# Home Assistant vs SmartThings

The clearest difference is ratings volume: SmartThings at 809K against Home Assistant's 3.9K. SmartThings also leads on chart position (#5 vs unranked). Home Assistant's advantage is review sentiment (54% vs 31%) and update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 SmartThings. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartThings has 809K ratings behind it against 3.9K, 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 31% of SmartThings's.

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, SmartThings monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Home Assistant | SmartThings |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401/reviews)** | [4.6 (809K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartthings/id1222822904/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3.9K | **809K** |
| Positive reviews | **53.8% of reviews** | 31.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#5** |
| Size | 252 MB | 961 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Nabu Casa, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525301324) | [Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/359580642) |

## 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


### SmartThings

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartthings/id1222822904)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · Lifestyle, #188 Top Free (US App Store)

Unify and manage all your smart home devices from a single application. Connect hundreds of brands, create custom scenes and routines, and control your home remotely. Monitor energy usage and even get meal planning assistance.

**Highlights:** Connect and control devices from multiple brands, Create custom scenes and routines, Remote home monitoring and control, Automated notifications and status updates, Voice control with Google Assistant, Energy tracking and saving features, Smart cooking and meal planning assistance

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Remote control functionality
- 📚 Laundry cycle recommendations
- 🤖 Automation and scheduling capabilities
- 🔧 Customizable settings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and crashes
- ⏱️ Slow and laggy performance
- 🔍 Difficulty connecting and configuring devices
- 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive user interface
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with location tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to add or remove devices
- Inconsistent device status updates
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to control TV without remote
- Improved photo/artwork management for Frame TV
- More advanced automation and scheduling options
- Better integration with other smart home platforms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Home Assistant free?

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

### Is SmartThings free?

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

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

Home Assistant is rated higher. Home Assistant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while SmartThings averages 4.6 from 809K ratings.

### Do Home Assistant or SmartThings have ads?

Neither Home Assistant nor SmartThings shows ads.

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

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, and SmartThings monthly. Most recently, Home Assistant was updated on September 23, 2026 and SmartThings on September 25, 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.*