Rain Bird vs Rheem EcoNet
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
Rheem EcoNet
Manage your home's heating, cooling, and hot water systems remotely. Optimize energy usage, set custom schedules, and receive important alerts for maintenance and system performance. This app helps homeowners save on utility bills and maintain ideal comfort levels.
- Smart HVAC control
- Water heater monitoring
- Energy consumption tracking
- Customizable schedules
- Maintenance alerts
- Remote system access
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EcoNet®: Smart Control for Your Home’s Comfort Take complete control of your home’s comfort and energy efficiency. EcoNet provides seamless smart control over your HVAC and water heaters from the Rheem family of brands (Rheem, Ruud, Friedrich, Richmond, Sure Comfort, Russell by Rheem, Durastar). Experience the convenience of managing your home’s climate and hot water needs right from your smartphone. Features: - Smart Control: Easily adjust your heating and cooling settings to maintain the perfect indoor climate. - Smart Monitoring: Monitor and control your water heater’s performance for optimal efficiency and comfort. - Smart Savings: Track your energy consumption and receive tips to improve efficiency and save on utility bills. - Utility Programs: Enroll in utility programs in your area to maximize your savings. - Custom Schedules: Set personalized schedules for your HVAC and water heater to match your lifestyle and maximize energy savings. - Alerts & Notifications: Get real-time alerts and notifications for maintenance reminders, system updates, and potential issues. Quickly share these alerts with your contractor when contact info added at account creation. - Remote Access: Control your home’s systems from anywhere, ensuring comfort and peace of mind whether you’re at home or away. Download EcoNet today and transform the way you manage your home’s comfort and efficiency!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Rain Bird at 4.7 against Rheem EcoNet's 4.4. Rain Bird also leads on review sentiment (31% vs 15%) and ratings volume (79K vs 16K). On price, update cadence, 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.
Rain Bird holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 79K and 16K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Rain Bird's written reviews are positive against 15% of Rheem EcoNet's.
Rain Bird ships an update every 2 months, Rheem EcoNet every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Rain Bird | Rheem EcoNet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (79K ratings) — better | 4.4 (16K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.2% of reviews — better | 14.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 79K — better | 16K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rain Bird Corporation | Rheem Manufacturing Company |
Customer experience
Rain Bird
Rheem EcoNet
User reviews
Rain Bird
From 79K 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
Rheem EcoNet
From 16K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Useful for monitoring energy usage
- 👍 Improved app UI in recent update
- 🚀 Reliable connection after update
Room to improve
- 🐛 Scheduling issues and unreliable
- 🐛 Home/away mode not functioning properly
- 🐛 Connectivity problems after app updates
- 🐛 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Missing key information like current water temperature
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
Rheem EcoNet
Reported bugs
4 issues- Schedule resets or stops working randomly
- App disconnects from water heater frequently
- Vacation/away mode settings not saving properly
- Inability to log in or create account
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to view current water tank temperature
- Improve scheduling functionality and reliability
- Provide more detailed usage data and analytics
- Allow custom temperature settings for away/vacation mode
In-app purchases
Rain Bird
No in-app purchases
Rheem EcoNet
No in-app purchases








