# Z vs Home Assistant

The clearest difference is rating: Home Assistant at 4.7 against Z's 2.3. Home Assistant also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 19%) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months). Z's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Home Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Home Assistant has 4K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Z's written reviews are positive against 54% of Home Assistant's.

Z ships an update every 4 months, Home Assistant every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Z | Home Assistant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.3 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/z-tool-plus/id1018864080/reviews) | **[4.7 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 17 | **4K** |
| Positive reviews | 18.8% of reviews | **54.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 34 MB | 261 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HomeSeer](https://appshunter.io/developer/333195371) | [Nabu Casa, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525301324) |

## What reviewers say

### Z

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/z-tool-plus/id1018864080)

This tool simplifies the setup of Z-Wave devices for your smart home. It allows you to easily add, remove, and name devices directly from your phone or tablet. Once configured, you can manage advanced settings through your HomeSeer web interface.

**Highlights:** Include Z-Wave devices, Exclude Z-Wave devices, Name Z-Wave devices, Use with phone or tablet, Integrates with HomeSeer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Home Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401)

Control your entire smart home from one app, locally and privately. Automate devices, receive notifications, and manage your home's data securely. Integrates with thousands of smart devices and open standards.

**Highlights:** Control entire home from one app, Discover and configure new devices, Automate device actions, Local data privacy, Connect to open standards (Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter), Remote access via Home Assistant Cloud, Location-based automation

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Z free?

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

### Is Home Assistant free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Z or Home Assistant?

Home Assistant is rated higher. Z averages 2.3 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Home Assistant averages 4.7 from 4K ratings.

### Do Z or Home Assistant have ads?

Neither Z nor Home Assistant shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Z or Home Assistant?

Z ships an update every 4 months, and Home Assistant every 10 days. Most recently, Z was updated on October 7, 2026 and Home Assistant on October 18, 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.*