Comparison

Activate Home vs Sapphire Connect

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Activate Home

Manage your building's access, communications, and services from your phone. Receive alerts for packages, reserve amenities, and connect with your property team and neighbors.

Highlights
  • Building access control
  • Visitor registration
  • Service request management
  • Amenity reservations
  • Package arrival notifications
  • Resident communication
  • Digital building key
Features
Read full description

Stay connected to everything happening in your building and the people within it. From building access, to communications from your property team, or package arrival alerts, it’s all at your fingertips with the Activate Home app. Download the app to: -Register visitors -Submit and manage service requests -Reserve amenities -Get notifications for package arrivals -Communicate with management and fellow residents -See upcoming events in your building -Give feedback through polls -Use your phone as a digital key to access the building -And so much more! *Note: features vary by building.

About

Sapphire Connect

Features
Read full description

Sapphire is the resident and property-management app for connected apartment communities. It runs on a property's own smart-device ecosystem (locks, thermostats, cameras, and garage access) and gives residents and staff one app to manage all of it. This is provisioned software tied to a property account. Residents are invited by their property manager or added via their PMS integration; there is no public self-signup. WHAT RESIDENTS GET Smart lock access Unlock your front door, view lock status, and manage access codes for your unit without a physical key, through SmartThings, Brivo, Dormakaba, or RemoteLock integrations depending on what your property has installed. Thermostat control View and adjust your unit's thermostat, including scheduled automation your property manager has configured for vacant or move-in states. Garage and camera access Open myQ-connected garage doors and view Eagle Eye Networks camera feeds for common areas and access points your property has made available to residents. Community messaging and support Message your property team directly, browse a searchable knowledge base for common questions, and open a support ticket without leaving the app. WHAT PROPERTY STAFF GET A single dashboard across properties, units, and organizations, with role-based permissions, resident and lease management, device diagnostics, and PMS sync (RealPage, Yardi) so unit and resident data stays current automatically. REQUIREMENTS An active Sapphire account tied to a participating property. Residents cannot self-register; contact your property management office for access. Push notification, camera, and Bluetooth permissions may be requested depending on which integrations your property uses (e.g. photo attachments on support tickets, Bluetooth-paired locks). All are optional and the rest of the app works without them. ABOUT SAPPHIRE CONNECTED COMMUNITIES Sapphire builds a unified smart-access and property-management platform for multifamily housing, connecting locks, thermostats, cameras, and garage systems from multiple vendors into one resident and staff experience. Support: support@sapphireconnect.io Privacy: https://app.sapphireconnect.io/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Activate Home4 screens
Sapphire Connect2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Activate Home at 4.0 against Sapphire Connect's 1.0. Activate Home also leads on ratings volume (413 vs 1). Sapphire Connect's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Activate Home holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Activate Home has 413 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Activate Home ships an update monthly, Sapphire Connect fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Activate Home versus Sapphire Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActivate HomeSapphire Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (413 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews29.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings413 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size261 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRise Buildings, LLCSapphire Connected Communities

Bugs and requests

Activate Home

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Mobile key not working
  • “No response met from Salto SVN” error
  • Visitors disappearing
  • Packages checked out/in disappearing
  • “General error” when opening
Show 12 more
  • “No door found” error on elevators
  • App crashes on launch
  • Cannot login
  • Error when password submitted
  • Reset password link trackers not working
  • App does not open on iOS 13
  • Clicking edit on visitor profile doesn't work
  • Cannot log out
  • Incorrect apartment number on profile
  • App crashes during registration
  • App freezing or having other bugs
  • Red bubble notification remains after checking

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add phone key to Apple Wallet
  • Improve offline functionality for app launch/key access
  • Add a hard fob solution for non-smartphone users
  • Implement a buzz-in feature for visitors/deliveries
  • Allow users to see other's elevator reservations
Show 3 more
  • Allow users to stay signed in
  • Improve back button navigation in community posts
  • More reports for property managers

Sapphire Connect

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Activate Home

No in-app purchases

None

Sapphire Connect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Activate Home free?
Activate Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sapphire Connect free?
Sapphire Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Activate Home or Sapphire Connect?
Activate Home is rated higher. Activate Home averages 4.0 out of 5 from 413 ratings, while Sapphire Connect averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Activate Home or Sapphire Connect have ads?
Neither Activate Home nor Sapphire Connect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Activate Home or Sapphire Connect?
Activate Home ships an update monthly, and Sapphire Connect fortnightly. Most recently, Activate Home was updated on October 23, 2026 and Sapphire Connect on October 24, 2026.

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