# Home Assistant vs Rou

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Home Assistant at none against Rou's 3. Home Assistant also leads on device support (4 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rou sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Home Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, Rou every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Home Assistant | Rou |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 54.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 229 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nabu Casa, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525301324) | [Hassan ElGamal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889333190) |

## 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


### Rou

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rou-a-lovers-discourse/id6762026371)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rou Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Rou Yearly | $3.99 | per year |
| Forever Vow | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Home Assistant free?

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

### Is Rou free?

Rou is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Home Assistant or Rou have ads?

Neither Home Assistant nor Rou shows ads.

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

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, and Rou every 6 days. Most recently, Home Assistant was updated on October 26, 2026 and Rou on October 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.*