Comparison

Sound Blaster Central vs Home Assistant

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

Head to head
About

Sound Blaster Central

Control your Creative Sound Blaster Bluetooth devices with advanced audio settings and enhancements. Enjoy built-in music playback, customizable alarms, and helpful video tutorials for seamless product setup and usage.

Highlights
  • Advanced audio controls
  • Music playback
  • Customizable alarm
  • Video tutorials
  • Product setup support
Read full description

Sound Blaster Central gives you simplified support for product setup and usage with Creative Sound Blaster Bluetooth devices that incorporate the multi-core SB-Axx1 audio chipset. It adds unprecedented audio controls and enhancements right from the palm of your hand! Advanced Controls - Sound Blaster Central grants you mobile access to a full suite of advanced features that improves your music, movies, gaming and communication experience. E.g. Increase movie dialog levels for added clarity, or soften explosions so you won’t wake the family, removes ambient and acoustic noise for clearer communication, and much more! Built-in Music Playback - Play your favorite songs without having to switch to another app. When used with your Sound Blaster Bluetooth device incorporating the multi-core SB-Axx1 audio chipset, you can enhance your music experience within the same playback screen. Customizable Alarm - Wake up to MP3 music or preset alarm tones with snooze function. Video Tutorials - Step-by-step videos teach you how to connect your smart device wirelessly to Creative Sound Blaster Bluetooth devices. - Help you explore and take advantage of the many features of Creative Sound Blaster Bluetooth devices. Note: Some features mentioned are product specific, refer to its user manual for details.

About

Home Assistant

Control your entire smart home from one app, locally and privately. Automate devices, receive notifications, and manage your home's data securely. Integrates with thousands of smart devices and open standards.

Highlights
  • Control entire home from one app
  • Discover and configure new devices
  • Automate device actions
  • Local data privacy
  • Connect to open standards (Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter)
  • Remote access via Home Assistant Cloud
  • Location-based automation
Features
Read full description

The Home Assistant Companion app allows you to access your Home Assistant instance on the go. Home Assistant is the smart home solution focused on privacy, choice, and sustainability. It runs locally in your home via a device like the Home Assistant Green or Raspberry Pi. This app connects to all the most powerful features of Home Assistant, - One app to control the whole home - Home Assistant is compatible with the biggest brands in the smart home, connecting to thousands of smart devices and services. - Discover automatically and quickly configure new devices - such as Philips Hue, Sonos, and IKEA Tradfri. - Automate everything - Make all the devices in your home work in harmony - have your lights dim when you start watching a movie, or turn off your heat when you’re away from home. - Keep your home’s data in the home - use it privately to see past trends and averages. - Connect to open standards with hardware add-ons - including Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter, Thread, and Bluetooth. - Connect anywhere - If you would like to access this app while away from home, the most secure and simple way to get started is Home Assistant Cloud. The app unlocks your smartphone or tablet as a home automation tool. - Securely share your location, using it to automate heating, security, and so much more. - Get notifications on what's happening in your home, from detecting leaks to doors left open, you have full control over what it tells you. - Carplay functionality lets you open a garage or disable the security system from the dash of your car. - Build your own widgets to control any device in your home with a tap. - Integrate Home Assistant's functionality into Shortcuts, for example have your phone’s morning alarm turn on the coffee machine. - Apple Watch compatibility can show your home's temperature on a watch face or quickly activate devices. - Text or talk to your local voice assistant on your device. - Mac compatibility allows you to control your home from your desktop, but also to share data to build automation, like having your streaming lights turn on when your camera is active. Join the over 1 million users and empower your home with better privacy, choice and sustainability. Compatible with: Airthings, Amazon Alexa, Amcrest, Apple HomeKit, Apple TV, ASUSWRT, August, Belink WeMo, Bluetooth, Bose SoundTouch, Broadlink, BTHome, deCONZ, Denon, Devolo, DLNA, Ecobee, Ecovacs, Ecowitt, Elgato, EZVIZ, Fritz, Fully Kiosk, GoodWe, Govee, Growatt, Hikvision, Hive, Home Connect, Homematic, HomeWizard, Honeywell, iCloud, IFTTT, IKEA Tradfri, Insteon, Jellyfin, LG Smart TVs, LIFX, Logitech Harmony, Lutron Caseta, Magic Home, Matter, MotionEye, MQTT, MusicCast, Nanoleaf, Netatmo, Nuki, OctoPrint, ONVIF, Opower, Overkiz, OwnTracks, Panasonic Viera, Philips Hue, Pi-hole, Plex, Reolink, Ring, Roborock, Roku, Samsung TVs, Sense, Sensiba, Shelly, SmartThings, SolarEdge, Sonarr, Sonos, Sony Bravia, Spotify, Steam, SwitchBot, Synology, Tado, Tasmota, Tesla Wall, Thread, Tile, TP-Link Smart Home, Tuya, UniFi, UPnP, Verisure, Vizio, Wallbox, WebRTC, WiZ, WLED, Xbox, Xiaomi BLE, Yale, Yeelight, YoLink, Z-Wave, Zigbe

