Comparison

Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile vs HMI Editor

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

Head to head
About

Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile

This app helps users quickly design industrial control systems by graphically laying out system components. It supports major hardware platforms and EtherNet/IP networks, analyzes performance data, and allows for design export to a desktop version.

Highlights
  • Industrial control system design
  • EtherNet/IP network support
  • Graphical system layout
  • EtherNet/IP performance analysis
  • Bill of Materials viewing and emailing
  • Distributor/sales office locator
  • Export designs to desktop version
Features
Read full description

Use the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture Builder (IAB) Mobile app to quickly sketch initial designs for industrial control systems. IAB Mobile supports major hardware platforms and EtherNet/IP networks. With this app, you need only minimal technical details to graphically lay out a system. Use IAB Mobile to analyze EtherNet/IP performance data, view and email Bill of Materials, and locate distributor/sales offices. In addition, you can export your IAB Mobile designs to the IAB desktop version for system validation. Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Throughout the world, our flagship Allen-Bradley® and Rockwell Software® product brands are recognized for innovation and excellence.

About

HMI Editor

Create custom interfaces for real-time industrial process monitoring and control on iOS devices. Design dynamic dashboards with various elements and connect them to PLC systems. Develop and test projects freely, with payment only for deployment.

Highlights
  • Customizable page layouts
  • Real-time monitoring and control
  • Support for major PLC brands
  • On-screen project editing
  • Export/import asset files
  • Cloud storage and deployment
Features
Read full description

HMI Editor is a *native* iOS application for creating Human Machine Interfaces for real-time monitoring and control of industrial PLC based systems and processes. Data is presented in highly customizable page layouts much like a presentations app. Who's this for. The app is aimed at automation engineers or industrial machine manufacturers on many sectors including but not limited to building automation, industrial processing, power plants, water plants, industrial equipment, transportation and so on, who want to provide instant, reliable access to real-time data right from iOS devices. What you'll get for the price of the app. HMI Editor allows you to create efficient, advanced, highly responsive "Human Machine Interfaces" right on your iPad screen with unprecedented ease of use and fun. The HMI Editor app is fully native and supports all major Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) brands. For the price of the app (FREE) you can *fully* develop and test projects of any complexity. No restrictions on number of pages, tags or PLCs are applied at this stage. You only pay for project activations when you are ready to deploy to end users. HMI Editor essential Features. - Very fast, launches and connects immediately regardless of project size. - All data types including Strings, Arrays and Dictionaries fully supported. - HMI Projects are edited on-screen as you run and monitor your process. - You can export and edit your project files as text on your PC or Mac. - Export/import asset files such as images, pdfs or audio files from HMI Editor to your PC or Mac. - Optional project storage in the cloud and easy deployment to end users devices. - Native PLC communication protocols. Connections are performed with no intermediate servers or boxes. - Major PLC brands supported, including: Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi, Omron, Opto 22, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Wago. - TCP/IP based security. Getting Started: creating a HMI Editor project. Projects are created like a mix of PowerPoint and Excel. The concept is quite simple. You lay out elements such as Sliders, Switches, Buttons, Images, Text Fields, Knobs, Trends, Gauges, Bar Indicators, Web browser, Array pickers, even Gesture Recognizers and much more onto pages. You connect on-screen objects with iPad sensors and PLC tags through simple links or powerful expressions. That's it !!. The result is a stunning, dynamic, real-time presentation of your PLC controlled process as you'd never imagined. Examples Ready for You. Explore the examples and take the liberty to make changes on them. Create your own test projects from scratch or based on the examples. HMI Editor will comprehensively tell you what inconsistencies or problems there may be in your project as you build them. New examples are being added on a regular basis or by user request. What's Next. There’s a lot more that we haven’t mentioned here, such as the page navigation interface, the embedded file server, the model browser, the model seeker, the automatic expression completer, the inspector viewer, alarm notifications, iPad sensors, barcode scanner, user access levels, password on launch, PLC validation codes, individual tag diagnostics, background processing, automatic network switching, and much much more. You surely will identify some of these features by just exploring the app, but the single source where everything is covered is the HMI Editor Reference Manual. Feel free to download it from our site and look at the full possibilities, you’ll love the product. Technical Support. We provide a free online support service based on public forums on our website: http://www.sweetwilliamsl.com/support/forums Or through direct email: support@ritecontrol.com. We also hold a public YouTube​ channel at: http://www.youtube.com/hmipad. Feel free to direct your questions, suggestions or feedback to any of the above. We'll be happy to hear from you.

Screenshots

HMI Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: HMI Editor at 75% against Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile's 0%. HMI Editor also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 15 months). Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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. HMI Editor sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HMI Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile's written reviews are positive against 75% of HMI Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile ships an update every 15 months, HMI Editor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile versus HMI Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRockwell Automation IAB MobileHMI Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (5 ratings)4.7 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings510 — better
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRockwell AutomationGreg Maendel

Customer experience

Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile

All ratings5 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

HMI Editor

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

HMI Editor

One-time3
  • Activation for One Use$199.99
  • Activation for Five Uses$599.99
  • Activation for Ten Uses$999.99

Questions

Is Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile free?
Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HMI Editor free?
HMI Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile or HMI Editor?
HMI Editor is rated higher. Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile averages 1.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while HMI Editor averages 4.7 from 10 ratings.
Do Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile or HMI Editor have ads?
Neither Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile nor HMI Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile or HMI Editor?
Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile ships an update every 15 months, and HMI Editor every 2 months. Most recently, Rockwell Automation IAB Mobile was updated on October 24, 2026 and HMI Editor on October 31, 2026.

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