Comparison

Homebridge for RaspberryPi vs TailWind Smart

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

Head to head
About

Homebridge for RaspberryPi

Transform your home into a smart home using a Raspberry Pi. This app bridges your iPhone with various devices like lights and TVs, simplifying setup and management. It guides you through software installation and offers remote control and debugging features.

Highlights
  • Raspberry Pi setup and software installation
  • Wi-Fi and device configuration
  • Plugin installation and management
  • Remote Pi control (reboot, restart services)
  • Software update management
  • Error log viewing and debugging
  • Network scanning and device identification
Features
Read full description

Finally it's here and the only one in the entire AppStore - Homebridge App! With Homebridge you can easily and cheap turn your entire home into a futuristic smart home. Everything is controlled by you and your iPhone while Homerbidge works as a bridge between Apple's HomeKit on your iPhone / iPad and your devices like your TV, light, game console, jalousies, and and and. All you need is a tiny and cheap PC called "RaspberryPi" - But don't worry this App will support you with supported projects and a bunch of software, which will be installed by this App, so you will be guided and don't need any deep PC-nerd-experinces. With the great Homebridge-App you'll have fun to: • Setup your brand new RaspberryPi (1, 2, 3, 3+ and Zero) with our preconfigured version of the open source installer "NOOBS". • Install and setup all relevant software on your RaspberryPi with just a single tap on the App • Automatically configure your RaspberryPi's WiFi, etc. • Install amazing Plug-Ins for Homebridge from our tiny Plug-In store • Coming soon: Follow awesome Homebridge-Projects, supported with shopping-lists and 1-click-installations and setup Control. Your. Pi. • Reboot your Pi • Restart Homebridge • Update all required software components (OS, Node, NPM, Homebridge, Plugins, etc.) • Easily manage your Wifi-networks • View all Homebridge-PlugIns (NPM) at a glance • View all Homebridge error- and system-logs. • Debug-Mode: Homebridge is not working, also after using our famous Auto-Repair function? Run Homebridge in the debugger to quickly determine, where the problem is. • Networkscanner to easily find and identify your devices • Create backups of your settings and configurations • Fallback: Enjoy a build in SSH-Terminal, if you like. Easy Setup plugins First of all, you can add every NPM plugin you like using the Homebridge App and a graphical and easy to use generic interface. However we've prepared a nice and shiny specialized interface for the most popular and important plugins including: • Fritz! • WeMo • Wake on LAN • Domoticz • HarmonyHub • HomeAssistant • HomeMatic • Hue • LiFx • People (Wifi device trigger) • Relay • Remote Outlet • Sonos • Synology • Telldus • Tradfri Let's get nerdy: Each member of our developer team loves the RaspberryPi with all varieties. But sometimes it's very exhausting and frustrating to set up the whole software and keep track everything is running, so we build this amazing App! What we do for you: • setup your brand new RaspberryPi or connect to your existing one • setup Homebridge incl. service, configuration and all kind of plugins available with NPM • manage your SystemCtl or init.d service • edit your config.json graphically just from the App without any terminal, etc., also for not supported plugins and platforms • keep track of your Pi, the homebridge-service, homebridge-pin, homebridge-logs, etc. so everything is just working and can be restarted / repaired if necessary coming soon: connect your Pi to the HomeKit Homebridge on a Mac There are already users, which are using this App with a Homebridge server running on a Mac. However we strongly recommend using the App with a RaspberryPi (1, 2, 3, Zero) and do not support servers, running on other machines including the Mac. We need your help! Did you see awesome Homebridge-Pi projects or Homebride-plug-ins, we should implement in our App for easy setup? Just text us to: support@nvw-dev.com

About

TailWind Smart

Automate your garage door with smart technology. This app allows you to remotely open, close, and check the status of your garage doors. It can also automatically open as you arrive and close as you leave, enhancing security and convenience.

Highlights
  • Automatic opening and closing
  • Remote control from anywhere
  • Vehicle detection for specific door opening
  • Customizable alerts and schedules
  • Activity history log
  • Unlimited user access
Features
Read full description

Don’t just open your garage door with your smartphone. Automate it. Tailwind can close your garage door as you leave, open it when you arrive – all automatically. No buttons. No keypads. Just drive. The Tailwind app allows you to open, close, or check the status of your garage doors from anywhere using your mobile device, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and our iQ3 smart garage door controller (purchased separately). Check out the list of things you can do with Tailwind: Automatically open the door as you approach Automatically close the door as you leave (if you forget to close it) Detect which vehicle you’re driving so it knows which door to open or close (can even work with motorcycles, ATVs, etc)* Automatically close all your garage doors at night, even if someone opens them again! Receive customize alerts telling you who opened the garage door and when See a history log of all activity for the last 30 days Create alert schedules so you only receive alerts at certain times of the day Unlimited users * may require optional Tailwind Vehicle Sensor

