AirMQTT vs LAN Sheriff

LAN Sheriff visualizes network traffic on a world map, while AirMQTT focuses on MQTT messaging only.

Side by side

What it is: AirMQTT:AirMQTT is a native MQTT client for macOS, iPhone, iPad and Android that lets you connect, publish, and subscribe with iCloud-synced settings.; LAN Sheriff:LAN Sheriff is a self-hosted, open-source tool that visualizes every outbound connection from your devices on a live world map.
Best for: AirMQTT:Cross-device native MQTT client; LAN Sheriff:Live outbound traffic map
Who it’s for: AirMQTT:Developers and engineers who need to test or monitor MQTT topics on desktop and mobile devices.; LAN Sheriff:Home users, hobbyists, and small-team IT admins who want privacy-first network visibility.
Pricing: AirMQTT:Subscription; LAN Sheriff:Free
Open source: AirMQTT:—; LAN Sheriff:Yes, 105 GitHub stars
Works with: AirMQTT:MQTT 3.1.1, TCP, WebSocket, iCloud; LAN Sheriff:Tailscale, Discord, Slack, ntfy, webhook
DevHunt upvotes: AirMQTT:0; LAN Sheriff:32
Launched on DevHunt: AirMQTT:Sep 2026; LAN Sheriff:Aug 2026

Multi-platform support. Runs natively on macOS, iPhone, iPad and Android with OS-specific requirements.
Real-time publish/subscribe. Connect, publish payloads instantly, and monitor live topics.
Private iCloud sync. Sync connections, quick actions and filters across devices without an account.
MQTT 3.1.1 & 5.0 support. Works with both major MQTT protocol versions over TCP or WebSocket.
Topic filtering & search. Easily find and filter topics with built-in search functionality.
Export & backup. Export connection settings and topic data for offline use.

Watchtower egress map. Shows a live world map with lines to every external server, including country, org, app and traffic details.
Deputy & Patrol modes. Runs without privileges on a single machine or with elevated access to monitor all devices on a network segment.
Radio Chatter DNS feed. Streams every DNS lookup with domain, resolver and classification of trackers or malware.
Precinct network map. Auto-generates a diagram of devices and their connections based on observed traffic.
Wanted List suspicion engine. Ranks and explains suspicious connections using plain-language reasons.
Dispatch peer sharing. Pairs multiple instances to aggregate observations without exposing raw traffic.
Export & alerts. Exports CSV/JSON and can send alerts to webhook, ntfy, Discord or Slack.
Multi-language UI. Interface available in 12 languages, including right-to-left scripts.

Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.