Home Assistant vs Whisker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Whisker
Remotely monitor and control your WiFi-enabled pet devices, including litter boxes and feeders. Receive real-time alerts, track usage insights, and manage schedules from anywhere. Enhance your pet care routine with smart technology.
- Real-time alerts for device status
- Remote control of device functions
- Usage insights and trend tracking
- Flexible feeding schedules
- Multi-robot management
- On-demand pet treat dispensing
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The Whisker app uses our proprietary WhiskerOS™ software to allow you to remotely monitor and control your WiFi-enabled Whisker device. Use the Whisker app to monitor, control, and get insights from your Whisker devices—including Litter-Robot and Feeder-Robot—anytime, anywhere. Works with Litter-Robot 3 Connect, Litter-Robot 4, Litter-Robot 5, Litter-Robot 5 Pro, Litter-Robot EVO, PetTag, and Feeder-Robot. Litter-Robot features - Real-time alerts: Know when a cycle starts, pauses, or the drawer needs emptying. - Litter & waste status: See litter level and waste drawer status at a glance. - Usage insights: Track trends that help you monitor your cat's routine. - Remote controls: Adjust cycle delay time, lock the control panel, toggle night light, or schedule sleep mode. - Multi-robot support: Set up and manage multiple units in one place. Feeder-Robot features - Flexible schedules: Create and edit feeding schedules from your phone. - Snack on demand: Dispense a snack anytime, wherever you are. - Low-food & issue alerts: Get notified when food is low or if the feeder needs attention. - Feeding insights: View weekly and monthly trends. Setup & requirements - Camera permission for QR code onboarding. - Wi-Fi: Visible, password-protected IPv4 network. All models support 2.4 GHz; 5 GHz is supported on select Pro models only. Use 2.4 GHz for all others. - Location Services: Enable during onboarding to help the app find your Wi-Fi network. Features may vary by device and model.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Home Assistant at free against Whisker's free with in-app purchases. Home Assistant also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). Whisker's advantage is ratings volume (149K vs 4K). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
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 4.8 for Whisker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Whisker has 149K 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 52% of Whisker's.
Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, Whisker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Home Assistant | Whisker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (4K ratings) | 4.8 (149K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.3% of reviews — better | 51.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4K | 149K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 229 MB | 169 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nabu Casa, Inc | Automated Pet Care Products Inc. dba AutoPets |
Customer experience
Home Assistant
Whisker
Bugs and requests
Home Assistant
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Whisker
Reported bugs
3 issues- App frequently disconnects from litter box
- App fails to properly register litter box
- Litter box gets stuck in cleaning cycle
Requested features
4 requests- Customizable cleaning cycle settings
- Ability to identify which cat used the litter box
- Improved app stability and responsiveness
- Better integration with smart home devices
In-app purchases
Home Assistant
No in-app purchases
Whisker
No in-app purchases









