Rain Bird vs HBN Smart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rain Bird
Control your sprinklers remotely from your mobile device. Automate watering schedules and adjust for weather conditions to conserve water and reduce costs. Compatible with various Rain Bird controller models.
- Remote sprinkler control
- Customizable watering schedules
- Automated weather adjustments
- Water and money saving
- Controller model compatibility
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Smart Watering Made Simple. Connect your Rain Bird controller to your mobile device to turn on sprinklers, set up customized watering schedules, and automate weather adjustments, saving you water and money. Compatible with the following Rain Bird controller models: ST8-WIFI ESP-TM2 ESP-RZXe ESP-Me ESP-ME3 RC2 ARC8 For more information: http://wifi.rainbird.com 1-800-RAINBIRD
HBN Smart
Control your home appliances remotely from anywhere. Manage multiple devices simultaneously, set timers for automated functions, and easily share access with family members. The app offers quick and simple device connection.
- Remote appliance control
- Simultaneous device management
- Automated timers
- Family device sharing
- Quick device connection
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1. Remote control: control home appliances from anywhere 2. Simultaneously control: control multiple devices within one App 3. Timer: set timer to perform multiple functions 4. Device sharing: one tap to share devices among family members 5. Easy connections: easily and quickly connect App to devices
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Rain Bird at every 2 months against HBN Smart's every 8 months. Rain Bird also leads on ratings volume (70K vs 3.2K). HBN Smart's advantage is review sentiment (51% vs 31%). On price, rating, 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Rain Bird against 4.8 for HBN Smart. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rain Bird has 70K ratings behind it against 3.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 31% of Rain Bird's written reviews are positive against 51% of HBN Smart's.
Rain Bird ships an update every 2 months, HBN Smart every 8 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Rain Bird | HBN Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (70K ratings) | 4.8 (3.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.3% of reviews | 51.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 70K — better | 3.2K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 160 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rain Bird Corporation | CENTURY PRODUCTS INC |
Customer experience
Rain Bird
HBN Smart
User reviews
Rain Bird
From 70K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to program
- 🚀 Convenient remote control
- 👍 Versatile
- 👍 Must have
- 👍 Ease of mind
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 Slow and clunky app
- 🐛 Date/time not updating
- 🐛 Unreliable system
- 🐛 Limited functionality
HBN Smart
From 3.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy setup and use
- 🚀 Reliable connection and performance
- 💡 Useful automation features
- 🔒 Secure remote control
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues with certain networks
- 🤔 Limited functionality without WiFi
- 😕 Confusing app interface
- 🤷♀️ Lack of customer support
Bugs and requests
Rain Bird
Reported bugs
5 issues- Constant connection errors
- App crashes frequently
- Date/time not syncing correctly
- Seasonal adjustment not working as expected
- Manual controls not functioning properly
Requested features
6 requests- Add water usage history and analytics
- Allow pausing of individual zones
- Improve manual control options
- Add weather integration and smart scheduling
- Improve notification system
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- Add ability to turn off entire system remotely
HBN Smart
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes or freezes on certain devices
- Scheduled timers not working as expected
- Devices disappearing from the app
- Firmware updates causing compatibility issues
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more device types
- Improve scheduling and automation options
- Provide better in-app guidance and tutorials
- Integrate with smart home platforms
In-app purchases
Rain Bird
No in-app purchases
HBN Smart
No in-app purchases
