Comparison
PingRoom vs ActivitySmith
Both can put live status on a phone's Lock Screen. ActivitySmith is built for a developer's own iPhone; PingRoom is built for rooms shared with other people.
ActivitySmith is for developers: scripts, AI agents, and servers report to the developer's own iPhone. It offers push notifications, Live Activities in seven layouts, Lock Screen widgets that show a number a script sets, and ready-made connections to developer services. It runs on iPhone and iPad, and Android is a waitlist. There is no free plan: after a 7-day trial it costs $9 a month, $7 per member per month for teams, or $199 once for lifetime.
Feature comparison
What is free in PingRoom?
Create up to five private or public rooms, plus your personal room, and join up to 20 other rooms. Free includes four Quick Pings per room, every sound, custom Pings, links, shared places, one active location trigger, and one active scheduled Ping. In the iOS and Android apps the free triggers work from version 1.6; on earlier versions, a free scheduled Ping can be set up in the web app. Questions, confirmation requests, and Live Activities are free in private rooms. Free history shows the latest 100 Pings per room and your latest 100 notifications.
You can start up to 50 new Live Activities per day on either plan. Updating or finishing an existing activity does not use that allowance. Connected agents have separate daily limits.
Pro adds unlimited rooms and access to full retained history, up to 16 Quick Pings per room you own, up to 100 scheduled Pings and up to 5 location triggers in every room, incoming and outgoing webhooks, file uploads, chat mirrors, password protection, personal-room Insights, and custom QR designs.
The real differences.
Your phone, or a room
ActivitySmith sends from your tools to a developer's own iPhone, and its team plan is priced per member. PingRoom starts from rooms: people join by invite code, see who sent what, and tap Quick Pings that everyone with permission to send can use. A script or an AI agent can be one of the senders.
Which devices
ActivitySmith lists iPhone and iPad apps, with Android on a waitlist. PingRoom runs on iPhone, Android, and in the browser, and the iPhone app also supports Apple Watch, so the people in a room can use whichever device they carry.
Pings people answer or that fire on their own
PingRoom Free includes Questions, confirmation requests, and Live Activities in private rooms, plus one active location trigger and one active scheduled Ping. In the iOS and Android apps the free triggers work from version 1.6. Pro allows up to 100 scheduled Pings and up to 5 location triggers in every room.
Choose ActivitySmith if…
You are a developer who wants scripts, servers, and agents to show up on your own iPhone: Live Activities in several layouts and Lock Screen widgets that show a number your script sets, and you are fine with a paid plan after the trial.
Choose PingRoom if…
You want updates to reach other people (a family, a team, a shop) on iPhone, Android, or Apple Watch, with a free plan, shared Quick Pings, and Pings that ask a question, wait for a confirmation, or fire by location or schedule.
In fairness: ActivitySmith is the better fit when you only want your own iPhone to show what your scripts are doing. It offers Live Activities in seven layouts and Lock Screen widgets that show a number a script sets. PingRoom does not have numeric Lock Screen widgets.
Questions
Is PingRoom an ActivitySmith alternative?
Partly. For a developer who only wants their own iPhone to show script output and numeric Lock Screen widgets, ActivitySmith is built for exactly that. If the updates should reach other people, or the phones include Android or an Apple Watch, PingRoom is the closer fit. Agents can also send into a PingRoom room through its MCP workflow on Free within daily limits, and Pro adds incoming webhooks for scripts and servers.
Is ActivitySmith free?
Its pricing page lists no free plan: a 7-day trial, then $9 a month, $7 per member per month for teams, or $199 once for lifetime (read November 11, 2026). PingRoom Free covers rooms, custom Pings, links, shared places, and Questions, confirmation requests, and Live Activities in private rooms, within plan limits.
Does PingRoom have Lock Screen widgets that show a number?
No. PingRoom's Live Activities show a changing status, steps, progress, metrics, a countdown, a decision, or a matchup score. The iPhone app also supports widgets, Apple Watch, and Siri, but not a Lock Screen widget that displays a number set by a script.
Does PingRoom run on Android?
Yes. PingRoom runs on iPhone, Android, and in the browser at pingroom.io/app, and the iPhone app also supports Apple Watch. ActivitySmith lists Android as a waitlist.
One Tap, Everyone Knows
Free to start: rooms, custom Pings, links, and shared places. Private rooms also include Questions, Acks, and Live Activities you start yourself.
Get PingRoomMore comparisons