# SwitchBot vs Home Assistant

The clearest difference is rating: Home Assistant at 4.7 against SwitchBot's 3.4. Home Assistant also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 19) and review sentiment (54% vs 32%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SwitchBot sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Home Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.

Home Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 828 and 3.9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of SwitchBot's written reviews are positive against 54% of Home Assistant's.

SwitchBot ships an update every 2 weeks, Home Assistant every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SwitchBot | Home Assistant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (828 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/switchbot/id1087374760/reviews) | **[4.7 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 828 | **3.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 31.7% of reviews | **53.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 647 MB | 252 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [wonderlabs, Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/1087374759) | [Nabu Casa, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525301324) |

## What reviewers say

### SwitchBot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/switchbot/id1087374760)

Control smart devices like bots, hubs, and sensors remotely. Schedule appliance operation and monitor environmental conditions. Expand your smart home ecosystem with new devices and features.

**Highlights:** Remote device control, Appliance scheduling, Environmental monitoring, Hub integration, Camera cloud storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| cloud storage-2cams weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| AI Agent Plan | $1.69 | per month |
| Basic Monthly Plan | $3.99 | per month |
| Test | $3.99 | per month |
| Test | $3.99 | per month |
| Starter Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Plus Monthly Plan | $6.99 | per month |
| Home Plan | $8.99 | per month |
| Basic Monthly Plan | $9.99 | per month |
| cloud storage-3cams monthly | $10.99 | per month |
| Home Plus | $13.99 | per month |
| Family Monthly Plan | $20.99 | per month |
| Home Max | $22.99 | per month |
| Basic Annual Plan | $34.99 | per year |
| Plus Annual Plan | $69.99 | per year |
| cloud storage-1cam weekly | $99.99 | per 7 days |
| Family Annual Plan | $209.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Reliable and stable app
- 👍 Easy to use and set up
- 💡 Useful features like temperature/humidity monitoring
- 🚀 Responsive customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent crashes and disconnections
- 👎 Poor user interface and unintuitive navigation
- 🔋 Battery life issues with some devices
- 🔒 Security concerns with mandatory account creation and data sharing

**Reported bugs**

- Firmware update issues
- Devices disappearing from the app
- Unreliable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity
- Incorrect temperature and humidity readings

**Requested features**

- Sunrise/sunset automation support
- Ability to set more than 5 schedules
- Improved widget functionality
- Integration with Apple HomeKit and Siri


### Home Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401)

Control your entire smart home from one app, locally and privately. Automate devices, receive notifications, and manage your home's data securely. Integrates with thousands of smart devices and open standards.

**Highlights:** Control entire home from one app, Discover and configure new devices, Automate device actions, Local data privacy, Connect to open standards (Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter), Remote access via Home Assistant Cloud, Location-based automation

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SwitchBot free?

SwitchBot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Home Assistant free?

Home Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SwitchBot or Home Assistant?

Home Assistant is rated higher. SwitchBot averages 3.4 out of 5 from 828 ratings, while Home Assistant averages 4.7 from 3.9K ratings.

### Do SwitchBot or Home Assistant have ads?

Neither SwitchBot nor Home Assistant shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SwitchBot or Home Assistant?

SwitchBot ships an update every 2 weeks, and Home Assistant every 10 days. Most recently, SwitchBot was updated on September 22, 2026 and Home Assistant on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*