Comparison

ABUS Z vs SkyBell

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

Head to head
About

ABUS Z

Control and expand your smart home with a central gateway. Integrate ABUS sensors and third-party devices for security, energy saving, and climate control. Combine with the Smartvest system for enhanced safety and convenience.

Highlights
  • Centralized smart home control
  • Integrate ABUS sensors
  • Connect third-party devices
  • Energy saving features
  • Heating regulation
  • Enhanced security with Smartvest
Read full description

The ABUS Z-Wave Gateway is versatile and grows in possibilities with your requirements. Start with ABUS sensors and actuators to protect yourself from hazards. You can also integrate third-party solutions to save energy or regulate heating, for example. In conjunction with the Smartvest wireless alarm system, you combine the convenience of the Connected Home with real security. The Smartvest wireless alarm system remains an absolutely self-sufficient security solution. Via the ABUS Z-Wave Gateway, it opens up to the entire Z-Wave world and the safety logic remains unaffected.

About

SkyBell

Monitor your home's entry points with HD video and two-way audio. Receive instant alerts for visitors or motion, and integrate with other smart home devices for enhanced security and control.

Highlights
  • HD video monitoring
  • Two-way audio communication
  • Instant motion and visitor alerts
  • Smart home device integration
  • AI-powered body and facial recognition
  • Customizable motion zones
Features
Read full description

Peace of mind starts at the front door. SkyBell pioneered the Video Doorbell category and now offers a variety of Video Doorbells, Security Cameras, Chimes, and other integrated smart home security solutions. Get instant alerts on smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches when someone is at your door or motion is detected in HD video with two-way talk on any of SkyBell’s Video Doorbells or Cameras. SkyBell sends a live video feed to your devices so you can hear and speak to the person at your door or in the house, whether at home, at work, or on the go - day or night. The SkyBell Gen5 App lets you integrate compatible smart home devices like smart locks and others into your SkyBell system, offering more home control than ever. The integrated AI provides body and facial recognition, with the ability to set custom motion zones to reduce false triggers by up to 95%. SkyBell keeps you connected to your home and those you love most. We aim to make homes and neighborhoods safer, one front door at a time!

Screenshots

ABUS Z4 screens
SkyBell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SkyBell at 41% against ABUS Z's 12%. SkyBell also leads on ratings volume (12K vs 1). ABUS Z's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

ABUS Z holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyBell has 12K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 12% of ABUS Z's written reviews are positive against 41% of SkyBell's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ABUS Z ships an update every 3 months, SkyBell every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ABUS Z versus SkyBell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterABUS ZSkyBell
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.7 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews11.8% of reviews41.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings112K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size178 MB70 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperABUS Security Center GmbH & Co. KGSkyBell Technologies, Inc.

Customer experience

ABUS Z

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive11.8%
Neutral23.5%
Negative64.7%

SkyBell

All ratings10,473 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews246 reviews
Positive41.5%
Neutral7.3%
Negative51.2%

Bugs and requests

ABUS Z

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

SkyBell

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Videos not saving or available
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inability to reconnect device after migration

Requested features

3 requests
  • Bring back old app's notification sounds
  • Allow multiple users to control the device
  • Improve video quality and zoom capabilities

In-app purchases

None

ABUS Z

No in-app purchases

None

SkyBell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ABUS Z free?
ABUS Z is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SkyBell free?
SkyBell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ABUS Z or SkyBell?
ABUS Z is rated higher. ABUS Z averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SkyBell averages 4.7 from 12K ratings.
Do ABUS Z or SkyBell have ads?
Neither ABUS Z nor SkyBell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ABUS Z or SkyBell?
ABUS Z ships an update every 3 months, and SkyBell every 2 months. Most recently, ABUS Z was updated on October 24, 2026 and SkyBell on October 26, 2026.

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