Screenshots

Sound Blaster Central4 screens
Home Assistant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Home Assistant at 4.7 against Sound Blaster Central's 1.7. Home Assistant also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 17%) and ratings volume (4K vs 26). Sound Blaster Central's advantage is iOS requirement (6.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Home Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Home Assistant has 4K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Sound Blaster Central's written reviews are positive against 54% of Home Assistant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sound Blaster Central ships an update every 6 weeks, Home Assistant every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sound Blaster Central versus Home Assistant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSound Blaster CentralHome Assistant
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (26 ratings)4.7 (4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.3% of reviews54.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings264K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS6.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB232 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperCreative Labs Pte. Ltd.Nabu Casa, Inc

Customer experience

Sound Blaster Central

All ratings26 ratings
Positive19.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative76.9%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive17.3%
Neutral9.6%
Negative73.1%

Home Assistant

All ratings4,037 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews516 reviews
Positive54.1%
Neutral8.9%
Negative37.0%

Bugs and requests

Sound Blaster Central

Reported bugs

30 issues
  • App does not open/launch
  • App crashes immediately upon opening
  • App does not recognize devices
  • Bluetooth connection frequently disconnects
  • App settings fail to load
Show 25 more
  • App does not work with latest iOS versions (iOS 17.1, iOS 11, iOS 9, iOS 12)
  • App does not work with newer iPhone models (iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone XS Max)
  • App shows a black screen with only a 'settings' box
  • Features removed in app updates
  • Slow and unstable connection over Bluetooth
  • App has pre-retina resolution
  • App does not show amplifier as connected
  • Controls do not work
  • App crashes when trying to tweak settings
  • App loses connection when playing from iTunes
  • App doesn't work with X G5
  • Cable connection option does not work on iOS 11
  • Sharp noise pops up every few minutes on iOS 10
  • Trouble getting iPhone 8 Plus to recognize device
  • No equalizer on the app
  • No customisation or features on the app
  • App crashes a lot
  • Compromises iPhone earbud quality
  • Physical touch control panel volume is tricky
  • App falls over after initial playback
  • No sound when switching from music to movie
  • App crashes every time
  • Settings do not load
  • Cannot switch between different sources
  • No options to control SBX Studio or other features on iOS 9

Requested features

10 requests
  • Update app for new iOS versions
  • Update app for new iPhone models
  • Add support for more devices (e.g., Blaster Roar)
  • Create a unified Creative Central app for all devices
  • Add direct mode option
Show 5 more
  • Add equalizer functionality
  • Improve UI and modernize interface
  • Add a physical control panel disable function
  • Fix Bluetooth connection issues
  • Resolve app crashing on launch

Home Assistant

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Sound Blaster Central

No in-app purchases

None

Home Assistant

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sound Blaster Central free?
Sound Blaster Central is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Home Assistant free?
Home Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sound Blaster Central or Home Assistant?
Home Assistant is rated higher. Sound Blaster Central averages 1.7 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Home Assistant averages 4.7 from 4K ratings.
Do Sound Blaster Central or Home Assistant have ads?
Neither Sound Blaster Central nor Home Assistant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sound Blaster Central or Home Assistant?
Sound Blaster Central ships an update every 6 weeks, and Home Assistant every 10 days. Most recently, Sound Blaster Central was updated on October 20, 2026 and Home Assistant on November 1, 2026.

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