Comparison

Owl Home vs Byos

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

Head to head
About

Owl Home

This smart home security system monitors for smoke, carbon monoxide, motion, and environmental changes. It offers Wi-Fi connectivity, a backup battery, and a built-in siren for alerts. The system prioritizes user privacy with a microphone mute switch and secure, encrypted communication.

Highlights
  • Smoke and CO detection
  • Motion and sound sensing
  • Temperature and humidity monitoring
  • Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Backup battery power
  • Built-in siren and LED alerts
  • Microphone privacy switch
Features
Read full description

Monitoring System Owl Sensors can detect Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, Sound, Motion, Temperature and Humidity. Wi-Fi Connected Owl Wired is a Wi-Fi connected device. It gives you access to your data through your Owl Home mobile app. Backup Battery Owl is equipped with a sealed lithium-ion battery that can power the device during power outages for up to a few months. Built-in Siren and LED Owl Sensor features a customizable, multi-color LED ring to alert the user of hazards. It also has a loud buzzer to sound the alarm. Privacy Focused Protecting the privacy of our users is very important to us. Owl Wired features a switch in the back to mute your microphone. Always Up-to-date Owl Sensor and Hub comes with the ability to do over the air(OTA) software updates. This helps you stay on top on latest improvements to power efficiency and added security. Fast and secure Your security and privacy are of utmost concern to the team at Owl. We use end-to-end encryption in our services. Intelligence Owl Sensor knows when there should be movements in the house and when there shouldn't be. It will alert you only for the ones you should be concerned about. Interconnected Owl Wired has a third wire to interconnect with traditional smoke alarms and inform you of smoke anywhere around your house to your mobile phone. USB-C port for power Owl Wired also features a USB-C port for charging during outdoor use or in RVs. Elegant Design We designed Owl with great attention to detail. We are committed to providing ultimate user experience to our users. Ultimate Control Using the Owl Home mobile app, you will be able to customize and control your alerts to the finest detail. An example of this is the ability to modify the volume level of a sound required to trigger an alert.

About

Byos

Features
Read full description

Byos for iOS lets you manage and control your Byos Secure Edge - connect to a network, get threat protection trends, reboot or reset your Edge, and much more. Key Features: Network Management • Connect/Disconnect to a Wi-Fi network • Lists all networking details for your current connection • Public IP, Local IP, Router IP, MAC Addresses • Byos Secure Lobby connection status and Byos IP in the Byos Overlay • Gives a history of all previously connected networks Computers • List of all previously connected computers that the Byos Secure Edge has been plugged into for a quick usage history Blocked Traffic Reports • Get live updates about blocked threats • See trends in previously blocked threats • Keep track of your organization's network policies Manage Your Edge • Reboot your Byos Secure Edge with the click of a button  • Clear settings or reset your Secure Edge back to factory settings • Get support by collecting logs and diagnostics from your Secure Edge Note: Byos for iOS requires the presence of a Byos Secure Edge device. The Byos Endpoint Edge requires a compatible device with a USB-C connector.

Screenshots

Owl Home4 screens
Byos4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Owl Home at monthly against Byos's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Owl Home ships an update monthly, Byos every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Owl Home versus Byos: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOwl HomeByos
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews10.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOwl Home Inc.Byos Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Owl Home

No in-app purchases

None

Byos

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Owl Home free?
Owl Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Byos free?
Byos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Owl Home or Byos have ads?
Neither Owl Home nor Byos shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Owl Home or Byos?
Owl Home ships an update monthly, and Byos every 2 months. Most recently, Owl Home was updated on November 3, 2026 and Byos on October 30, 2026.

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