HE.NET Network Tools vs Orb.net
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.
Orb.net
This free platform continuously measures your internet connection's responsiveness, reliability, and speed. It provides easy-to-understand scores and detailed technical information for users who want to understand their true internet experience.
- Measures internet responsiveness
- Measures internet reliability
- Measures internet speed
- Continuous lightweight tests
- Easy-to-understand scores
- Technical details for advanced users
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Orb shows your true internet experience and is a free platform that runs without disrupting your connection or device. It measures Responsiveness, Reliability, and Speed using lightweight, continuous tests, and provides easy-to-understand scores as well as the technical details for nerds.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Orb.net at 4.6 against HE.NET Network Tools's 4.0. Orb.net also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). HE.NET Network Tools's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 62%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.
Orb.net holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 70 and 35 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of HE.NET Network Tools's written reviews are positive against 62% of Orb.net's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
HE.NET Network Tools ships an update every 2 months, Orb.net every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 2, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HE.NET Network Tools | Orb.net |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (70 ratings) | 4.6 (35 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews — better | 61.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | 35 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hurricane Electric, LLC | Orb Forge Inc. |
Customer experience
HE.NET Network Tools
Orb.net
User reviews
HE.NET Network Tools
From 70 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎯 Comprehensive network diagnostic tools in one app
- 💰 Completely free with no ads or paywalls
- 🔒 Privacy-friendly and no data collection
- ⚡ Lightweight and efficient performance
- 🛠️ Advanced features like SSL cert chain analysis
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes on Interface Information tool
- 🐛 Dark mode text readability issues
- 🐛 iperf3 tool unreliable and buggy
- 🐛 DNS resolver doesn't show NXDOMAIN responses
- 🐛 App crashes when scrolling tool menu
Orb.net
From 35 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good network insights
- 💡 Helpful for working from home
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't run in the background
- 🐛 Inaccurate speed test results
- 🐛 High system overhead
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
Orb.net
Reported bugs
2 issues- Console opens on desktop every time
- Slow performance
Requested features
3 requests- Apple TV app
- PlayStation app
- Background mode
In-app purchases
HE.NET Network Tools
No in-app purchases
Orb.net
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HE.NET Network Tools free?
Is Orb.net free?
Which has better reviews, HE.NET Network Tools or Orb.net?
Do HE.NET Network Tools or Orb.net have ads?
Which is updated more often, HE.NET Network Tools or Orb.net?
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