Comparison

SwitchBot vs ZenInk

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

ZenInk

Features
Read full description

ZenInk turns your iPhone or iPad into a living Chinese ink-wash painting — a small window of calm to keep beside you while you work, rest, or breathe. Three hand-painted scenes, each made entirely of ink and blank paper: · Koi Pond — Ink koi drift among a few floating lotus pads, swimming in bursts, then pausing to hover. Touch the water and ripples spread; the fish startle and scatter, then slowly return. · Lotus in the Rain — A fine rain dimples the pond; the frogs breathe and blink where they sit. Tap a lotus leaf and it trembles, shaking loose droplets — and the frog leaps to another pad. · Afternoon Sun — A cat naps in a warm shaft of sunlight on the tatami. Wake it with a tap and watch it stir like a real cat, slow and drowsy; stroke it and it squints and purrs. Everything is drawn by code — brushstrokes, ink bleed, rice-paper grain — so it stays crisp at any size and never repeats. Swipe like unrolling a handscroll to move between scenes. Swipe up on any scene (or tap the red seal in the corner) for a few gentle controls: rain, frogs, wind, fish speed, sway, sound. No accounts. No ads. No network. No data collected. Just ink, water, and a little life. — Audio: frog chorus recording by ElemePodcast, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (modified).

Screenshots

SwitchBot4 screens
ZenInk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZenInk at none against SwitchBot's 20. SwitchBot's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, 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. SwitchBot sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. ZenInk asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SwitchBot ships an update fortnightly, ZenInk every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SwitchBot versus ZenInk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwitchBotZenInk
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (839 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews32.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings839 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size645 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerwonderlabs, IncorporatedFeiquan AB

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

ZenInk

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
None

ZenInk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SwitchBot free?
SwitchBot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ZenInk free?
ZenInk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SwitchBot or ZenInk have ads?
Neither SwitchBot nor ZenInk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SwitchBot or ZenInk?
SwitchBot ships an update fortnightly, and ZenInk every 2 weeks. Most recently, SwitchBot was updated on October 22, 2026 and ZenInk on October 19, 2026.

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