Comparison

ESi Centro vs TCP Smart

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

Head to head

ESi Centro

A WiFi Wireless Thermostat

★ 4.166 ratingsView app →

About

ESi Centro

Control your home's heating and cooling remotely with this smart thermostat. It offers sophisticated energy-saving features for enhanced comfort and control.

Highlights

Programmable room thermostat
Quick installation
Easy to use
Energy saving features
High level of control
Enhanced comfort

Features

Read full description

The ESi Centro range of programmable room thermostats are quick to install, easy to use and packed with energy saving, sophisticated features that give high levels of control and comfort for the homeowner.

About

TCP Smart

Effortlessly connect and control your smart home devices from anywhere. Share access with family members and manage multiple devices through a single application. Schedule timers for automated actions.

Highlights

Easy connecting and controlling
Remote device control
Family device sharing
Multi-device management
Timer scheduling

Read full description

TCP smart, fit, connect, play: 1. Easy connecting, easy controlling; 2. Remote control your smart home devices anywhere. 3. Devices sharing with your family; 4. One App controls multiple devices; 5. Timer scheduled, accurately performed

Screenshots

ESi Centro4 screens

TCP Smart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: TCP Smart at free against ESi Centro's paid. TCP Smart also leads on review sentiment (39% vs 17%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). ESi Centro's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ESi Centro ships an update every 5 weeks, TCP Smart every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and June 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level

ESi Centro versus TCP Smart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter	ESi Centro	TCP Smart
Price	Free	Free
Rating	—	4.1 (66 ratings) — better
Positive reviews	16.7% of reviews	39.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings	—	66 — better
Update frequency	Every 5 weeks — better	Every 3 months
Ads	No	No
In-app purchases	No	No
Monetization	Paid	Free — better
Devices	iPhone, iPad, iPod — better	iPhone, iPod
Requires iOS	15.1	13.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size	42 MB	224 MB
Age rating	4+	17+
Developer	ESI Controls Ltd	TCPi

Customer experience

ESi Centro

Written reviews66 reviews

Positive16.7%

Neutral6.1%

Negative77.3%

TCP Smart

All ratings66 ratings

Positive78.8%

Neutral3.0%

Negative18.2%

Written reviews119 reviews

Positive39.5%

Neutral18.5%

Negative42.0%

User reviews

ESi Centro

From App Store reviews

What we love

👍 Works well once connected
👍 Basic functionality is good
👍 Integration with Alexa works well
👍 App works perfectly fine
👍 Basic functionality is generally good

Room to improve

🐛 Painful connection process
🐛 Frequent connection issues
🐛 App cannot find thermostat
🐛 Nightmare to connect
🐛 Barely works, sometimes not at all

TCP Smart

From 66 App Store ratings

What we love

👍 Easy to set up and use
💡 Affordable smart home devices
🎨 Wide color and brightness options
📱 Convenient remote control via app
⚡ Reliable performance when working

Room to improve

🐛 Frequent disconnection issues
🐛 App crashes and freezes
❌ Poor remote access functionality
❌ Inconsistent device status display
⚠️ Unreliable after app updates

Bugs and requests

ESi Centro

Reported bugs

45 issues

Connection issues after updates
App cannot find thermostat
5GHz WiFi issues
Setup requires turning off 5GHz WiFi
Permissions not requested at outset

Show 40 more

Duplicate devices listed
Cannot delete offline devices
App crashes after updates
Heating schedule resets
Thermostat time incorrect
Firmware update stuck
Thermostat buttons unresponsive
App freezes on login screen
Incompatible with older devices
App logs out frequently
Room temperature not updating
User interface design appalling
Incorrect day reported
No indication if boiler is on/off
App crashes when accessing temperature control
App crashes when trying to control heating
App crashes when clicking thermostat
App shuts down immediately
App not working at all
App crashes
App doesn't sync
App doesn't install properly
App crashes on iOS 12
Thermostat doesn't switch heating on
Delays in thermostat switching heating on
Thermostat doesn't call for heating
Thermostat doesn't switch on without intervention
App shows thermostat is off
App keeps crashing
App is always offline
Device not found
App ceased to work
Device offline
App not functional after upgrade
App shuts down when clicking thermostat
App opens briefly and crashes
App crashes every time
App struggles to find devices
App cannot operate devices remotely
App doesn't work on iOS 12

Requested features

11 requests

Option to rename devices
15/30 minute boost on heating
Option for a 15/30 minute boost on heating
Option to remove Hot Water for combi-boiler users
Option to rename thermostats

Show 6 more

Smart home integration like Homekit
Geolocation integration
Ability to rename thermostats
Dark mode option
Advanced analytics dashboard
Option for a default home screen control

TCP Smart

Reported bugs

20 issues

App fails to connect to devices remotely
Unable to establish secure connection error
Devices show incorrect status on home screen
App crashes when changing colors
Devices randomly disconnect and flash

Show 15 more

Login attempts fail repeatedly
Chinese text appearing with English language selected
Incompatibility with iOS updates (iOS 15, iOS 17, iOS 26)
Widget functionality missing after updates
Firmware update failures for TRV devices
App loses device connection after power cuts
Schedule changes are ignored
App lags and takes excessive time to respond
Device state out of sync with actual state
App continuously logs users out
White text on white background in registration
App not available in certain regions after reinstall
Incompatibility with 5GHz WiFi networks
Devices turn on randomly without user action
Bluetooth connection works better than app control

Requested features

18 requests

Dark mode for app interface
iOS 18 widget support
iPad app version
Siri integration and HomeKit compatibility
Improved schedule and timer functionality with minute/hour options

Show 13 more

Ability to save custom color/brightness scenes
Device status display on home screen
Ability to change device order on home screen
Remote access outside home network
Multi-user device sharing without disconnection
Google Home integration
Scene creation and management improvements
Ability to control brightness/color when light is off
Seconds precision on timer controls
One-hour quick-on timer option
Physical remote control option
Better Alexa integration
Device labeling instead of long ID strings

In-app purchases

None

ESi Centro

No in-app purchases

None

TCP Smart

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ESi Centro free?

ESi Centro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Is TCP Smart free?

TCP Smart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Do ESi Centro or TCP Smart have ads?

Neither ESi Centro nor TCP Smart shows ads.

Which is updated more often, ESi Centro or TCP Smart?

ESi Centro ships an update every 5 weeks, and TCP Smart every 3 months. Most recently, ESi Centro was updated on September 19, 2026 and TCP Smart on June 8, 2026.