Calex Smart vs publicroam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Control smart lights and appliances
- Create smart routines
- Plug and Play WiFi installation
- No additional gateway needed
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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
publicroam
Gain automatic and secure access to guest WiFi at various participating organizations. Manage your personal account and connect multiple devices to the network. Enjoy free and private internet access.
- Automatic WiFi connection
- Secure guest network access
- Connect multiple devices
- Personal account management
- Access at diverse venues
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Sign up for Publicroam in no time. Publicroam gives you automatic and secure access to guest WiFi at all participating organizations — municipalities, libraries, healthcare institutions, museums, theaters, sports venues, coworking spaces, and more. The app contains your personal Publicroam account. With it, you can also connect your other devices — like your laptop. Using publicroam is free. Your privacy is respected.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Calex Smart at 4.3 against publicroam's 1.3. Calex Smart also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 13 months) and review sentiment (34% vs 10%). On price, ratings volume, 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.
Calex Smart holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Calex Smart's written reviews are positive against 10% of publicroam's.
Calex Smart ships an update every 2 months, publicroam every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Calex Smart | publicroam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (35 ratings) — better | 1.3 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.9% of reviews — better | 10.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 13 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 253 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Electro Cirkel Retail B.V | Publicroam |
Customer experience
Calex Smart
publicroam
Bugs and requests
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
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- 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
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- 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
publicroam
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Calex Smart
No in-app purchases
publicroam
No in-app purchases
