# Pi Garage vs ESPHome

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pi Garage at none against ESPHome's 5. Pi Garage also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17). ESPHome's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ESPHome sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Pi Garage asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pi Garage ships an update every 2 months, ESPHome weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pi Garage | ESPHome |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Size | 21 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Gambold](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634928976) | [Dominic Grimm](https://appshunter.io/developer/1849631811) |

## What reviewers say

### Pi Garage

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pi-garage/id1634928554)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ESPHome

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esphome-wled-device-manager/id6754686752)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.49 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Extra Large Tip | $5.99 | one-time |
| Massive Tip | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pi Garage free?

Pi Garage is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ESPHome free?

ESPHome is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Pi Garage or ESPHome have ads?

Neither Pi Garage nor ESPHome shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pi Garage or ESPHome?

Pi Garage ships an update every 2 months, and ESPHome weekly. Most recently, Pi Garage was updated on October 24, 2026 and ESPHome on October 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*