Comparison

SwitchBot vs Reel

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

Head to head
About

SwitchBot

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
Read full description

You can control the SwitchBot Bot with a tap on the icons. You can schedule your appliances to turn on or off according to your preference with SwitchBot Hub Mini. You can monitor the environment of your family and properties with SwitchBot Thermometer and Hygrometer. And that’s just the beginning. Purchase a SwitchBot device and download the app to get started today. Stay tuned for updates as we add new features and new products to the SwitchBot family. SwitchBot Camera Cloud Storage Service Subscription Cycle: 1 month (monthly plans) Subscription Price: $3.99/month (monthly plans) Payment: Users confirm the purchase and proceed to payment. Users can manage this subscription and the auto-renewal via their Apple ID > Subscriptions. Cancellation: Users can manually cancel this subscription via Apple ID > Subscriptions at least 24 hours before the current subscription period expires. Renewal: The user's account will be charged within 24 hours before the end of the current period, and the subscription will be extended for another period upon successful payment. Term of Use: https://www.switch-bot.com/pages/switchbot-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.switch-bot.com/pages/switchbot-privacy-policy - Website: switch-bot.com - Facebook: @SwitchBotRobot - Instagram: @theswitchbot - Twitter: @SwitchBot

About

Reel

Features
Read full description

Reel is a life-log camera: just film, and your day becomes a record. Studying, commuting, heading out, working — press START and drop it in your pocket or set it on a stand, and Reel films your day at a set interval. No tapping while it records. Just one tap before you start and one when you're done. ■ Two capture modes ・Time-lapse: recorded as sequential photos at a set interval. Look back on the flow of a whole day in moments. ・Video: recorded with ambient sound, for the moments you'll want to revisit. ■ On-device AI prepares everything for you (all free, all on-device) ・Face blur: faces caught in frame are blurred automatically before saving. ・Transcription: your video's audio becomes text on the device (nothing is sent to the cloud). ・OCR / scene index / tags: automatically structured so it's easy to find later. ・GPS, capture time and interval are bundled into the record (location is optional). ■ Privacy-first by design ・What you capture is saved to Photos on your own iPhone (on this device by default). ・You choose whether anything leaves the device — saving to iCloud or a folder of your own is opt-in, and off unless you pick it. ・Nothing is ever sent to or stored on our servers (analysis finishes on-device). ・No account, no sign-in. No tracking. ■ Power-saving "screen-off recording" To save battery on long sessions, Reel can keep recording with the screen off, running in a low-power state. When it detects that things have gone still, it pauses automatically to cut wasted power and needless footage. ■ Pricing ・Every feature is free (including face blur, transcription and scene index). ・The free plan lets you record once a day. ・A one-time purchase makes recording unlimited (it is not a subscription). ■ About iOS limits (stated honestly) iOS does not let apps use the camera while the app is closed. Reel is built to film while the app is open and in the foreground. Fully hands-off, all-day recording isn't possible by design. Keep every day of your life, with zero friction. Reel is the one app for that.

Screenshots

SwitchBot4 screens
Reel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: SwitchBot at 4 against Reel's 1. SwitchBot also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SwitchBot sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Reel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SwitchBot ships an update fortnightly, Reel every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SwitchBot versus Reel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwitchBotReel
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (838 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews32.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings838 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size647 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerwonderlabs, IncorporatedZEN ARTICLE

Bugs and requests

SwitchBot

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Reel

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

18 purchases

SwitchBot

Subscriptions18
  • cloud storage-2cams weekly$0.997 Days
  • AI Agent Plan$1.691 Month
  • Basic Monthly Plan1 Month trial2 variants$3.991 Month
Show 15 more
  • Test$3.991 Month
  • Test1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Starter Plan1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Plus Monthly Plan$6.991 Month
  • Home Plan$8.991 Month
  • Basic Monthly Plan1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • cloud storage-3cams monthly$10.991 Month
  • Home Plus$13.991 Month
  • Family Monthly Plan$20.991 Month
  • Home Max7 Days trial$22.991 Month
  • Basic Annual Plan$34.991 Year
  • Starter Plan(Annual)$49.991 Year
  • Plus Annual Plan$69.991 Year
  • cloud storage-1cam weekly7 Days trial$99.997 Days
  • Family Annual Plan$209.991 Year
1 purchases

Reel

One-time1
  • Reel Pro$2.99

Questions

Is SwitchBot free?
SwitchBot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Reel free?
Reel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SwitchBot or Reel have ads?
Neither SwitchBot nor Reel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SwitchBot or Reel?
SwitchBot ships an update fortnightly, and Reel every 10 days. Most recently, SwitchBot was updated on October 19, 2026 and Reel on October 20, 2026.

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