Comparison

Freenove vs SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

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

Head to head
About

Freenove

Control various smart devices and robots from a single application. This app allows for seamless interaction with a range of connected products, with more to be added in future updates.

Highlights
  • Control Freenove robots
  • Control Freenove smart cars
  • Interact with multiple Freenove products
  • Expandable product support
Read full description

Freenove App can interact with multiple Freenove products. You can use this App to control Freenove's robots, smart cars, etc. More products will be added in later updates.

About

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

Manage your Raspberry Pi from your iPhone or iPad. Monitor system activity with graphs, run custom commands, and access a terminal shell. Includes widgets, file browsing, and support for multiple Pis.

Highlights
  • Monitor CPU, Memory, Temperature, Disk Usage
  • Run custom commands with one tap
  • Full terminal shell access
  • Home screen widgets for monitoring and control
  • File browser with export options
  • Manage multiple Raspberry Pi devices
  • Public key authentication
Features
Read full description

SimplePi is the Swiss army knife utility app for monitoring, controlling, and managing your Raspberry Pi using your iPhone and iPad. MONITOR ACTIVITY See what is going on with your Raspberry Pi. CPU, Memory, Temperature, Disk Usage, and Clock activity are shown in beautiful and easily understandable graphs. CONTROL Run commands on your Pi with a single tap. Want to have your own commands? No problem. SimplePi lets you add as many commands as you wish. Additionally, you can manage your commands in groups. TERMINAL SHELL Access your Pi from a shell terminal with colored output and hardware keyboard support. The on-screen keyboard comes with fast access to commonly used special keys like ctrl and arrow keys. WIDGETS Monitor your Pi and run commands right from the Home Screen with various widgets. VIEW COMMAND RESULTS View and export command results and logs automatically. The results history allows you to view the results of previous commands. DETAILED STATS Detailed Stats for CPU and Memory give you an insight on which processes are running, how much memory is active, and much more. FILE BROWSER Browse Files and Folders in a file browser-like experience. View and export files of various formats. MANAGE MULTIPLE PI SimplePi can manage multiple Raspberry Pi. Configure each Raspberry Pi and connect to them simultaneously. KEY AUTHENTICATION Public Key authentication gives you the flexibility to authenticate in your preferred way. Key files can be imported via iTunes or from other apps. ICLOUD SYNC Sync Commands, Hosts, Keys over iCloud APP LOCK Lock the app using FaceID, TouchID, or a custom passcode HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Run commands directly from your Home Screen on iOS 14 Siri Shortcuts Integrate commands into automated worflows using the Shortcuts app (requires iOS14 or later) NOTE: SSH needs to be enabled on your Raspberry Pi for SimplePi to work correctly. SimplePi has been tested with the latest releases of * Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) * Raspbmc * OpenElec * Xbian * Pidora * Arch Linux SimplePi works on all Raspberry Pi models. NOTE (only for Xbian users): Automatic start of xbian-config needs to be disabled. You can do this when connecting via SSH and selecting Config > Settings > Xbian Config > NO. There are many different configurations out there. If you encounter problems with one of the distributions above or want to have your distribution support, please contact us.

Screenshots

Freenove4 screens
SimplePi for Raspberry Pi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Freenove at 71% against SimplePi for Raspberry Pi's 26%. Freenove also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). SimplePi for Raspberry Pi's advantage is rating (3.9 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads 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. SimplePi for Raspberry Pi sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Freenove asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimplePi for Raspberry Pi has 124 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Freenove's written reviews are positive against 26% of SimplePi for Raspberry Pi's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Freenove ships an update every 3 months, SimplePi for Raspberry Pi every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and August 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Freenove versus SimplePi for Raspberry Pi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFreenoveSimplePi for Raspberry Pi
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (10 ratings)3.9 (124 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews — better25.7% of reviews
Number of ratings10124 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB23 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperShenzhen Freenove Creative Technology Co., Ltd.Benedikt Hirmer

Customer experience

Freenove

All ratings10 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

All ratings124 ratings
Positive71.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative26.6%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive25.7%
Neutral2.9%
Negative71.4%

In-app purchases

None

Freenove

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

Subscriptions1
  • Full Access (12 months)7 Days trial$4.991 Year

Questions

Is Freenove free?
Freenove is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SimplePi for Raspberry Pi free?
SimplePi for Raspberry Pi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Freenove or SimplePi for Raspberry Pi?
SimplePi for Raspberry Pi is rated higher. Freenove averages 2.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while SimplePi for Raspberry Pi averages 3.9 from 124 ratings.
Do Freenove or SimplePi for Raspberry Pi have ads?
Neither Freenove nor SimplePi for Raspberry Pi shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Freenove or SimplePi for Raspberry Pi?
Freenove ships an update every 3 months, and SimplePi for Raspberry Pi every 8 days. Most recently, Freenove was updated on September 9, 2026 and SimplePi for Raspberry Pi on August 23, 2026.

Other comparisons