eKeypad Alarm vs Rain Bird
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
eKeypad Alarm
Control your Elk M1 or Ness M1 alarm system remotely. Arm, disarm, and bypass your security system from your Apple devices. Offers secure, anywhere access without third-party services.
- Simplified arming and disarming
- Bypass functions
- Remote access from Apple devices
- Easy setup
- Secure access
- Multi-system control (optional)
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Simplified arming and disarming of your Elk M1 or Ness M1 alarm panel. eKeypad Alarm is focused exclusively on arming, disarming and bypass functions of your M1 Gold or EZ8 system. Your system is available from your iPad, iPhone or Apple Watch. An optional add-on module allows control of an unlimited number of panels. - Easy Setup. The setup is designed to be simple and easy. - Anywhere Access. Everything works the same whether you are at home or away. - Secure. Features to add additional layers of protection to your system. Need to control the home automation functions of your M1 Gold or EZ8? See our 'eKeypad M1' application. It provides full control and status of all alarm and automation functionality. Supported Alarm Systems: Elk M1 Gold, Elk EZ8 and Ness M1 Optional features: - Multi-system Module. Control an unlimited number of alarm systems. eKeypad Platform Features: - No 3rd party servers or services required - No additional fees or services are required - One license supports all devices: iPhone, iTouch and iPad - Universal application optimized for all platforms - Security features to safeguard your system data and access - Secure access for Cellular and even faster access via Wifi
Rain Bird
Control your sprinklers remotely from your mobile device. Automate watering schedules and adjust for weather conditions to conserve water and reduce costs. Compatible with various Rain Bird controller models.
- Remote sprinkler control
- Customizable watering schedules
- Automated weather adjustments
- Water and money saving
- Controller model compatibility
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Smart Watering Made Simple. Connect your Rain Bird controller to your mobile device to turn on sprinklers, set up customized watering schedules, and automate weather adjustments, saving you water and money. Compatible with the following Rain Bird controller models: ST8-WIFI ESP-TM2 ESP-RZXe ESP-Me ESP-ME3 RC2 ARC8 For more information: http://wifi.rainbird.com 1-800-RAINBIRD
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Rain Bird at Free against eKeypad Alarm's $39.99. Rain Bird also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). eKeypad Alarm's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 31%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Rain Bird is free to download; eKeypad Alarm costs $39.99 up front. eKeypad Alarm sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Rain Bird asks for nothing beyond the download.
Rain Bird holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rain Bird has 79K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of eKeypad Alarm's written reviews are positive against 31% of Rain Bird's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
eKeypad Alarm ships an update every 3 weeks, Rain Bird every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | eKeypad Alarm | Rain Bird |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.3 (11 ratings) | 4.7 (79K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better | 31.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 79K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | eKeypad Mobile Solutions LLC | Rain Bird Corporation |
Customer experience
eKeypad Alarm
Rain Bird
Bugs and requests
eKeypad Alarm
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Rain Bird
Reported bugs
5 issues- Constant connection errors
- App crashes frequently
- Date/time not syncing correctly
- Seasonal adjustment not working as expected
- Manual controls not functioning properly
Requested features
6 requests- Add water usage history and analytics
- Allow pausing of individual zones
- Improve manual control options
- Add weather integration and smart scheduling
- Improve notification system
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- Add ability to turn off entire system remotely
In-app purchases
eKeypad Alarm
- Enables Multi-device support$19.99
Rain Bird
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is eKeypad Alarm free?
Is Rain Bird free?
Which has better reviews, eKeypad Alarm or Rain Bird?
Do eKeypad Alarm or Rain Bird have ads?
Which is updated more often, eKeypad Alarm or Rain Bird?
Other comparisons
