Comparison

Home Assistant vs HOTO

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

HOTO

Connects to a smart laser rangefinder to manage device settings, control functions, and update firmware. It allows for data recording and measurement drawing.

Highlights
  • Device pairing
  • Device control
  • Firmware updates
  • Data recording
  • Measurement drawing
Read full description

可以连接小猴智能激光测距仪Pro,提供设备配网、设备控制、固件升级、数据记录,绘制测量

Screenshots

Home Assistant4 screens
HOTO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Home Assistant at 4.7 against HOTO's 2.7. Home Assistant also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 24%) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 20 months). HOTO's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). 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

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

Home Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Home Assistant has 4K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Home Assistant's written reviews are positive against 24% of HOTO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, HOTO every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Home Assistant versus HOTO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHome AssistantHOTO
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4K ratings) — better2.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews54.3% of reviews — better23.5% of reviews
Number of ratings4K — better7
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 20 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.411.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size229 MB190 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNabu Casa, IncShanghai HOTO Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Home Assistant

All ratings4,010 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews514 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral8.6%
Negative37.2%

HOTO

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive23.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative76.5%

In-app purchases

None

Home Assistant

No in-app purchases

None

HOTO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Home Assistant free?
Home Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HOTO free?
HOTO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Home Assistant or HOTO?
Home Assistant is rated higher. Home Assistant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4K ratings, while HOTO averages 2.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Home Assistant or HOTO have ads?
Neither Home Assistant nor HOTO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Home Assistant or HOTO?
Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, and HOTO every 20 months. Most recently, Home Assistant was updated on October 23, 2026 and HOTO on October 11, 2026.

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