Comparison

Defender HD vs Mysa

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

Head to head
About

Defender HD

Access and manage your security system remotely from your smartphone or tablet. View live feeds, playback recorded footage, and receive motion detection alerts.

Highlights
  • View multiple DVRs
  • Live video feeds
  • Motion detection notifications
  • Playback recorded footage
  • Capture images and video
Features
Read full description

Defender HD enables users to view and interact with their security system using a smartphone or tablet device from anywhere. Add your system and view or interact with your footage all from the Defender HD app. The app's features enable the user to: • Add and view multiple DVRs simultaneously • View your live video feeds • Receive push notifications when motion is detected • Playback recorded footage • Capture images to smartphone/tablet • Capture video to smartphone/tablet Requirements: • Latest DVR firmware from www.defender-usa.com/support • Compatible only with Defender HD and Defender HD Wireless DVRs. • A high-speed internet connection and router (not included) • An internet connection providing an upload speed of at least 1Mbps is recommended for the best video performance

About

Mysa

Control your home's heating and cooling remotely, set schedules, and monitor energy usage to save money and energy. Integrates with smart home platforms for seamless control.

Highlights
  • Remote access from anywhere
  • Customizable heating/cooling schedules
  • Geofencing for occupancy detection
  • Energy usage monitoring
  • Smart home platform integration
  • Shared access control
  • Vacation mode
Features
Read full description

With Mysa's regularly-updated, feature-packed mobile app, you get seriously smart control and home energy savings — all you need is a WiFi connection. Remote access from anywhere via the Mysa app means you can easily set heating or cooling schedules, use geofencing, see your heating and cooling usage, and much more. Stay energy-efficient and save money (and the planet!) with a few simple taps from your smartphone or tablet. Mysa works with your favourite smart home platforms and home assistants, so you stay conveniently connected and in control. Compatibility: Mysa for Electric Baseboard Heaters works with high voltage baseboard, convector (short cycle), fan-forced convector (long cycle), and radiant ceiling heating systems. Mysa for Electric In-Floor Heating works with most high voltage electric in-floor heating systems and flooring types. Mysa for Air Conditioners replaces remotes with displays for most ductless mini-split heat pump, window, or portable air conditioners. Energy-Saving App Features: Remote Control: Get out there. Use your smartphone or tablet to control your home heating or cooling from wherever you are. Scheduling: Life's busy. Create the flexible heating or cooling schedule that works best for you in less than a minute. Bye-bye, buttons! Geolocation: Boundaries are important. Mysa uses your location to detect if anyone is home, so that you're not paying to heat or cool an empty house. Shared Access: Teamwork works. Share access to your account easily so others can control your Mysas through the Mysa app. Vacation Mode: Take a well-deserved break. Away from home for a while? No worries! Mysa will keep helping you save energy while you're away. Energy Insights (Baseboard, In-Floor, AC): Track and monitor your humidity, setpoint, and temperature to create efficient heating or cooling schedules. Energy Spending (Baseboard & In-Floor): See your spending. Track your real-time energy use in kWh cost to find ways to reduce your electricity bill. Energy Runtime (AC): Get cool insights. Know your AC's runtime history and use it for help with making smart decisions about your cooling or heating schedules.

Screenshots

Defender HD3 screens
Mysa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mysa at 3.8 against Defender HD's 3.3. Mysa also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months). Defender HD's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Mysa holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 904 and 574 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Defender HD's written reviews are positive against 30% of Mysa's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Defender HD ships an update every 3 months, Mysa every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Defender HD versus Mysa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDefender HDMysa
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (904 ratings)3.8 (574 ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.8% of reviews30.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings904 — better574
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size133 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEmpowerment Technologies Inc.Empowered Homes Inc.

Customer experience

Defender HD

All ratings904 ratings
Positive56.1%
Neutral9.4%
Negative34.5%
Written reviews165 reviews
Positive24.8%
Neutral9.7%
Negative65.5%

Mysa

All ratings574 ratings
Positive66.4%
Neutral8.4%
Negative25.3%
Written reviews227 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral18.5%
Negative51.5%

User reviews

Defender HD

From 904 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Lightning-fast load times
  • 🔒 Robust security features
  • 👍 Easy to set up and use
  • 💡 Useful remote access capabilities

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and connectivity issues
  • 🔍 Unreliable motion detection and alerts
  • 📺 Incompatible with some devices and operating systems
  • 🕰️ Slow camera load times and video playback

Mysa

From 574 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great product
  • 🚀 Excellent thermostats
  • 🚀 Allows more metrics than Nest
  • 🚀 Excellent HomeKit integration
  • 👍 Easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app
  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Unreliable connectivity
  • 🐛 Inconsistent user experience
  • 🔋 Drains battery

Bugs and requests

Defender HD

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login screen freezes or fails to load
  • Cameras randomly go offline or disappear from the app
  • Notifications and alerts not working as expected
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS and Android versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved motion detection and customizable alerts
  • Remote camera control and adjustment options
  • Seamless integration across all devices
  • Enhanced video playback and export capabilities

Mysa

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes when changing schedules
  • Thermostat settings not syncing properly
  • Geofencing not working as expected
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Inability to add new devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Brightness control scheduling
  • Improved HomeKit integration
  • Ability to disable display
  • Geofencing improvements
Show 1 more
  • More scheduling flexibility

In-app purchases

None

Defender HD

No in-app purchases

None

Mysa

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Defender HD free?
Defender HD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mysa free?
Mysa is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Defender HD or Mysa?
Mysa is rated higher. Defender HD averages 3.3 out of 5 from 904 ratings, while Mysa averages 3.8 from 574 ratings.
Do Defender HD or Mysa have ads?
Neither Defender HD nor Mysa shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Defender HD or Mysa?
Defender HD ships an update every 3 months, and Mysa every 4 weeks. Most recently, Defender HD was updated on October 13, 2026 and Mysa on October 16, 2026.

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