# Holman Home vs Emerald

The clearest difference is update cadence: Emerald at monthly against Holman Home's every 5 months. Holman Home's advantage is review sentiment (27% vs 17%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 1.0 for Holman Home against 1.0 for Emerald. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 27% of Holman Home's written reviews are positive against 17% of Emerald's.

Holman Home ships an update every 5 months, Emerald monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Holman Home | Emerald |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holman-home/id1478888720/reviews) | [1.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emerald/id1561759351/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| Positive reviews | **27.1% of reviews** | 17.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 205 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bookleaf PTY Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/961301374) | [EMERALD PLANET ENVIRONMENTAL PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526454239) |

## What reviewers say

### Holman Home

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holman-home/id1478888720)

Control your garden watering and lighting systems remotely from anywhere in the world. Schedule watering, adjust settings, and monitor weather conditions with smart sensors for optimal garden care. Easy DIY installation for a connected outdoor space.

**Highlights:** Remote garden product control, Schedule watering cycles, Manual zone control, Smart sensor integration, Garden lighting scene customization, Weather monitoring and data graphs

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to set up
- 👍 Works well for basic functions
- 👍 Reliable hardware (sometimes)
- 👍 Good for remote watering
- 👍 User-friendly app (sometimes)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Extremely unreliable
- 🐛 Buggy and clunky UI
- 🐛 Frequent data loss/dropout
- 🐛 Settings do not save
- 🐛 Automation doesn't work

**Reported bugs**

- Constantly deletes data
- Requires restart/re-linking
- Frequent data dropout
- Rain delay feature does not save
- Schedule watering does not start

**Requested features**

- HomeKit support
- Desktop access/web interface
- Improved rainfall data visualization (bar chart, cumulative totals)
- Hourly rainfall totals
- Cumulative rainfall display


### Emerald

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emerald/id1561759351)

Monitor and control your home's energy usage, climate, and safety devices. Track electricity consumption in real-time, set budgets, and receive alerts for emergencies. Turn your air-con into a smart device for remote climate control.

**Highlights:** Real-time electricity usage tracking, Electricity budgeting, Smart air-con control, Remote climate adjustment, Smoke alarm monitoring, Emergency notifications

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Real-time electricity consumption monitoring
- 💰 Helps identify cost-saving opportunities
- 📊 Basic functionality works for tracking usage
- 🆓 Free or subsidized installation
- ➕ Add household members feature available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📡 Bluetooth connectivity issues and limited range
- 🔌 High battery drain on mobile devices
- ⏱️ Slow data syncing and connection times
- 🔐 Persistent login and authentication problems

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or when opening specific features
- Smart Actions stop working after updates
- Bluetooth connection drops frequently
- Data not syncing or updating after certain dates
- Login failures and forced logouts

**Requested features**

- Support for 3-tier and multi-tier tariff structures
- WiFi connectivity instead of Bluetooth only
- Advanced smart actions with conditional triggers
- Ability to set mode (boost/silent) in smart actions
- Scheduled automation based on water temperature/capacity


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Holman Home free?

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

### Is Emerald free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Holman Home or Emerald?

Holman Home and Emerald are both rated 1.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Holman Home or Emerald have ads?

Neither Holman Home nor Emerald shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Holman Home or Emerald?

Holman Home ships an update every 5 months, and Emerald monthly. Most recently, Holman Home was updated on September 24, 2026 and Emerald on September 21, 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.*