Comparison

Magic Packet vs Widgets for Home Assistant

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

Head to head
About

Magic Packet

Remotely power on, off, or restart your computer from your local network or the internet. Ideal for accessing your PC for remote control, managing servers, or ensuring devices are ready when needed.

Highlights
  • Wake, turn off, and restart computers
  • Remote control over internet
  • Siri commands support
  • Interactive widgets
  • Host availability check
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

Magic Packet is an app for remote computer management over local network and the Internet. Wake, shut down, restart, and monitor your computers from iPhone, Apple Watch, widgets, and Siri. USE CASES: - Wake your home NAS before watching movies - Connect to your home PC via RDP, VNC, or TeamViewer - Prevent your computer from sleeping during downloads, streaming, or rendering - Remotely reboot frozen PCs - Shut down and restart computers over the Internet WAKE ON LAN: - Instant magic packet sending - Works over local network and the Internet - Custom UDP port for each host - SecureON support - Support for broadcast, IP addresses, and domain names REMOTE MANAGEMENT: - Shutdown, restart, sleep, hibernate, and lock - Works through Magic Packet Server for Windows, macOS, and Linux - Automatic server discovery in local network STATUS AND MONITORING: - Availability checks via ping or HTTP - Online / offline status with auto refresh - Laptop battery level monitoring - Quick host status checks SIRI, SHORTCUTS, AND WIDGETS: - Siri voice commands - Automations through Shortcuts - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets - Control Center controls (iOS 18) APPLE WATCH: - Control hosts directly from Apple Watch - Media and volume controls - Complications for quick access - iCloud sync MEDIA: - Play and pause - Next and previous track - Volume and mute controls - “Keep Awake” mode with timer HOST CUSTOMIZATION: - Unlimited hosts - Icons, SF Symbols, emoji, and letters - Custom colors - Custom action order - iCloud sync CONVENIENCE: - Dark mode support - Step-by-step Wake-on-LAN setup guides - Optimized for iPhone and iPad

About

Widgets for Home Assistant

Enhance your smart home control with custom widgets for Home Assistant. Monitor and manage devices directly from your home screen for ultimate convenience and connectivity.

Highlights
  • Create custom home screen widgets
  • Monitor Home Assistant devices
  • Control smart home devices
  • Check device status (e.g., temperature)
  • Streamlined smart home management
Features
Read full description

The ultimate companion for Home Assistant users! This iOS app is designed to elevate your smart home experience. You can create widgets that allow you to effortlessly monitor and manage your Home Assistant devices directly from your home screen. Whether you're controlling devices, or just checking the temperature, this app streamlines the process for unparalleled convenience. Stay connected and in control.

Screenshots

Magic Packet4 screens
Widgets for Home Assistant1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Widgets for Home Assistant at Free against Magic Packet's $2.29. Magic Packet's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 2.6) and review sentiment (73% vs 36%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Widgets for Home Assistant is free to download; Magic Packet costs $2.29 up front. Magic Packet sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Widgets for Home Assistant sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magic Packet holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic Packet has 104 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Magic Packet's written reviews are positive against 36% of Widgets for Home Assistant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Packet ships an update every 6 days, Widgets for Home Assistant every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Magic Packet versus Widgets for Home Assistant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic PacketWidgets for Home Assistant
Price$2.29Free — better
Rating4.5 (104 ratings) — better2.6 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews — better35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings104 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNikita SomenkovAP-TC Services Ltd

Customer experience

Magic Packet

All ratings104 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral1.9%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews310 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral3.9%
Negative23.5%

Widgets for Home Assistant

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative57.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Magic Packet

One-time2
  • Buy me a coffee$2.99
  • Buy me a dinner$19.99
2 purchases

Widgets for Home Assistant

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Plan$3.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime Plan$19.99

Questions

Is Magic Packet free?
Magic Packet costs $2.29, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Widgets for Home Assistant free?
Widgets for Home Assistant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Magic Packet or Widgets for Home Assistant?
Magic Packet is rated higher. Magic Packet averages 4.5 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while Widgets for Home Assistant averages 2.6 from 5 ratings.
Do Magic Packet or Widgets for Home Assistant have ads?
Neither Magic Packet nor Widgets for Home Assistant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Packet or Widgets for Home Assistant?
Magic Packet ships an update every 6 days, and Widgets for Home Assistant every 2 weeks. Most recently, Magic Packet was updated on November 11, 2026 and Widgets for Home Assistant on November 4, 2026.

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