Comparison

RainMachine vs ALLIANCE bt

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

ALLIANCE bt

Control smart lighting with features like dimming, grouping, and tunable white options. Create custom scenes and default colors for personalized ambiance. Securely manage your lamps within easy-to-use networks.

Highlights
  • Dimming and grouping
  • Tunable white (2700K-4000K)
  • RGB color selection
  • Custom scene creation
  • Custom default colors
  • Secured network management
Features
Read full description

Features include: dimming and grouping, tunable white options between 2700K to 4000K and RGB color selection. User can create custom scenes and custom default colors. Lamps can be put into easy to manage secured networks.

Screenshots

RainMachine4 screens
ALLIANCE bt4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ALLIANCE bt at none against RainMachine's 1. ALLIANCE bt also leads on rating (2.1 vs 1.8) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). RainMachine's advantage is ratings volume (613 vs 79). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. ALLIANCE bt asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ALLIANCE bt holds the better App Store score, 2.1 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RainMachine has 613 ratings behind it against 79, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 14% of RainMachine's written reviews are positive against 9% of ALLIANCE bt's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RainMachine ships an update monthly, ALLIANCE bt every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
RainMachine versus ALLIANCE bt: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRainMachineALLIANCE bt
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (613 ratings)2.1 (79 ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.3% of reviews — better9.1% of reviews
Number of ratings613 — better79
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRainMachine凯 陈

Customer experience

RainMachine

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

ALLIANCE bt

All ratings68 ratings
Positive20.6%
Neutral4.4%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive9.1%
Neutral6.1%
Negative84.8%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RainMachine

Subscriptions1
  • RainMachine Premium$29.991 Year
None

ALLIANCE bt

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RainMachine free?
RainMachine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ALLIANCE bt free?
ALLIANCE bt is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RainMachine or ALLIANCE bt?
ALLIANCE bt is rated higher. RainMachine averages 1.8 out of 5 from 613 ratings, while ALLIANCE bt averages 2.1 from 79 ratings.
Do RainMachine or ALLIANCE bt have ads?
Neither RainMachine nor ALLIANCE bt shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RainMachine or ALLIANCE bt?
RainMachine ships an update monthly, and ALLIANCE bt every 2 months. Most recently, RainMachine was updated on September 19, 2026 and ALLIANCE bt on August 3, 2026.

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