INKBIRD vs RUN
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
INKBIRD
Transform your home into a smart environment with intuitive controls for appliances and automated adjustments of temperature and humidity. Remotely monitor food temperatures and set custom alarms for optimal cooking, creating a more connected and enjoyable life.
- Smart home appliance control
- Automated temperature and humidity adjustment
- Remote food temperature monitoring
- Customizable temperature alarms
- Family network setup
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INKBIRD helps you create a smart home, smart life. We make hard things simple by convenient and fast operation, clear and intuitive interface, considerate and practical functions. Here, you can smartly make home appliances intelligent and automated adjustment of temperature and humidity so as create an optimal environment for your family. Here, you can remotely monitor the food temperature and customize temperature alarms to always cook delicious meals for your family. Here, you can set up a family network of things of your own and experience a more wonderful, more enjoyable life.
RUN
Control and optimize your automated chicken coop door. Set custom timers or sync with sunrise for automatic opening and closing. Monitor door status for flock safety and convenience.
- Configure door opening/closing
- Set custom timers
- Sync with sunrise
- Built-in GPS feature
- Overview of door statuses
- User-friendly interface
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Enhance the functionality of your RUN-CHICKEN door with our sophisticated mobile app, designed for discerning poultry keepers. This application grants users the ability to configure the door’s opening and closing mechanisms, either by setting specific timers or synchronizing with natural events such as sunrise, with a built-in GPS Feature. In addition, the app provides overview of door statuses. With a secure connection and user-friendly interface, the RUN-CHICKEN Door Controller App ensures both optimal performance and the utmost safety for your flock. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: RUN at 4.2 against INKBIRD's 3.7. INKBIRD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (6.8K vs 968). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. RUN sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. INKBIRD asks for nothing beyond the download.
RUN holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: INKBIRD has 6.8K ratings behind it against 968, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 23% of INKBIRD's written reviews are positive against 21% of RUN's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
INKBIRD ships an update fortnightly, RUN every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | INKBIRD | RUN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (6.8K ratings) | 4.2 (968 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 23.0% of reviews — better | 21.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.8K — better | 968 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 396 MB | 116 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shenzhen Inkbird Technology Co. Ltd | RUN-TIGER |
Customer experience
INKBIRD
RUN
User reviews
INKBIRD
From 6.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to set up and use
- 🔒 Reliable connection
- 👍 Useful features
- 🚀 Accurate temperature monitoring
- 👍 Great customer support
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and connectivity issues
- 👎 Unintuitive app interface
- 🔋 Battery life concerns
- 👎 Difficult to configure
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with mandatory account
RUN
From 968 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy installation and setup (for some)
- 👍 Reliable operation (for some)
- 👍 Keeps chickens safe at night
- 👍 Convenient automatic open/close
- 👍 Works with older models (with workaround)
Room to improve
- 🐛 App connectivity issues
- 🐛 Bluetooth connection problems
- 🐛 App updates breaking functionality
- 🐛 Incompatibility with older/non-Bluetooth models
- 🐛 Loss of manual control/buttons
Bugs and requests
INKBIRD
Reported bugs
5 issues- Custom menu names reset after exiting app
- Widgets not working as expected
- Frequent app crashes and disconnections
- Sensor temperature readings inconsistent
- Unable to remove/delete connected devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add dark mode option
- Improve temperature graph functionality
- Allow custom alarm sounds
- Implement low temperature alerts
- Add support for more devices
RUN
Reported bugs
27 issues- Bluetooth not connecting
- App not detecting doors after update
- Door resets and stays open after update
- Non-Bluetooth doors incompatible with new app
- App locks up and doesn't respond
Show 22 moreShow fewer
- Door doesn't close automatically
- App requires Bluetooth for non-Bluetooth models
- Door closing in the middle of the day
- App not taking chosen settings
- App unusable for older doors after update
- Forcing Bluetooth for T50, disabling light sensor programming
- Cannot program timer after battery replacement
- App crashes on opening
- Door malfunctions after app installation
- App disconnects from Bluetooth frequently
- App requires email/account login
- New app doesn't have same functionality as old app
- GPS mode not working, door opens randomly at night
- App doesn't show door status
- Cannot manually open/close door via app
- App doesn't work to change settings
- App doesn't work with iOS 26
- Door stops working
- App requires phone to be next to device for function
- Firmware updates break door
- App sends ads despite being turned off
- Newer models lack physical buttons for manual operation
Requested features
12 requests- Bring back physical buttons
- Allow programming without internet
- Add remote open/close functionality
- Show door status (open/closed/stuck)
- Improve app stability
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Add dark mode
- Allow programming older models easily
- Add option to delay closing
- Remove ads from app
- Improve customer support responsiveness
- Add WiFi connectivity option
- Allow programming from website
In-app purchases
INKBIRD
No in-app purchases
RUN
- Premium - Monthly1 Month trial$3.991 Month
- Premium - Yearly1 Month trial$39.991 Year
