Comparison

Home Assistant vs Twinkly

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

Head to head
About

Home Assistant

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
Read full description

The Home Assistant Companion app allows you to access your Home Assistant instance on the go. Home Assistant is the smart home solution focused on privacy, choice, and sustainability. It runs locally in your home via a device like the Home Assistant Green or Raspberry Pi. This app connects to all the most powerful features of Home Assistant, - One app to control the whole home - Home Assistant is compatible with the biggest brands in the smart home, connecting to thousands of smart devices and services. - Discover automatically and quickly configure new devices - such as Philips Hue, Sonos, and IKEA Tradfri. - Automate everything - Make all the devices in your home work in harmony - have your lights dim when you start watching a movie, or turn off your heat when you’re away from home. - Keep your home’s data in the home - use it privately to see past trends and averages. - Connect to open standards with hardware add-ons - including Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter, Thread, and Bluetooth. - Connect anywhere - If you would like to access this app while away from home, the most secure and simple way to get started is Home Assistant Cloud. The app unlocks your smartphone or tablet as a home automation tool. - Securely share your location, using it to automate heating, security, and so much more. - Get notifications on what's happening in your home, from detecting leaks to doors left open, you have full control over what it tells you. - Carplay functionality lets you open a garage or disable the security system from the dash of your car. - Build your own widgets to control any device in your home with a tap. - Integrate Home Assistant's functionality into Shortcuts, for example have your phone’s morning alarm turn on the coffee machine. - Apple Watch compatibility can show your home's temperature on a watch face or quickly activate devices. - Text or talk to your local voice assistant on your device. - Mac compatibility allows you to control your home from your desktop, but also to share data to build automation, like having your streaming lights turn on when your camera is active. Join the over 1 million users and empower your home with better privacy, choice and sustainability. Compatible with: Airthings, Amazon Alexa, Amcrest, Apple HomeKit, Apple TV, ASUSWRT, August, Belink WeMo, Bluetooth, Bose SoundTouch, Broadlink, BTHome, deCONZ, Denon, Devolo, DLNA, Ecobee, Ecovacs, Ecowitt, Elgato, EZVIZ, Fritz, Fully Kiosk, GoodWe, Govee, Growatt, Hikvision, Hive, Home Connect, Homematic, HomeWizard, Honeywell, iCloud, IFTTT, IKEA Tradfri, Insteon, Jellyfin, LG Smart TVs, LIFX, Logitech Harmony, Lutron Caseta, Magic Home, Matter, MotionEye, MQTT, MusicCast, Nanoleaf, Netatmo, Nuki, OctoPrint, ONVIF, Opower, Overkiz, OwnTracks, Panasonic Viera, Philips Hue, Pi-hole, Plex, Reolink, Ring, Roborock, Roku, Samsung TVs, Sense, Sensiba, Shelly, SmartThings, SolarEdge, Sonarr, Sonos, Sony Bravia, Spotify, Steam, SwitchBot, Synology, Tado, Tasmota, Tesla Wall, Thread, Tile, TP-Link Smart Home, Tuya, UniFi, UPnP, Verisure, Vizio, Wallbox, WebRTC, WiZ, WLED, Xbox, Xiaomi BLE, Yale, Yeelight, YoLink, Z-Wave, Zigbe

About

Twinkly

Control and personalize smart light decorations for an enhanced festive experience. Easily connect via Wi-Fi to create custom lighting effects for your tree and home.

Highlights
  • Personalize lighting effects
  • Smart design
  • Intuitive use
  • Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Customizable Christmas lights
Features
Read full description

The companion app for Twinkly, the smart light decoration system to make your Christmas unforgettable. It is the evolution of the classic Christmas lights and a true innovation in how you light up your tree. It features a smart design that gives you the ability to personalize your lighting effects for an even greater experience. Designed for intuitive use, just connect over Wi-Fi and you will be playing with your lights in a matter of seconds.

Screenshots

Home Assistant4 screens
Twinkly4 screens

Verdict

The call

Home Assistant and Twinkly both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 54% of Home Assistant's written reviews are positive against 38% of Twinkly's. Home Assistant also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Twinkly's advantage is ratings volume (48K vs 4K). 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 Home Assistant against 4.6 for Twinkly. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Twinkly has 48K ratings behind it against 4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of Home Assistant's written reviews are positive against 38% of Twinkly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, Twinkly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Home Assistant versus Twinkly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHome AssistantTwinkly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4K ratings) — better4.6 (48K ratings)
Positive reviews54.1% of reviews — better38.3% of reviews
Number of ratings4K48K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size261 MB194 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNabu Casa, IncTwinkly srl

Customer experience

Home Assistant

All ratings3,967 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews510 reviews
Positive54.1%
Neutral8.6%
Negative37.3%

Twinkly

All ratings48,269 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral2.6%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews882 reviews
Positive38.3%
Neutral11.9%
Negative49.8%

Bugs and requests

Home Assistant

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Twinkly

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Lights disconnecting from WiFi
  • Mapping and setup process unreliable
  • Preset effects not working as expected
  • Playlist and custom effects not saving
Show 1 more
  • Firmware update process failing

Requested features

6 requests
  • Multiple timers for on/off schedules
  • Ability to edit and save custom effects
  • Sync effects across multiple light sets
  • Homekit and Alexa integration
  • More preset effects and animations
Show 1 more
  • Improved app layout and usability

In-app purchases

None

Home Assistant

No in-app purchases

None

Twinkly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Home Assistant free?
Home Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Twinkly free?
Twinkly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Home Assistant or Twinkly?
Home Assistant is rated higher. Home Assistant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4K ratings, while Twinkly averages 4.6 from 48K ratings.
Do Home Assistant or Twinkly have ads?
Neither Home Assistant nor Twinkly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Home Assistant or Twinkly?
Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, and Twinkly fortnightly. Most recently, Home Assistant was updated on October 20, 2026 and Twinkly on October 22, 2026.

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