# Home Assistant vs Twinkly

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.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Home Assistant | Twinkly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401/reviews)** | [4.6 (48K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twinkly/id1132187056/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4K | **48K** |
| Positive reviews | **54.1% of reviews** | 38.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 261 MB | 194 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nabu Casa, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525301324) | [Twinkly srl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1132187055) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Twinkly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twinkly/id1132187056)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Amazing lights
- 🎨 Customizable colors and effects
- 🎄 Great for holiday decorations
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 🤩 Wow factor

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🔌 Connectivity issues
- 🤯 Frustrating user experience
- 🕰️ Unstable firmware updates
- 💸 Expensive for the issues

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


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