# BG Home vs HM | DCC

The clearest difference is rating: BG Home at 4.7 against HM | DCC's 3.0. BG Home also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). HM | DCC's advantage is review sentiment (56% vs 43%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

BG Home holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 6 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 43% of BG Home's written reviews are positive against 56% of HM | DCC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

BG Home ships an update every 2 months, HM | DCC every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BG Home | HM | DCC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bg-home/id1449578712/reviews)** | [3.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hm-dcc/id1660757271/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 43.2% of reviews | **56.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 228 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Luceco plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1449578711) | [Hornby Hobbies Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/870599697) |

## What reviewers say

### BG Home

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bg-home/id1449578712)

Control and automate your smart home devices with custom timers, scenes, and delays. Secure your settings with a parental lock and share access with household members. Integrate with voice assistants for hands-free operation.

**Highlights:** Device automation with timers and scenes, Parental lock for settings, Household member sharing, Voice control via Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Geolocation and weather-based automation, IFTTT integration

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works well
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Great features
- 👍 Excellent product
- 👍 Fantastic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connection issues
- 🐛 Unreliable app
- 🐛 Difficult to set up
- 🐛 Buggy
- 🐛 Clunky interface

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to change timer settings
- App crashes
- Connectivity issues
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Sunrise/sunset timer option
- Power metering
- Improved timer functionality
- Matter protocol support
- Modernized GUI


### HM | DCC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hm-dcc/id1660757271)

Control your model railway system wirelessly with this app. Build your locomotive library, customize their settings, and design your dream layout with untethered control over points, signals, and turntables. Enjoy free sound profiles and upgrade existing systems.

**Highlights:** Wireless model railway control, Locomotive customization, On-the-fly setting adjustments, Layout design tool, Controllable points, signals, turntables, Free locomotive sound profiles, Bluetooth® device linking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BG Home free?

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

### Is HM | DCC free?

HM | DCC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BG Home or HM | DCC?

BG Home is rated higher. BG Home averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while HM | DCC averages 3.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do BG Home or HM | DCC have ads?

Neither BG Home nor HM | DCC shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BG Home or HM | DCC?

BG Home ships an update every 2 months, and HM | DCC every 4 months. Most recently, BG Home was updated on October 29, 2026 and HM | DCC on October 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.*