Comparison

B vs iQua

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 uses local weather data and plant information to create optimized watering schedules, saving water and money. You can also set custom programs and utilize an integrated irrigation audit tool.

Highlights
  • Remote sprinkler control
  • Smart watering schedules
  • Weather-based adjustments
  • Custom program settings
  • Integrated irrigation audit tool
  • Water conservation features
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

iQua

Monitor and manage your Wi-Fi connected water treatment systems and water usage from your smartphone. Get detailed insights into your home's water consumption and receive alerts for potential issues.

Highlights
  • Monitor water usage (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
  • View current water flow rate
  • Track salt levels
  • Control water system remotely
  • Receive custom alerts for flow, usage, and salt
  • Launch system regeneration
Features
Read full description

The iQua® water management tool makes it possible to monitor and manage your Wi-Fi connected water treatment systems and water usage via smartphone. A simple and secure online dashboard provides system information at a glance, such as: - Average daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly home water usage - Home water used today - Current home water flow rate - Number of days until the salt is empty - Home water turned on or off You can launch a regeneration and adjust your settings from anywhere! The iQua® water management tool can be programmed to send alerts - Continual water flow in your home alert - Excessive water usage alert - Low salt alert - And more!

Screenshots

B4 screens
iQua4 screens

Verdict

The call

B and iQua both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 61% of B's written reviews are positive against 15% of iQua's. B also leads on ratings volume (336K vs 1K) and device support (3 vs 1). iQua's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). 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 iQua. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: B has 336K ratings behind it against 1K, 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 15% of iQua's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
B versus iQua: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBiQua
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (336K ratings) — better4.7 (1K ratings)
Positive reviews61.0% of reviews — better15.1% of reviews
Number of ratings336K — better1K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOrbit IrrigationEcoWater Systems LLC

Customer experience

B

All ratings330,461 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews1,905 reviews
Positive61.0%
Neutral7.6%
Negative31.3%

iQua

All ratings1,035 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews159 reviews
Positive15.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative79.9%

User reviews

B

From 336K 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

iQua

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to set up and use
  • 🚀 Useful smart features
  • 💡 Helpful alerts and notifications
  • 🔒 Secure remote access

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app with connectivity issues
  • 📉 Limited data and history tracking
  • 🤔 Confusing or missing features
  • 🤯 Frustrating user experience

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

iQua

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to create account or log in
  • Inconsistent water flow data
  • Inability to control water shutoff valve
  • App crashes or loses connection

Requested features

4 requests
  • Regeneration history and schedule
  • Detailed water usage analytics
  • Improved app stability and reliability
  • Integration with smart home platforms

In-app purchases

None

B

No in-app purchases

None

iQua

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is B free?
B is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iQua free?
iQua is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, B or iQua?
B is rated higher. B averages 4.7 out of 5 from 336K ratings, while iQua averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.
Do B or iQua have ads?
Neither B nor iQua shows ads.
Which is updated more often, B or iQua?
B ships an update every 6 weeks, and iQua every 6 weeks. Most recently, B was updated on October 29, 2026 and iQua on October 26, 2026.

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