Home Assistant vs BNELibraries
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
BNELibraries
Manage your library account and discover resources from Brisbane City Council Library. Use your device as a membership card, search the catalog, manage loans, and access digital content like e-books and movies. Find events and branch information.
- Digital library membership card
- Search library catalog
- View family checkouts
- Place and manage holds
- Access e-books, e-audiobooks, music, movies
- View event calendar
- Branch opening hours and contact
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Access Brisbane City Council Library from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. • Your device can be your digital library membership card! • Search the library catalogue • View checkouts for the whole family • Place and manage holds • Access digital resources, including e-books, e-audiobooks, music, movies and more! • View a calendar of free events at Brisbane libraries • Follow us on social media • View branch opening hours and contact us if you have a question.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Home Assistant at every 10 days against BNELibraries's every 3 months. BNELibraries's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 54%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, BNELibraries every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Home Assistant | BNELibraries |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3.9K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 53.8% of reviews | 73.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.9K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 252 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Nabu Casa, Inc | Brisbane City Council |
Customer experience
Home Assistant
BNELibraries
In-app purchases
Home Assistant
No in-app purchases
BNELibraries
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Home Assistant free?
Is BNELibraries free?
Do Home Assistant or BNELibraries have ads?
Which is updated more often, Home Assistant or BNELibraries?
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