Comparison

RainMachine vs TailWind Smart

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

Head to head
About

RainMachine

Control your smart sprinkler system from your iPhone or iPad. Dynamically adjust watering schedules based on local weather data to save water and maintain a healthy garden. Manage zones, set restrictions, and snooze or pause watering remotely.

Highlights
  • Cloud independent smart sprinkler control
  • Dynamic weather-based watering schedules
  • Remote access and control
  • Water saving technology
  • Zone and program management
  • Snooze and pause watering
Features
Read full description

Say hello to the RainMachine - the Cloud Independent Smart Wi-Fi Forecast Sprinkler. There are no fees associated with using the RainMachine device or the RainMachine iOS app. RainMachine Premium Services is an entirely optional service that improves the experience of accessing the device remotely through our RainMachine Cloud Servers. The same features are available without Premium Services subscription and remote access can be configured through Direct-Access (Port Forwarding). The RainMachine iOS app connects your iPhone/iPad to your RainMachine hardware and allows you to control and adjust your watering cycles, change zones and program properties, set restriction, enable weather services, snooze device or pause watering. RainMachine app allows you to interact with your garden when at home and remotely from anywhere. SAVES WATER You bet. Allow billion dollar weather satellites to dynamically adjust your watering schedule, while maintaining a healthy garden. Free, accurate and local weather data using technology already paid for. Your tax money at work! REMOTE ACCESS Control, adjust and supervise all your garden irrigation from the palm of your hand. Intuitive user interface allows you to change all watering properties. Remote Access through the RainMachine Cloud Servers requires yearly Premium Services subscription, but remote access through your own internet router Direct Access (Port Forwarding) feature is free and does not require cloud servers access or any subscription. REQUIREMENTS: RainMachine iOS app requires the RainMachine sprinkler controller device available at rainmachine.com Note: Some features may be available only for RainMachine devices sold starting 2015.

About

TailWind Smart

Automate your garage door with smart technology. This app allows you to remotely open, close, and check the status of your garage doors. It can also automatically open as you arrive and close as you leave, enhancing security and convenience.

Highlights
  • Automatic opening and closing
  • Remote control from anywhere
  • Vehicle detection for specific door opening
  • Customizable alerts and schedules
  • Activity history log
  • Unlimited user access
Features
Read full description

Don’t just open your garage door with your smartphone. Automate it. Tailwind can close your garage door as you leave, open it when you arrive – all automatically. No buttons. No keypads. Just drive. The Tailwind app allows you to open, close, or check the status of your garage doors from anywhere using your mobile device, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and our iQ3 smart garage door controller (purchased separately). Check out the list of things you can do with Tailwind: Automatically open the door as you approach Automatically close the door as you leave (if you forget to close it) Detect which vehicle you’re driving so it knows which door to open or close (can even work with motorcycles, ATVs, etc)* Automatically close all your garage doors at night, even if someone opens them again! Receive customize alerts telling you who opened the garage door and when See a history log of all activity for the last 30 days Create alert schedules so you only receive alerts at certain times of the day Unlimited users * may require optional Tailwind Vehicle Sensor

Screenshots

RainMachine4 screens
TailWind Smart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TailWind Smart at 3.4 against RainMachine's 1.8. TailWind Smart also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 14%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). RainMachine's advantage is ratings volume (613 vs 89) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. RainMachine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year. TailWind Smart asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TailWind Smart holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RainMachine has 613 ratings behind it against 89, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of RainMachine's written reviews are positive against 52% of TailWind Smart's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RainMachine ships an update monthly, TailWind Smart every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 19, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
RainMachine versus TailWind Smart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRainMachineTailWind Smart
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (613 ratings)3.4 (89 ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.3% of reviews51.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings613 — better89
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB124 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRainMachine1931085 Ontario Ltd

Customer experience

RainMachine

All ratings613 ratings
Positive18.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative79.0%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral6.5%
Negative79.2%

TailWind Smart

All ratings89 ratings
Positive56.2%
Neutral10.1%
Negative33.7%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive51.8%
Neutral8.9%
Negative39.3%

Bugs and requests

RainMachine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

TailWind Smart

Reported bugs

34 issues
  • Cannot enable Bluetooth during setup
  • Location services need manual enabling
  • App prompts to download unavailable update
  • Auto open no longer works
  • App can't diagnose or update firmware
Show 29 more
  • App no longer allows adding a vehicle
  • App always signed out after update
  • Location triggers rarely work
  • Update broke auto-close
  • Settings changed to auto-close unexpectedly
  • iOS widgets no longer work
  • Frequently signed out and have to re-authenticate
  • Garage doors deleted from app after sign-out
  • Unable to close door, shows 'lockout'
  • Clicking on one door opens/closes the other
  • Massive battery drain for iOS users
  • Auto open/close feature works sporadically for iPhone users
  • App is buggy
  • Garage door shows up sometimes, sometimes not
  • Vehicle shows up sometimes, sometimes not
  • Garage door shows as 'null'
  • Notifications about turning sensor off/on incorrectly displayed
  • Horrible battery drain
  • Background battery drain issue
  • Auto open/close doesn't always work on iPhones
  • Auto open feature through IFTTT no longer works after iOS 13
  • App crashes on iPad when clicking login
  • Consistent backgrounding problem, requires app kill to connect
  • Logs out user, password reset fails
  • Registration of email didn't work
  • App testing severely lacking
  • Signs you out all the time at random
  • IFTTT integration doesn't work with Apple
  • App can't use Bluetooth from iPhone but can with Android

Requested features

8 requests
  • Clearer setup flow with firmware update check
  • Documentation matching latest UX
  • HomeKit integration release
  • Siri Shortcuts improvement
  • Watch face complication for watch app
Show 3 more
  • Disable notifications while home using location services
  • Manage 'admin' settings
  • Fix iPad crash on login

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RainMachine

Subscriptions1
  • RainMachine Premium$29.991 Year
None

TailWind Smart

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RainMachine free?
RainMachine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TailWind Smart free?
TailWind Smart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RainMachine or TailWind Smart?
TailWind Smart is rated higher. RainMachine averages 1.8 out of 5 from 613 ratings, while TailWind Smart averages 3.4 from 89 ratings.
Do RainMachine or TailWind Smart have ads?
Neither RainMachine nor TailWind Smart shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RainMachine or TailWind Smart?
RainMachine ships an update monthly, and TailWind Smart every 5 weeks. Most recently, RainMachine was updated on September 19, 2026 and TailWind Smart on September 19, 2026.

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