# Controller for HomeKit vs Aqara Home

The clearest difference is rating: Aqara Home at 4.7 against Controller for HomeKit's 4.1. Aqara Home also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (41% vs 26%). Controller for HomeKit's advantage is device support (5 vs 3). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Controller for HomeKit sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Aqara Home asks for nothing beyond the download.

Aqara Home holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 7.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Controller for HomeKit's written reviews are positive against 41% of Aqara Home's.

Controller for HomeKit ships an update every 10 days, Aqara Home every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Controller for HomeKit | Aqara Home |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/controller-for-homekit/id1198176727/reviews) | **[4.7 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aqara-home/id1248669703/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K | **7.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 26.3% of reviews | **41.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 212 MB | 539 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [acasa Software GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/974663980) | [Aqara Software Service Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1621241561) |

## What reviewers say

### Controller for HomeKit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/controller-for-homekit/id1198176727)

Enhance your smart home experience with advanced control and automation. Visualize your home with floor plans, track device performance with charts, and create complex automations tailored to your needs. Organize devices, store setup codes, and monitor your entire smart home ecosystem.

**Highlights:** Floor plan visualization with LiDAR, Device performance charts, Complex automations and workflows, Custom notifications, Smart folders and filters, Setup code storage, Device maintenance and logs

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Controller Essentials | $4.99 | per month |
| Essentials Lifetime - Plus Addon | $4.99 | per month |
| Controller Plus | $8.99 | per month |
| Controller Essentials | $39.99 | per year |
| Essentials Lifetime - Plus Addon | $39.99 | per year |
| Controller Plus | $79.99 | per year |
| Controller Essentials Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful automation features
- 📚 Helpful backup and restore functionality
- 🔍 Detailed logging and troubleshooting
- 🧠 Advanced HomeKit control and customization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crash-prone
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🤖 Poor customer support
- 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Backup and restore issues
- Disappearing automations and accessories
- Compatibility problems with iOS 16.2
- Slow performance and unresponsiveness

**Requested features**

- Improved documentation and tutorials
- Better integration with Apple Home app
- Support for more HomeKit device types
- Ability to customize automation triggers


### Aqara Home

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aqara-home/id1248669703)

Manage and automate your smart home devices remotely. Control lights, monitor sensors, and create custom scenes and automations for a more convenient living experience. Supports a wide range of smart home accessories.

**Highlights:** Remote control of smart accessories, Create homes and rooms, Monitor appliance status and environmental data, Automate actions with timers and triggers, Create scenes for multi-device control, Siri integration for voice control

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy setup
- 👍 User-friendly app
- 🔒 Reliable hardware
- 💡 Extensive automation capabilities
- 🚀 Seamless HomeKit integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and glitches
- 👎 Confusing and unintuitive UI
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🚫 Lack of dark mode
- 🚫 Unreliable notifications

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on opening
- Devices disappearing from app
- Incorrect temperature/humidity readings
- Delayed or missing doorbell notifications
- Inability to delete detection zones

**Requested features**

- Add sunset/sunrise automation
- Improve camera timeline scrubbing
- Enable 12-hour time format
- Provide more customization options
- Improve Alexa/Google Home integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Controller for HomeKit free?

Controller for HomeKit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Aqara Home free?

Aqara Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Controller for HomeKit or Aqara Home?

Aqara Home is rated higher. Controller for HomeKit averages 4.1 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Aqara Home averages 4.7 from 7.3K ratings.

### Do Controller for HomeKit or Aqara Home have ads?

Neither Controller for HomeKit nor Aqara Home shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Controller for HomeKit or Aqara Home?

Controller for HomeKit ships an update every 10 days, and Aqara Home every 2 weeks. Most recently, Controller for HomeKit was updated on September 23, 2026 and Aqara Home on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*