Comparison

TCP Smart vs Calex Smart

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

Head to head

TCP Smart

Free

🔧 Utilities

★ 4.166 ratingsView app →

Calex Smart

Creators of Ambiance

Free

🔧 Utilities

★ 4.335 ratingsView app →

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

About

Calex Smart

Control your smart lights and appliances with ease. Automate your devices using smart routines for seamless on/off control. Enjoy plug-and-play installation via WiFi without needing an extra hub.

Highlights

Control smart lights and appliances
Create smart routines
Plug and Play WiFi installation
No additional gateway needed

Features

Read full description

1. Easily control your smart lights and appliances via the Calex Smart app 2. Use smart routines to switch lights and appliances on and off 3. Plug and Play installation based on WiFi 4. You do not need an additional gateway/Hub

Screenshots

TCP Smart4 screens

Calex Smart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Calex Smart at 4.3 against TCP Smart's 4.1. Calex Smart also leads on device support (4 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Calex Smart holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 35 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of TCP Smart's written reviews are positive against 34% of Calex Smart's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TCP Smart ships an update every 3 months, Calex Smart every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level

TCP Smart versus Calex Smart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter	TCP Smart	Calex Smart
Price	Free	Free
Rating	4.1 (66 ratings)	4.3 (35 ratings) — better
Positive reviews	39.7% of reviews — better	33.6% of reviews
Number of ratings	66 — better	35
Update frequency	Every 3 months	Every 2 months — better
Ads	No	No
In-app purchases	No	No
Monetization	Free	Free
Devices	iPhone, iPod	iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS	13.0 — better	14.0
Further details — not scored
Size	224 MB	256 MB
Age rating	17+	4+
Developer	TCPi	Electro Cirkel Retail B.V

Customer experience

TCP Smart

All ratings66 ratings

Positive78.8%

Neutral3.0%

Negative18.2%

Written reviews121 reviews

Positive39.7%

Neutral19.0%

Negative41.3%

Calex Smart

All ratings35 ratings

Positive88.6%

Neutral5.7%

Negative5.7%

Written reviews116 reviews

Positive33.6%

Neutral11.2%

Negative55.2%

User reviews

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

Calex Smart

From 35 App Store ratings

What we love

💡 Good value for money
👍 Intuitive and flexible app
💡 Lights work well
💡 Easy to use app
💡 Good control over brightness and hue

Room to improve

🐛 Frequent connection issues
🐛 App crashes frequently
🐛 Difficult device pairing
🐛 Poor integration with Apple Home
🐛 Devices go offline randomly

Bugs and requests

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

Calex Smart

Reported bugs

52 issues

App crashes when changing color
App crashes on iPhone
App keeps crashing or losing connection
App loses connection for no reason
Devices go offline and won't reconnect

Show 47 more

App duplicates automation routines on edit
Light stops responding, app stops responding
Smart plug flashing blue and won't reset
Bulb in disco mode, app refuses to pair
Lights start flashing sometimes
App can't find devices
Scheduled automations don't happen
Verification code not sent
Popup about bad signal obstructs settings
Timer function randomly closes app
App no longer allows music sync for lights
App gives non-stop reviews
Bluetooth connection issues, app hardly recognizes bulbs
App forgets bulbs after going to home page
Cannot change warmth of light, stuck on cool white
Bulb appears offline when away from home
App refuses to pair
Unskippable ad to turn off light
Advertisements every time app is opened
Device doesn't connect sometimes
Randomly loses connection and lamp flashes
App crashes
Account cannot be verified or network error
Cannot reset password, account doesn't exist
Devices keep dropping out and need re-adding
Bulb goes offline and needs resetting
Siri integration doesn't work, custom keyword reverts
Annoying dialog after executing a task
Bulb keeps going offline and flashing
Getting alerts outside of scheduled times
Pairing process is terrible for multiple devices
Cannot pair all bulbs on a single switch
App keeps losing connection with the watch
Apple Watch integration is poor
Randomly woken up by light turning on/flickering
App doesn't realize bulb isn't responding
Bulb doesn't respond to commands
Update made lights unusable, cannot connect
Disconnects randomly
LEDs started flashing and couldn't be turned off
Have to sign back into room every time
Half of LED strip fell off
Doesn't change colors, only dims
Cannot link lamp
No option to use as Bluetooth bulb
App requests location services to add devices
Old version of Apple widgets used

Requested features

22 requests

Widget support for Home Screen
Dark mode
Better Apple HomeKit integration
Create widgets for iPhone Home Screen
Integrate with Apple Shortcuts for custom automation

Show 17 more

Add colour changing cycle to a scene
Link items together to sync
Proper control of colour cycling timings
Sync multiple lights
Add colour cycle to a scene
Camera mode to sync lights with TV colors
Dusk-dawn switching that follows sunset/sunrise
Lock Screen widget for quick control
Ability to turn all devices in a room on/off with one touch
Scenes for entire rooms or home
Fade up and fade down options
Chain tasks together (e.g., 'turn off all lights')
Define sets of colors for tasks
Preview of color when setting up a task
Use alternating color for configuration instead of strobing flash
Add multiple devices at once connecting to the same WLAN
Fade up and fade down instead of just on and off

In-app purchases

None

TCP Smart

No in-app purchases

None

Calex Smart

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TCP Smart free?

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

Is Calex Smart free?

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

Which has better reviews, TCP Smart or Calex Smart?

Calex Smart is rated higher. TCP Smart averages 4.1 out of 5 from 66 ratings, while Calex Smart averages 4.3 from 35 ratings.

Do TCP Smart or Calex Smart have ads?

Neither TCP Smart nor Calex Smart shows ads.

Which is updated more often, TCP Smart or Calex Smart?

TCP Smart ships an update every 3 months, and Calex Smart every 2 months. Most recently, TCP Smart was updated on October 11, 2026 and Calex Smart on October 13, 2026.