Comparison

NorthStar Home vs Ecolab Sync

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

Head to head
About

NorthStar Home

Monitor and control your home or business remotely from your Apple devices. Manage security, view live video, and automate devices like lights and thermostats. Receive real-time notifications for important events.

Highlights
  • Real-time remote monitoring
  • Interactive security control
  • Live video streaming
  • Home automation management
  • Customizable push notifications
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

With a NorthStar Home security system, you can monitor and control your home or business in real-time and from anywhere - from your iPhone, iPad, or your Apple Watch. NorthStar Home's interactive security, video monitoring, energy management, and home automation solutions give you instant awareness and remote control for the places you care about most. With Apple Watch support, your home is always at your fingertips, and on your wrist. Glances let you quickly see home status, and through the watch app you can control your key devices and even view live video from your home. Note: This app requires a compatible system and an interactive NorthStar Home service plan. Feature availability varies based on system, equipment, and service plan. Visit www.northstarhome.com for more information. Remote features: • See what’s happening at your property • Arm or disarm your security panel • Watch live video and recorded clips from your security cameras • Turn on or off lights • Set the ideal temperature • Lock or unlock doors • Search your complete system event history • And much more! With NorthStar Home, you can also receive real-time email, text message, and push notifications for the specific events that matter to you. Beyond important emergency related events, you can also immediately know when: Your kids get home from school

About

Ecolab Sync

Read full description

Ecolab Sync by Sutro is the simple, safe, and seamless way to manage your Pool (or Spa) water with measurements that make sense and monitoring that is automatic. The app works with the Sutro Smart Monitor to measure your pool or spa’s pH, free chlorine (ppm), alkalinity, and temperature without you having to do anything.

Screenshots

NorthStar Home4 screens
Ecolab Sync4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Ecolab Sync at 12.0 against NorthStar Home's 17.0. 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

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

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
NorthStar Home versus Ecolab Sync: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNorthStar HomeEcolab Sync
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (59 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews7.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings59 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size377 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorthstar Alarm Services, LLCSutro Connect Inc

In-app purchases

None

NorthStar Home

No in-app purchases

None

Ecolab Sync

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NorthStar Home free?
NorthStar Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ecolab Sync free?
Ecolab Sync is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NorthStar Home or Ecolab Sync have ads?
Neither NorthStar Home nor Ecolab Sync shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NorthStar Home or Ecolab Sync?
NorthStar Home ships an update every 2 months, and Ecolab Sync every 2 months. Most recently, NorthStar Home was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ecolab Sync on October 27, 2026.

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