests
HE.NET Network Tools
Reported bugs
12 issues- Interface Information crashes app immediately
- iperf3 fails with 'operation not permitted' error
- iperf2 crashes on iOS 8+
- DNS lookups not responding after updates
- iperf3 only runs for 1 second despite longer duration settings
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- iperf3 fails to start intermittently
- App crashes when selecting tools from menu
- Crashes on iOS 11 and later versions
- Neighbor Discovery crashes on iPhone 6
- Dark mode text hard to read on iPhone
- App crashes on iPad for multiple functions
- Ping and basic tools crash on iOS 11+
Requested features
12 requests- Vision Pro compatibility and controls
- SRV record lookup in DNS tool
- IPv6 subnet calculator
- WOL (Wake-on-LAN) magic packet support
- MTR (My Traceroute) tool
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- Telnet command for port testing
- Stop/pause button for running tests
- Multiple iperf test execution
- Configurable iperf parameters and bandwidth limits
- LAN device scanning capability
- Dark mode text color options
- Apple Watch app with full functionality
XCAL
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
HE.NET Network Tools
No in-app purchases
XCAL
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HE.NET Network Tools free?
Is XCAL free?
Which has better reviews, HE.NET Network Tools or XCAL?
Do HE.NET Network Tools or XCAL have ads?
Which is updated more often, HE.NET Network Tools or XCAL?
Other comparisons
