BroadLink vs Shellbee
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BroadLink
Manage all your smart home devices from one place, anywhere in the world. Control lighting, appliances, security, and more with intelligent automation and one-button scene control. Features zero-configuration setup for compatible devices.
- Remote device management
- Intelligent power control
- Lighting control
- IR and RF remote control
- Security and sensor integration
- Scene creation
- Zero configuration device setup
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The new BroadLink super app lets you manage all BroadLink and compatible products in your home from anywhere in the world at any time, enjoying smart life style with intelligent power control, lighting control, IR and RF remote control, security protection, sensors, home appliances, etc. With BroadLink app, you can easily set triggers for interaction or scenes for one-button control of multiple devices. Also new FastCon technology is adopted in BroadLink app which enables you to add FastCon compatible devices without configuration process (Zero Configuration). If you have any questions, please click the "Feedback" Button in the "Help and Feedback" of the App.
Shellbee
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Shellbee is a native iPhone companion for Zigbee2MQTT. It connects directly to your bridge over WebSocket and gives you an Apple-native interface for monitoring, controlling, and configuring your Zigbee network. REQUIRES A ZIGBEE2MQTT SERVER Shellbee is a client app. You need a running Zigbee2MQTT instance and an access token. Local and remote deployments are both supported. FEATURES - Real-time connection to your bridge over ws:// or wss:// - Bonjour discovery for local .local hosts - Live device state for lights, switches, covers, fans, locks, climate devices, and sensors - Native controls generated from Zigbee2MQTT exposes - Group and scene management - Permit join, pairing flow, and device onboarding - Bridge settings for MQTT, serial, network, OTA, logging, availability, Home Assistant, and more - Secure token storage in Keychain BUILT FOR iOS Shellbee is SwiftUI from top to bottom, using the latest Observation APIs and ActivityKit. It's designed to feel fast and native, not like a wrapped web view. OPEN SOURCE Shellbee is licensed under AGPL v3. Source available on GitHub.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Shellbee at every 5 days against BroadLink's monthly. BroadLink's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.5). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BroadLink ships an update monthly, Shellbee every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BroadLink | Shellbee |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (2.6K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 167 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Broadlink Co.,Ltd | Kenneth Berg |
Bugs and requests
BroadLink
Reported bugs
4 issues- Scenes not working as expected
- Frequent app crashes
- Devices going offline randomly
- Alexa integration issues
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to customize button layouts
- Integration with more smart home platforms
- Improved scheduling and automation features
- Temperature display in Fahrenheit
- Backup and restore functionality
Shellbee
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BroadLink
No in-app purchases
Shellbee
No in-app purchases









