Insteon for Hub vs SofaBaton
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Insteon for Hub
Control your smart home devices remotely from your smartphone or tablet. Automate lighting, thermostats, and security sensors, and receive instant alerts for peace of mind. Access your home's configuration from any device without monthly fees.
- Remote device control
- Automated scheduling
- Push and email alerts
- Camera monitoring
- Cloud-based configuration
- Apple Watch support
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The new Insteon Hub connects you to your home from any smartphone or tablet. Control Insteon light bulbs, wall switches, outlets and thermostats. Receive instant email or push notification alerts from motion and water leak sensors while you're away. Download the Insteon for Hub app, connect your Insteon Hub, select your favorite Insteon devices for your home and enjoy! The Insteon Hub works in combination with your router and smartphone or tablet to control Insteon devices in your home while you're there, when you're at work, or out of town. Easy Device Scheduling Want to turn on your bedside lamp automatically to help wake you up in the morning? How about program the porch light to turn on and off automatically with the rise and fall of the sun? No problem. Get Alerts on Your Mobile Phone or Computer Create alerts by adding water leak sensors, motion sensors, door/window sensors and more. The Insteon Hub will send push notifications and email alerts to your mobile device. The Hub also stores the status of these sensors, so you can easily check on your sensors from within the app at any time. Stay Connected to What Matters Most Wonder what triggered the motion sensor or just want to check in on the kids or your pets? Add a wireless camera and you'll see it all from your smartphone. The Insteon cameras feature pan/tilt control and night vision. Setting up this camera within the Insteon for Hub app is the easiest setup that you have ever seen! Cloud-based Service The Insteon Hub stores your homes configuration in the cloud which allows access from any number of smartphones and tablets you may own. Add another smartphone by simply downloading the app, sign in and enjoy. NO MONTHLY FEES That's right. No monthly fees to view, control and monitor your home. Other systems on the market charge hundreds of dollars a year for services that you can enjoy for free with the Insteon Hub. Easy Installation with Videos The Insteon for Hub app features video installation wizards that walk you through setup of many Insteon devices. Detailed Insteon app features: • Now supports Apple Watch for control of scenes and devices throughout your home • Simple and clear user controls • Easy to follow onscreen wizards for fast setup • Insteon Thermostat support, temp, humidity, mode, cool, heat, fan • Supports Venstar thermostat (with Insteon Adapter) • Nest thermostat support • Ability to add Insteon/Smarthome indoor and outdoor WiFi cameras • WiFi camera configuration – ability to set username, password, add/edit/delete contrast, brightness, mirror, flip image, directional control (up/down/left/right – ie “pan/tilt”) • Create a scene – single activation with multiple devices • Create rooms for organization • Add a timer for on/off/days of week • Auto-detect of geo-location of smartphone to calculate sunrise/sunset and automatic time synchronization • Receive email and push notification alerts when sensors and devices are activated • Quick status of sensors with the Check-In page • Cloud service provides access via multiple devices without reconfiguration • Works over WiFi, 4G, 3G, and EDGE • Supports hundreds of Insteon devices • Technical support and feedback email link within the app
SofaBaton
Configure your physical remote control with this app. It connects via Bluetooth to access a vast database of IR codes for various home entertainment devices. Set up new devices, learn from original remotes, and create custom button assignments or macro sequences for simplified control.
- Bluetooth remote configuration
- IR code database access
- Device setup via online search
- Learning from original remotes
- Customizable button assignments
- Macro key sequence creation
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The app is used to set up and configurate the physical Sofabaton remote. The app uses Bluetooth signal to communicate with the Sofabaton remote control, giving access to the full database of IR code for home entertainment devices, such as TV's, SoundBar's, DVD's, etc. Devices can be set up by searching online IR code database or directly learning from original physical remotes. The app also gives you access to customizable functionalities such as assigning unique keys to certain buttons on the Sofabaton remote or creating macro key sequences so that you can enjoy the convenience of achieving certain activities by simply pressing one button. Features: -Online access to cloud-based database of Infrared Device -Universal search by device brand or type -Automatic setup on the Sofabaton remote using Bluetooth technology -Support both IR and Bluetooth remote protocol -Requires a Bluetooth Smart capable phone
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SofaBaton at 2.4 against Insteon for Hub's 2.1. SofaBaton also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (37% vs 21%). Insteon for Hub's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SofaBaton holds the better App Store score, 2.4 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 262 and 306 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of Insteon for Hub's written reviews are positive against 37% of SofaBaton's.
Insteon for Hub ships an update every 2 months, SofaBaton every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Insteon for Hub | SofaBaton |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (262 ratings) | 2.4 (306 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.6% of reviews | 36.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 262 | 306 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Insteon Technologies | HTT IMPORT AND EXPORT INC |
Customer experience
Insteon for Hub
SofaBaton
User reviews
Insteon for Hub
From 262 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works great
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 💡 Powerful home automation features
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- ⏱️ Slow and unresponsive
- 🔧 Poor customer support
- 💰 Expensive hardware and subscription
SofaBaton
From 306 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works well
- 🚀 Easy to set up
- 💡 Customizable buttons
- 🔒 Reliable connection
- 🔋 Long battery life
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 👎 Unintuitive interface
- 🔍 Incomplete device database
- 🔍 Difficult to program
- 🔍 Lacks advanced features
Bugs and requests
Insteon for Hub
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to connect to Insteon hub
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Incorrect device status and controls
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Advanced scheduling options
- Compatibility with more smart home devices
- Improved app design and user experience
- Seamless integration with voice assistants
SofaBaton
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes during setup
- Remote disconnects frequently
- Buttons not responsive
- Issues with firmware updates
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Backup and restore settings
- Improved device support
- Easier programming process
- More advanced macro functionality
In-app purchases
Insteon for Hub
No in-app purchases
SofaBaton
No in-app purchases









