Onelink Home by First Alert vs HOOBS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Onelink Home by First Alert
Manage and monitor your connected home devices, including smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Receive emergency notifications and enjoy premium audio and voice commands with integrated smart assistants.
- Device installation and pairing
- Real-time monitoring
- Smoke and CO emergency notifications
- Integrated Amazon Alexa
- Premium audio speaker
- Hands-free voice commands
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Download the Onelink Home app to install, pair, and monitor all of your Onelink by First Alert connected home devices. Now featuring the Onelink Safe & Sound, the 3-in-1 device that combines a hardwired smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarm with a premium speaker and embedded Amazon Alexa voice assistant. With safety notifications in the event of a smoke or CO emergency, plus premium audio and hands-free voice commands, the Safe & Sound adds safety, entertainment, and convenience to any home. The Onelink Home app also supports Onelink Smoke & Carbon Monoxide alarms, providing smart safety and comfort to your home.
HOOBS
Connect smart home devices from various brands and technologies to your preferred ecosystem. Control all your accessories, regardless of their original platform, from a single, unified app for a truly integrated smart home experience.
- Connects accessories to Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa
- Supports Nest, Ring, Arlo, and hundreds more brands
- Works with Zigbee, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth devices
- Unified control from a single app
- Seamless smart home integration
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HOOBS™ makes your smart accessories compatible with your favorite ecosystem. Whether you prefer Apple Homekit™, Google Home™, or Amazon Alexa™, you’re unlikely to find compatible accessories and services that all work together nicely under one roof. HOOBS™ is the missing link in your smart home ecosystem, bringing together devices from leading brands like Nest, Ring, Arlo, and hundreds more into Apple HomeKit. No matter what technology your devices use – Zigbee, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth – HOOBS creates a seamless connection for effortless control from a single app. Experience the convenience of true smart home integration.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HOOBS at every 5 days against Onelink Home by First Alert's every 3 months. Onelink Home by First Alert's advantage is rating (1.5 vs 1.1) and ratings volume (306 vs 27). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Onelink Home by First Alert holds the better App Store score, 1.5 against 1.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Onelink Home by First Alert has 306 ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 9% of Onelink Home by First Alert's written reviews are positive against 11% of HOOBS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Onelink Home by First Alert ships an update every 3 months, HOOBS every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Onelink Home by First Alert | HOOBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.5 (306 ratings) — better | 1.1 (27 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 9.2% of reviews | 11.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 306 — better | 27 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 241 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | First Alert / BRK Brands | HOOBS Inc |
Customer experience
Onelink Home by First Alert
HOOBS
Bugs and requests
Onelink Home by First Alert
Reported bugs
4 issues- App fails to recognize existing accounts
- Devices disappear from app and HomeKit
- Alarms going off for no reason
- Inability to silence alarms remotely
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to disable Alexa/Google Home integration
- Improved firmware update process
- More customization options for nightlight and alarm settings
- Better app performance and stability
HOOBS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Onelink Home by First Alert
No in-app purchases
HOOBS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Onelink Home by First Alert free?
Is HOOBS free?
Which has better reviews, Onelink Home by First Alert or HOOBS?
Do Onelink Home by First Alert or HOOBS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Onelink Home by First Alert or HOOBS?
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