Comparison

B vs MRCOOL SmartHVAC

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

B

Control and monitor your sprinklers from anywhere with this smart watering app. It offers intelligent scheduling based on local weather and soil conditions, or customizable manual programs. An integrated audit tool helps optimize water usage and save money.

Highlights
  • Remote sprinkler control
  • Smart watering schedules
  • Weather-based adjustments
  • Customizable programs
  • Integrated irrigation audit tool
  • Water usage optimization
Features
Read full description

The B-hyve smart sprinkler timer app allows you to control or monitor your sprinklers from anywhere in the world with the convenience of your smart device. Smart Watering Knowing how long and how often to water your plants can be challenging. When set to smart watering mode, B-hyve takes the guesswork out of watering and utilizes Mother Nature, along with some really great technology, to determine the watering schedule for your yard. When set and left in smart watering mode, B-hyve can save users as much as 50% more water over a traditional controller. Weather When set in smart mode, B-hyve uses local weather data to determine how much water is evaporated and transpired through your plants each day to know when it needs to water. It also accounts for any rainfall that is in the forecast, shuts off the system for rain, then looks back to see how much actually fell. That’s smart! But all yards are not the same. B-hyve also takes into account things like soil type, plant type, sun/shade and slope to determine a watering schedule that takes the water to the roots and helps avoid runoff. WeatherSense If you want to be the one in control of the schedule, that’s okay too. With B-hyve you can set custom programs to water how you want while still taking advantage of the local weather data to override watering in case of a weather event. This will shut off your system during the rain and resume your program when the rain has passed. That’s smart! Integrated Irrigation Audit Tool The B-hyve app also integrates the award-winning irrigation audit tool right to your smart device. By performing a catch cup test on your sprinkler system, you will know exactly how much water is being applied rather than relying on estimated sprinkler head water use that other timers/apps use, which can be off by as much as 50%, saving you more water and money. This is the app for the best-selling, WaterSense and SWAT certified Orbit B-hyve Smart Wifi Sprinkler Timer. This is also the companion app for homeowners with the Hydro-Rain B-hyve Pro Wifi Controller. Please let us know if you have questions or problems. ALEXA – Works with Alexa. For a list of Alexa commands visit http://help.orbitbhyve.com/Alexa-Commands/ Bhyve.orbitonline.com 800-488-6156 support@orbitbhyve.com

About

MRCOOL SmartHVAC

Transform your existing MRCOOL air conditioners and heat pumps into smart devices. Control your home's climate remotely via smartphone or voice commands, automate settings based on your location, and set personalized schedules for comfort and energy savings.

Highlights
  • Remote AC and heat pump control
  • Voice command integration (Alexa, Google Home)
  • Location-based automation
  • Weekly scheduling
  • Usage history monitoring
  • Air filter status alerts
  • Intelligent temperature triggers ('Comfy' feature)
Features
Read full description

MRCOOL SmartHVAC App works with MRCOOL Smart Controllers to convert MRCOOL Air Conditioners & Heat Pumps to smart ones. Our smart controllers work with this App to help you convert your existing or new ACs to smart ACs. You can control your MRCOOL ACs through your smartphone or simple voice commands (our smart controllers are Alexa & Google Home enabled). These DIY controllers are extremely easy to setup. You can automatically turn the air conditioner or heat pump OFF when you leave the premises and start to cool/heat once you arrive as per your settings. This App gives you complete control of your heating and cooling. It figures out when you're at home and when you're out and adjusts the settings to provide comfort and energy savings. You can set weekly schedules for your air conditioners, monitor usage history, set air conditioning action in relation to your locations, see the air filter status of your AC and lot more. You can set intelligent temperature based triggers for your air conditioners by using the ‘Comfy’ feature under ‘My Rules’ section of the app. Comfy lets you set triggers to personalize the operation of your AC. It helps you automatically change your AC settings if room temperature goes above or falls below a pre-set value. It helps you reduce your energy bills with lot of convenience. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

B4 screens
MRCOOL SmartHVAC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: B at 337K against MRCOOL SmartHVAC's 12K. B also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 50%). MRCOOL SmartHVAC's advantage is iOS requirement (13 vs 15.1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for B against 4.7 for MRCOOL SmartHVAC. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: B has 337K ratings behind it against 12K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of B's written reviews are positive against 50% of MRCOOL SmartHVAC's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

B ships an update every 6 weeks, MRCOOL SmartHVAC every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
B versus MRCOOL SmartHVAC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBMRCOOL SmartHVAC
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (337K ratings) — better4.7 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews60.7% of reviews — better49.7% of reviews
Number of ratings337K — better12K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.113 — better
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOrbit IrrigationCielo WiGle Inc.

Customer experience

B

All ratings336,181 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews1,921 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral7.7%
Negative31.5%

MRCOOL SmartHVAC

All ratings9,834 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive49.7%
Neutral16.8%
Negative33.5%

User reviews

B

From 337K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Easy to use app
  • 🌳 Effective smart watering
  • 🌍 Remote control from anywhere
  • ⏱️ Convenient manual control
  • 📊 Detailed watering history

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🌧️ Inaccurate weather data
  • 🔍 Unintuitive interface
  • 🔀 Inability to control multiple devices together
  • 🕰️ Inconsistent watering schedules

MRCOOL SmartHVAC

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy installation
  • 🚀 Convenient remote control
  • 🚀 Effective heating and cooling
  • 🚀 Quiet operation
  • 🚀 Helpful customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent temperature readings
  • 🐛 Unreliable scheduling and automation
  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Lack of metric unit support
  • 🐛 Confusing interface and controls

Bugs and requests

B

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Watering programs not executing as scheduled
  • Zones not responding to manual controls
  • Connectivity issues causing loss of watering history
  • Unexpected changes to programmed watering schedules

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to pause and resume watering programs
  • Integration with smart home platforms (e.g., HomeKit)
  • More granular control over watering schedules and zones
  • Improved weather forecasting and rain delay functionality
  • Global calendar view of all connected devices

MRCOOL SmartHVAC

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App frequently loses connection to unit
  • Schedules not working as expected
  • Temperature calibration issues
  • Inconsistent behavior between app, remote, and unit

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Celsius temperature option
  • Improve scheduling functionality (set on and off times)
  • Integrate remote temperature sensor
  • Provide energy usage monitoring
  • Allow multiple user accounts

In-app purchases

None

B

No in-app purchases

None

MRCOOL SmartHVAC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is B free?
B is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MRCOOL SmartHVAC free?
MRCOOL SmartHVAC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, B or MRCOOL SmartHVAC?
B is rated higher. B averages 4.7 out of 5 from 337K ratings, while MRCOOL SmartHVAC averages 4.7 from 12K ratings.
Do B or MRCOOL SmartHVAC have ads?
Neither B nor MRCOOL SmartHVAC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, B or MRCOOL SmartHVAC?
B ships an update every 6 weeks, and MRCOOL SmartHVAC every 4 weeks. Most recently, B was updated on November 11, 2026 and MRCOOL SmartHVAC on November 11, 2026.

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