Comparison

IoT vs Visual Home

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

Head to head
About

IoT

Control and monitor devices using the MQTT protocol. Ideal for DIY projects, it supports various hardware and programming languages. Send push notifications and debug your IoT devices with ease.

Highlights
  • MQTT protocol support
  • Device management
  • Push notifications
  • Event logging
  • Data statistics
  • End-user mode
  • Connection wizard
Features
Read full description

You can manage everything supported MQTT protocol. Any devices (ESP8266, Arduino, Raspberi Pi) and any other supported. C, C++, NodeJS, python and other - any client with MQTT support. Ideally for DIY. Telegram Chat https://t.me/joinchat/HQ-cJxWQ7qiIFlUbpvCXKg ESP8266 & ESP32 Firmware https://github.com/DmitryBorisenko33/esp32-esp8266_iot-manager_modules_firmware/releases https://github.com/DmitryBorisenko33/esp32-esp8266_iot-manager_modules_firmware/wiki/Flash-instruction Heroku demo source: https://github.com/4refr0nt/iotmanager-heroku and demo site: https://iotmanager-demo.herokuapp.com Docs: see Widgets Collection Widgets: toggle, range, badge, power-button, fillgauge, display-value, simple-btn, anydata, steel Easy way to send PUSH notifications from any devices to your smartphone or tablet. Connection wizard help you for Quick Start. Detailed event log for easy IoT devices debugging. Use Statistics for optimize data exchange. End-user mode for non-DIY users. This app from esp8266.ru admin (ESPlorer and luatool developer) Quick Start Guide (English) http://esp8266.ru/iotmanager/ Support (English) http://www.esp8266.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5953

About

Visual Home

Unify and control your smart home devices from a single dashboard. Visualize data from various sources and trigger actions on connected devices. Offers advanced features through an optional subscription.

Highlights
  • Unified dashboard for smart home data
  • Control connected devices
  • Support for Philips Hue, HomeKit, Homematic, and more
  • MQTT and HTTP REST client
  • JavaScript Lambda functions
  • Homescreen widgets
  • Favorites management
Features
Read full description

Visual displays the data from different sources on an unified dashboard. In addition it allows controlling and triggering actions on connected devices. Directly supported are currently - Philips Hue - HomeKit - Homematic - Ezcontrol XS1 - HTML Widgets - Open Weather Map - PVOutput.org The more experienced user can also use - MQTT Client (Subscribe, Publish) - HTTP REST Client - JavaScript Lambda functions # Information on HomeKit Visual offers to visualize the values of all HomeKit accessories with readable characteristics and scalar data formats (e.g. integer, float). In addition Visual can set values to writable characteristics with scalar data formats. # Information on the In-App purchase • This App offers an auto-renewing subscription "Advanced Features" that unlock extended features: - JavaScript Lambda functions - Search and filter datapoints - Trigger scenes defined in the Philips Hue bridge - Debug logging for all endpoints - Multi column dashboard - Homescreen Widgets - Favorites • This In-App purchase is an auto-renewing subscription • The subscription duration is 1 month • For the price please check the In-App purchase details on AppStore or in the App itself • Your iTunes account will be charged for the purchase at the time of subscription purchase. • The subscription is renewed automatically, unless the automatic renewal is terminated at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. • Your iTunes account will be charged the same amount as the original subscription within 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. • Subscriptions can be managed and auto-renewal can be disabled in your iTunes account after the original purchase.

Screenshots

IoT4 screens
Visual Home4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: IoT at 3.0 against Visual Home's 1.0. IoT also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (33% vs 13%). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Visual Home sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.49 per month. IoT asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

IoT holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IoT has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of IoT's written reviews are positive against 13% of Visual Home's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IoT ships an update every 3 months, Visual Home every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
IoT versus Visual Home: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIoTVisual Home
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (5 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better12.5% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB9 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperVictor BrutskiyAndreas Binner

Customer experience

IoT

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral7.4%
Negative59.3%

Visual Home

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative87.5%

In-app purchases

None

IoT

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Visual Home

Subscriptions1
  • Advanced Features$1.491 Month

Questions

Is IoT free?
IoT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Visual Home free?
Visual Home is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, IoT or Visual Home?
IoT is rated higher. IoT averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Visual Home averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do IoT or Visual Home have ads?
Neither IoT nor Visual Home shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IoT or Visual Home?
IoT ships an update every 3 months, and Visual Home every 4 months. Most recently, IoT was updated on October 3, 2026 and Visual Home on September 24, 2026.

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