Melnor BT vs OrbitAssist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Melnor BT
Easily manage your lawn and garden watering with this app. Control one or multiple Bluetooth water timers, set flexible schedules up to 30 times a day, and customize watering durations. Features include watering delays, manual mode, and an eco-friendly option to reduce water waste.
- Bluetooth timer control
- Flexible scheduling options
- Customizable watering duration
- Watering delay function
- Manual watering mode
- Eco Mode for water saving
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ABOUT THE APP An easy and convenient way to manage your lawn and garden watering. Use the free app on your iOS smart device (minimum required iOS 9), to control all the programming on your Melnor Bluetooth Water Timer. Manage one, or multiple Valve Units from the same app. Set up is simple and offers the most flexible scheduling options to meet any gardener’s needs. Water on specific days of the week or every few days, up to 30 times per day, from one minute to 6 hours. FEATURES - Convenient scheduling through the app (must be within 30’ of Valve Unite for Bluetooth connection) - Select to water on specific days of the week or by an interval every few days - Water from 1 minute up to 6 hours per watering cycle - Reduce water waste with the customizable Eco Mode - Watering Delay pauses the watering schedule when needed - Turn on Manual mode from the Timer or through the app to run water whenever you need CUSTOMIZABLE You can personalize the app features specifically for your lawn and garden. Set unique device and zone names, create a password for security, and add images of your specific watering areas.
OrbitAssist
This app helps troubleshoot and resolve connectivity issues with smart devices. It guides users through tests to identify and fix potential problems, ensuring a smooth experience with smart products.
- Connectivity issue identification
- Troubleshooting tests
- Device connection assistance
- Smart product experience enhancement
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At Orbit we strive to ensure that every customer has the best possible experience with our smart products. Unfortunately, there may be times when you experience issues with setting up or keeping your device connected to the internet - in those cases, Orbit Assist can help! With just a few taps of your screen, Orbit Assist completes the tests required to identify and help fix potential causes of connectivity issues, so you can go back to enjoying your Orbit Products to the fullest!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Melnor BT at 2.1 against OrbitAssist's 1.0. Melnor BT also leads on review sentiment (13% vs 0%) and ratings volume (132 vs 38). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Melnor BT holds the better App Store score, 2.1 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 132 and 38 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of Melnor BT's written reviews are positive against 0% of OrbitAssist's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Melnor BT | OrbitAssist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (132 ratings) — better | 1.0 (38 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 12.9% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 132 — better | 38 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | yuanmei | Orbit Irrigation |
Customer experience
Melnor BT
OrbitAssist
Bugs and requests
Melnor BT
Reported bugs
18 issues- App crashes on launch or when connecting to device
- Infinite loading/spinning wheel when opening devices
- App freezes after logging in
- Cannot establish Bluetooth connection despite device visibility
- Bluetooth connection drops frequently even at close range
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- App loses connection to previously paired devices
- 12 PM time setting reverts to 12 AM
- Settings reset unexpectedly
- Rain delay applies from change time instead of scheduled time
- Valve selection registers wrong valve
- Manual button presses require multiple attempts
- App incompatible with latest iOS/iPadOS versions
- Device clock out of sync with actual time
- Duration settings don't match actual watering time
- Custom pictures for zones not persisting
- App stuck in update mode
- Cannot change start day for odd-day watering restrictions
- App shows device but won't open/load
Requested features
15 requests- WiFi connectivity instead of Bluetooth-only
- Remote control functionality from any distance
- Multiple user/phone support for same device
- End time parameter for watering cycles
- More than 2 watering cycles per day
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- One-time watering option
- Odd/even day scheduling
- Unified dashboard showing all valves at once
- Quick action buttons on main menu
- Automatic device loading on app startup
- Rain delay function that applies to scheduled times
- Event history and push notifications
- Bluetooth gateway support for extended range
- Soil moisture sensor integration
- Better visual distinction between controller and valve selection screens
OrbitAssist
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Melnor BT
No in-app purchases
OrbitAssist
No in-app purchases
