# Flir One vs MainframePunch

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MainframePunch at none against Flir One's 1. MainframePunch also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Flir One's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 12 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Flir One sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year. MainframePunch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Flir One ships an update every 5 weeks, MainframePunch every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Flir One | MainframePunch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flir-one/id875842742/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 21.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 178 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FLIR Systems Aktiebolag](https://appshunter.io/developer/408612990) | [Thomas Gillan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828513781) |

## What reviewers say

### Flir One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flir-one/id875842742)

This app transforms your smartphone into a thermal imaging device when connected to a compatible camera. It helps identify hidden issues like water damage, electrical faults, and HVAC problems with advanced visual enhancements and measurement tools. Document and share your findings easily.

**Highlights:** Thermal camera view, Capture photos and videos, Temperature spot measurements, Color palette selection, Add text notes, Cloud upload and organization, Inspection guides

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inspection Guides | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for finding animals
- 🚀 Excellent affordable option for home inspection
- 🚀 Valued piece of tech for animal rescue
- 🚀 Excellent piece of equipment
- 🚀 Simple but informative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Image alignment issues
- 🐛 Scam - won't connect
- 🐛 Poor App/Image refresh
- 🐛 Waste of money
- 🐛 Poor UX, only real option

**Reported bugs**

- Constantly disconnecting
- App crashes
- Doesn't work with older devices after updates
- Slow refresh rate and high latency
- App requires full photo library access

**Requested features**

- Bring back swiping between thermal and regular images
- Allow locking temperature scale
- Add temperature range display
- Allow setting own emissivity value
- Allow selecting colors on manual temperature scale


### MainframePunch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mainframepunch/id6751125827)

Transform your text into animated, retro punch-card videos with authentic hole patterns and sounds. Add custom captions, preview your creations, and share them instantly. All processing is done on your device for maximum privacy.

**Highlights:** Authentic 80-column punch card creation, Live preview and video recording, Customizable bottom caption, Synchronized punch audio, Automatic text flow across multiple cards, Adjustable animation speed and card scale, On-device processing for privacy

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Flir One free?

Flir One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MainframePunch free?

MainframePunch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Flir One or MainframePunch have ads?

Neither Flir One nor MainframePunch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Flir One or MainframePunch?

Flir One ships an update every 5 weeks, and MainframePunch every 12 months. Most recently, Flir One was updated on October 15, 2026 and MainframePunch on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*