RainMachine vs ALLIANCE bt
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- Dimming and grouping
- Tunable white (2700K-4000K)
- RGB color selection
- Custom scene creation
- Custom default colors
- Secured network management
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
RainMachine ships an update monthly, ALLIANCE bt every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RainMachine | ALLIANCE bt |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (613 ratings) | 2.1 (79 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews — better | 9.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 613 — better | 79 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — 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 | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RainMachine | 凯 陈 |
Customer experience
RainMachine
ALLIANCE bt
In-app purchases
RainMachine
- RainMachine Premium$29.991 Year
ALLIANCE bt
No in-app purchases








