Comparison

BroadLink vs Shellbee

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Remote device management
  • Intelligent power control
  • Lighting control
  • IR and RF remote control
  • Security and sensor integration
  • Scene creation
  • Zero configuration device setup
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Shellbee

Features
Read full description

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

BroadLink3 screens
Shellbee3 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BroadLink ships an update monthly, Shellbee every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BroadLink versus Shellbee: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBroadLinkShellbee
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews57.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.6K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size167 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBroadlink Co.,LtdKenneth 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

None

BroadLink

No in-app purchases

None

Shellbee

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BroadLink free?
BroadLink is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shellbee free?
Shellbee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BroadLink or Shellbee have ads?
Neither BroadLink nor Shellbee shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BroadLink or Shellbee?
BroadLink ships an update monthly, and Shellbee every 5 days. Most recently, BroadLink was updated on October 7, 2026 and Shellbee on September 26, 2026.

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