Screenshots

Homebridge for RaspberryPi4 screens
TailWind Smart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TailWind Smart at Free against Homebridge for RaspberryPi's $6.99. TailWind Smart also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 39%). Homebridge for RaspberryPi's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.4) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.6). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

TailWind Smart is free to download; Homebridge for RaspberryPi costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Homebridge for RaspberryPi holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 216 and 89 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Homebridge for RaspberryPi's written reviews are positive against 52% of TailWind Smart's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Homebridge for RaspberryPi versus TailWind Smart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHomebridge for RaspberryPiTailWind Smart
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (216 ratings) — better3.4 (89 ratings)
Positive reviews38.6% of reviews51.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings216 — better89
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB124 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNiklas von Weihe1931085 Ontario Ltd

Customer experience

Homebridge for RaspberryPi

All ratings216 ratings
Positive79.2%
Neutral6.0%
Negative14.8%
Written reviews132 reviews
Positive38.6%
Neutral10.6%
Negative50.8%

TailWind Smart

All ratings89 ratings
Positive56.2%
Neutral10.1%
Negative33.7%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive51.8%
Neutral8.9%
Negative39.3%

User reviews

Homebridge for RaspberryPi

From 216 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Simplifies Homebridge setup
  • 💡 Useful management features
  • 🔒 Stable and reliable

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔌 Compatibility problems with existing Homebridge installations
  • 🤔 Lacks documentation and guidance
  • 💰 Overpriced for limited functionality

TailWind Smart

From 89 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great product overall
  • 👍 Well-designed app
  • 👍 Excellent customer support
  • 👍 Integrates with Home Assistant
  • 👍 Works well with HomeKit

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app
  • 🔋 Significant battery drain
  • 🐛 Unreliable auto-open/close
  • 🐛 Frequent sign-outs
  • 🐛 Setup issues (Bluetooth, Location)

Bugs and requests

Homebridge for RaspberryPi

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to connect to Raspberry Pi
  • Homebridge fails to run after installation
  • Plugins not detected or installed properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Support for more Homebridge plugins
  • Ability to manually edit configuration files
  • Docker support
  • Better update and troubleshooting tools

TailWind Smart

Reported bugs

34 issues
  • Cannot enable Bluetooth during setup
  • Location services need manual enabling
  • App prompts to download unavailable update
  • Auto open no longer works
  • App can't diagnose or update firmware
Show 29 more
  • App no longer allows adding a vehicle
  • App always signed out after update
  • Location triggers rarely work
  • Update broke auto-close
  • Settings changed to auto-close unexpectedly
  • iOS widgets no longer work
  • Frequently signed out and have to re-authenticate
  • Garage doors deleted from app after sign-out
  • Unable to close door, shows 'lockout'
  • Clicking on one door opens/closes the other
  • Massive battery drain for iOS users
  • Auto open/close feature works sporadically for iPhone users
  • App is buggy
  • Garage door shows up sometimes, sometimes not
  • Vehicle shows up sometimes, sometimes not
  • Garage door shows as 'null'
  • Notifications about turning sensor off/on incorrectly displayed
  • Horrible battery drain
  • Background battery drain issue
  • Auto open/close doesn't always work on iPhones
  • Auto open feature through IFTTT no longer works after iOS 13
  • App crashes on iPad when clicking login
  • Consistent backgrounding problem, requires app kill to connect
  • Logs out user, password reset fails
  • Registration of email didn't work
  • App testing severely lacking
  • Signs you out all the time at random
  • IFTTT integration doesn't work with Apple
  • App can't use Bluetooth from iPhone but can with Android

Requested features

8 requests
  • Clearer setup flow with firmware update check
  • Documentation matching latest UX
  • HomeKit integration release
  • Siri Shortcuts improvement
  • Watch face complication for watch app
Show 3 more
  • Disable notifications while home using location services
  • Manage 'admin' settings
  • Fix iPad crash on login

In-app purchases

None

Homebridge for RaspberryPi

No in-app purchases

None

TailWind Smart

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Homebridge for RaspberryPi free?
Homebridge for RaspberryPi costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is TailWind Smart free?
TailWind Smart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Homebridge for RaspberryPi or TailWind Smart?
Homebridge for RaspberryPi is rated higher. Homebridge for RaspberryPi averages 4.1 out of 5 from 216 ratings, while TailWind Smart averages 3.4 from 89 ratings.
Do Homebridge for RaspberryPi or TailWind Smart have ads?
Neither Homebridge for RaspberryPi nor TailWind Smart shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Homebridge for RaspberryPi or TailWind Smart?
Homebridge for RaspberryPi ships an update every 5 weeks, and TailWind Smart every 5 weeks. Most recently, Homebridge for RaspberryPi was updated on October 18, 2026 and TailWind Smart on October 20, 2026.

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