Comparison

openHAB vs Scribe by FTech

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

Head to head
About

openHAB

This app acts as a companion to an open-source home automation system, allowing users to control and integrate various smart home devices. It offers remote access, enhanced notifications, and a customizable interface for managing your smart home ecosystem.

Highlights
  • Seamless integration with openHAB UI
  • Remote control via openHAB Cloud
  • Enhanced push notifications
  • Apple Watch companion app
  • Natively supports iPhone and iPad
  • Connects to over 3000 devices
Features
Read full description

The official companion application for openHAB - an open source home automation system. The open Home Automation Bus (openHAB) project aims at providing a universal integration platform for connecting home automation technologies into a single intelligent system. With more than 3000 things that openHAB can connect to, there’s virtually nothing that can’t be integrated. Its advanced rules based architecture allows complete automation using several popular scripting languages (Java Script, Ruby, Python, Java, RDSL, and more ) as well as visual rule designers using either drag and drop interfaces or simple “If / Then” forms. The new openHAB UI allows users to easily build beautiful interfaces customized to their needs. openHAB is designed to be absolutely vendor-neutral as well as hardware/protocol-agnostic. Key Features: * Integrates seamlessly with your own openHAB UI (Main UI or sitemaps) * Control everything on your openHAB server directly or remotely through the free openHAB Cloud service (https://myopenhab.org) * Enhanced push notifications with media from openHAB Cloud and the openHAB cloud binding * Apple Watch companion app * Natively supports both iPhone and iPad Make openHAB the central integration and control point of your Smart Home. You will find openHAB at http://www.openhab.org/ openHAB has over 450 add-ons, supporting over 3000 things, some of which include: Aiphone, Amazon Dash Button, Amazon Echo Control, AmpliFi, AndroidTV, Anker, Apple HomeKit, Arlo, August, Belkin, Blink, Bosch Smart Home, Bose SoundTouch, Brinks, Chamberlain, Chromecast, Cree, D-Link, Daikin, Denon / Marantz, Dynaudio, Ecobee, Electrolux, Eero, Fibaro, Foscam, Freebox, Gardena, Google Home, Hisense, Honeywell, Honeywell Home, Hue, iRobot, JBL, Jablotron Alarm, Kaleidescape, Kenwood, KNX, Kodi, Kuka, Kwikset, LIFX, LG, Linksys, Logitech, Lutron, Matter, Miele Cloud, Miele@home, Moen, Nanoleaf, Neato, Netatmo, Nest, Nortek, Nuki, Osram, Philips Hue, Pioneer, Plex, Powermax, Rako, Ring, Ring Alarm, Roku, Samsung Smartthings, Sennheiser, Sensibo, Shelly, Siemens, SimpliSafe, Smarthome, Smartmeter, Smartthings, Sonos, Sony, Spotify, Squeezebox, Tado, Technics, Tesla, TP-Link Smart Home, TRÅDFRI, Unifi, Velux, Vera, Verisure, Vizio, Volumio, Wemo, Whirlpool, Wink, Xiaomi, Yamaha Musiccast, Yamaha Receiver, Yeelight, Zigbee, Z-Wave and 400 more popular technologies….

About

Scribe by FTech

Features
Read full description

Scribe by FTech is now available with major new features: New Real-Time Transcription Mode Transcribe audio directly from your microphone in real time. Perfect for live interviews, meetings, and voice memos. Enhanced Speaker Diarization Improved speaker separation and identification with 95% accuracy. Get cleaner, more organized transcripts with multiple speakers. Apple Intelligence Integration Leverage Apple Intelligence for intelligent summaries, key point extraction, and content analysis directly on your device. Multiple AI Provider Support Connect with OpenAI GPT, local LLMs, or corporate AI solutions for custom analysis and processing workflows. Improved Mobile Interface Redesigned for iPhone and iPad with optimized touch controls, split-view support, and Apple Pencil integration. File Import from Cloud Services Easily import audio files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and other cloud storage providers. Export to Multiple Formats Export transcripts as Markdown, plain text, or JSON for easy integration with your workflow. New Templates System Create custom templates for interviews, meetings, lectures, and more to automate your transcription workflow. Privacy-First Architecture All processing happens on-device. Your recordings never leave your iPhone or iPad. 55 minutes free-tier, more on subscription.

Screenshots

openHAB4 screens
Scribe by FTech4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: openHAB at none against Scribe by FTech's 2. openHAB also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). 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. Scribe by FTech sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. openHAB asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

openHAB ships an update every 3 weeks, Scribe by FTech every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
openHAB versus Scribe by FTech: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteropenHABScribe by FTech
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperopenHAB Foundation e.V.FTECH, MCHJ

In-app purchases

None

openHAB

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Scribe by FTech

Subscriptions2
  • Scribe by FTech$9.991 Month
  • Scribe by FTech$79.991 Year

Questions

Is openHAB free?
openHAB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scribe by FTech free?
Scribe by FTech is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do openHAB or Scribe by FTech have ads?
Neither openHAB nor Scribe by FTech shows ads.
Which is updated more often, openHAB or Scribe by FTech?
openHAB ships an update every 3 weeks, and Scribe by FTech every 2 weeks. Most recently, openHAB was updated on October 23, 2026 and Scribe by FTech on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons