Rain Bird vs SkyBell
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
SkyBell
Monitor your home's entry points with HD video and two-way audio. Receive instant alerts for visitors or motion, and integrate with other smart home devices for enhanced security and control.
- HD video monitoring
- Two-way audio communication
- Instant motion and visitor alerts
- Smart home device integration
- AI-powered body and facial recognition
- Customizable motion zones
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Peace of mind starts at the front door. SkyBell pioneered the Video Doorbell category and now offers a variety of Video Doorbells, Security Cameras, Chimes, and other integrated smart home security solutions. Get instant alerts on smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches when someone is at your door or motion is detected in HD video with two-way talk on any of SkyBell’s Video Doorbells or Cameras. SkyBell sends a live video feed to your devices so you can hear and speak to the person at your door or in the house, whether at home, at work, or on the go - day or night. The SkyBell Gen5 App lets you integrate compatible smart home devices like smart locks and others into your SkyBell system, offering more home control than ever. The integrated AI provides body and facial recognition, with the ability to set custom motion zones to reduce false triggers by up to 95%. SkyBell keeps you connected to your home and those you love most. We aim to make homes and neighborhoods safer, one front door at a time!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Rain Bird at 70K against SkyBell's 10K. Rain Bird also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). SkyBell's advantage is review sentiment (41% vs 31%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 4.7 for SkyBell. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rain Bird has 70K ratings behind it against 10K, 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 41% of SkyBell's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Rain Bird | SkyBell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (70K ratings) | 4.7 (10K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.3% of reviews | 40.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 70K — better | 10K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Rain Bird Corporation | SkyBell Technologies, Inc. |
Customer experience
Rain Bird
SkyBell
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
SkyBell
From 10K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Improved stability
- 💡 New features like motion zones
- 👍 Easy migration from old app
- 🚀 Faster video loading
Room to improve
- 🐛 Live view issues and crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable motion detection
- 🐛 Connectivity and login problems
- 🐛 Downgrade from old app features
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
SkyBell
Reported bugs
3 issues- Videos not saving or available
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Inability to reconnect device after migration
Requested features
3 requests- Bring back old app's notification sounds
- Allow multiple users to control the device
- Improve video quality and zoom capabilities
In-app purchases
Rain Bird
No in-app purchases
SkyBell
No in-app purchases
