# Kasa Smart vs Home Assistant

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Home Assistant at none against Kasa Smart's 8. Home Assistant also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). Kasa Smart's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 54%) and ratings volume (81K vs 4K). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Kasa Smart sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Home Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Kasa Smart against 4.7 for Home Assistant. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kasa Smart has 81K ratings behind it against 4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Kasa Smart's written reviews are positive against 54% of Home Assistant's.

Kasa Smart ships an update every 3 weeks, Home Assistant every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kasa Smart | Home Assistant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (81K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kasa-smart/id1034035493/reviews)** | [4.7 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **81K** | 4K |
| Positive reviews | **81.7% of reviews** | 54.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#36** | — |
| Size | 617 MB | 229 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TP-Link Systems Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1713842892) | [Nabu Casa, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525301324) |

## What reviewers say

### Kasa Smart

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kasa-smart/id1034035493)

**Currently charting:** #36 Top Grossing · Lifestyle, #128 Top Free · Lifestyle (US App Store)

Control and monitor your TP-LINK smart home devices from anywhere. Schedule appliances, set Away Mode for security, and manage your connected ecosystem. Offers cloud storage for security cameras.

**Highlights:** Remote device control, Scheduling and automation, Away Mode for security, Cloud video storage, Device configuration, Real-time notifications

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kasa Care Plus 1 Cam/month | $2.99 | per month |
| Kasa Care Plus 2 Cam/month | $5.99 | per month |
| Kasa Care Plus 3 Cam/month | $8.99 | per month |
| Kasa Care Premium 10 Cam/month | $9.99 | per month |
| Kasa Care Plus 1 Cam/year | $29.99 | per year |
| Kasa Care Plus 2 Cam/year | $59.99 | per year |
| Kasa Care Plus 3 Cam/year | $89.99 | per year |
| Kasa Care Premium 10 Cam/year | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy setup and use
- 🔒 Reliable and secure
- 👍 Convenient remote control
- 👍 Helpful scheduling and automation features
- 👍 Integrates well with smart home ecosystems

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues and device disconnections
- 🐛 Slow app performance and responsiveness
- 🐛 Buggy updates causing functionality loss
- 🔒 Security concerns with unsecured WiFi connections
- 👎 Limited customization and control options

**Reported bugs**

- App getting stuck on terms of service page
- Devices disappearing from the app
- Schedules and automations not working as expected
- Inconsistent time and location settings

**Requested features**

- More flexible scheduling options (e.g. random on/off, sunrise/sunset offsets)
- Ability to share access and control with multiple users
- Improved energy monitoring and reporting
- Expanded compatibility with more smart home devices
- Easier device organization and grouping


### 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 Kasa Smart free?

Kasa Smart is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Home Assistant free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Kasa Smart or Home Assistant?

Kasa Smart is rated higher. Kasa Smart averages 4.8 out of 5 from 81K ratings, while Home Assistant averages 4.7 from 4K ratings.

### Do Kasa Smart or Home Assistant have ads?

Neither Kasa Smart nor Home Assistant shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kasa Smart or Home Assistant?

Kasa Smart ships an update every 3 weeks, and Home Assistant every 10 days. Most recently, Kasa Smart was updated on October 28, 2026 and Home Assistant on October 26, 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.*