Comparison

Ember vs Knocki

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

Head to head
About

Ember

This app allows you to precisely control the temperature of your hot beverages using a smart mug. Customize presets, receive notifications when your drink reaches the perfect temperature, and explore recipes. Personalize your mug settings for an enhanced drinking experience.

Highlights
  • Precise temperature control
  • Save temperature presets
  • Beverage recipes and blogs
  • Customizable notifications
  • Manage multiple mugs
  • Personalize mug settings
Features
Read full description

At Ember®, we use temperature control to change the world in ordinary (and extraordinary) ways. With an Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug and the Ember app, you can transform your mornings by making hot beverages set to your chosen temperature an everyday reality. Our redesigned Ember app is simple, easy to use, and customizable. Whether you are a first-time user or a long-time customer, get ready for a whole new temperature control experience. The Ember app seamlessly pairs with your Ember products to precisely adjust your favorite hot drinks to your preferred drinking temperature, saves temperature presets, offers recipes, sends notifications when your desired drinking temperature has been reached, and more. Ember App Features: - Control the temperature of your beverage down to the degree - Use your previous temperature setting for a set-it-and-forget-it beverage experience - Manage unlimited paired mugs on an all-new Ember home screen - Find recipes and blogs you can save and share with friends and family in the new Explore section - Receive notifications when your preferred temperature has been reached, or your battery is low - Customize presets for multiple beverages and engage timers - Personalize your mugs with names and adjust the color of the smart LED - Easily switch between °C/°F and control sounds and haptic feedback in the redesigned Account section - Access Ember x Health with Apple Health

About

Knocki

Turn any surface into a smart home controller. Create custom tap gestures to activate lights, music, and other connected devices. Works with popular smart home platforms.

Highlights
  • Transform surfaces into touch controls
  • Control smart home devices
  • Create custom tap gestures
  • Works with Alexa, IFTTT, Philips Hue, and more
  • Trigger task lists with gestures
  • Works via WiFi independently of phone
Features
Read full description

Transform entire walls or tables into touch controls for your favorite smart home functions. With just a few taps on a regular surface, you can control your lights, find your lost phone, and much more! Knocki works with Alexa, IFTTT, Philips Hue, Lifx, TP-Link, Sonos, Honeywell, Schlage, and more! The Knocki app lets you setup your Knocki device(s), connect to your smart devices and services, and create custom gestures (tap patterns) to trigger specific tasks or even groups of tasks all at once (called "task lists"). Once Knocki is set up, it works through WiFi, even if your phone isn't around. Popular Tasks include: - Tap your nightstand to turn off the lights. - Tap your coffee table to boot up the TV. - Tap your front door to lock the door and turn off all the house lights. - and much more! Explore what Knocki can do or get your own Knocki at http://knocki.com - Have questions? Reach out to us at support@knocki.com

Screenshots

Ember4 screens
Knocki4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Ember at 7.4K against Knocki's 9. Knocki's advantage is review sentiment (31% vs 18%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.3 for Ember against 3.3 for Knocki. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ember has 7.4K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 18% of Ember's written reviews are positive against 31% of Knocki's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Ember versus Knocki: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberKnocki
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (7.4K ratings)3.3 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews18.0% of reviews30.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.4K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEmber Technologies Inc.Haptic, Inc.

Customer experience

Ember

All ratings7,424 ratings
Positive54.6%
Neutral4.8%
Negative40.6%
Written reviews1,289 reviews
Positive18.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative73.7%

Knocki

All ratings9 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral15.4%
Negative53.8%

Bugs and requests

Ember

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App frequently logs users out
  • Mug disconnects from app randomly
  • Firmware update process often fails
  • App doesn't always detect liquid in mug
  • Presets and settings get lost after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Battery level indicator on main screen
  • Improved Apple Watch app functionality
  • Wireless charging option
  • Ability to lock temperature settings
  • Automatic temperature adjustment based on volume

Knocki

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ember

No in-app purchases

None

Knocki

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Knocki free?
Knocki is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ember or Knocki?
Ember and Knocki are both rated 3.3 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7.4K and 9 ratings respectively.
Do Ember or Knocki have ads?
Neither Ember nor Knocki shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or Knocki?
Ember ships an update every 2 months, and Knocki every 2 months. Most recently, Ember was updated on September 23, 2026 and Knocki on September 20, 2026.

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