Comparison

Shellbee vs Haven

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

Head to head
About

Shellbee

Control and configure your Zigbee devices directly from your mobile device. Monitor network health, manage device settings, and update firmware with a native, cloud-free experience. Requires a running Zigbee2MQTT server.

Highlights
  • Real-time network map
  • Device control and configuration
  • Firmware updates with Live Activities
  • Multi-bridge support
  • Customizable Home screen
  • Offline device documentation
Features
Read full description

Your Zigbee network, in your pocket and on your iPad. Shellbee is a native app for Zigbee2MQTT. It connects straight to your bridge and gives you a fast, Apple-native way to watch, control and configure every device, with no cloud in between. REQUIRES A ZIGBEE2MQTT SERVER Shellbee is a client app. You need your own running Zigbee2MQTT instance and an access token. Local and remote setups both work. SEE EVERYTHING AT A GLANCE • A Home screen built from cards you choose and order: Bridge Health, Network, Link Quality, Batteries, Vendors and Activity. • Needs attention shows offline devices, low batteries and weak signal before you go looking. • A live Network Map of your whole mesh, with scan progress, filters and quick look (iPad). • An Activity Center that shows what your devices are doing as it happens. CONTROL AND CONFIGURE • Controls are generated from each device's Zigbee2MQTT exposes: lights, switches, covers, fans, locks, climate and sensors. • Every setting is grouped the same way on every device, using Zigbee2MQTT's own names. • Groups and scenes: browse, edit members, rename, drag devices in. • Favorites, filters and one search across devices, groups and the device library. • Bridge settings for MQTT, serial, network, OTA, logging, availability, Home Assistant and more. PAIR AND UPDATE WITH CONFIDENCE • Permit join and a step-by-step pairing guide with live progress. • Firmware updates with progress in Live Activities on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. • Offline device documentation for how to pair and what each device can do. MORE THAN ONE BRIDGE Connect several bridges at once and see them side by side. Each has its own colour and initial, and single-bridge users see nothing extra. MADE FOR IPHONE AND IPAD • Full iPad workspace with a sidebar, details side by side and extra windows. • Six colour themes: Standard, Honey, Meadow, Harbor, Lavender and Ember. • Real-time WebSocket connection over ws:// or wss://, with Bonjour discovery for .local hosts. • Built in SwiftUI with Live Activities, so it feels fast and native, not like a wrapped web page. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Talks only to the bridge you choose. No ads, no tracking, no analytics and no developer server. • Access tokens are stored in the iOS Keychain. • Crash reporting is optional and off by default. Nothing is sent unless you say so, and reports never include your bridge address, token or device names. OPEN SOURCE Shellbee is licensed under AGPL v3, with the source on GitHub.

About

Haven

A fast, privacy-focused native iOS client for Home Assistant. It connects directly to your instances for seamless control of smart home devices, featuring live camera streaming and real-time dashboard synchronization.

Highlights
  • Native speed and polish
  • Live camera streaming
  • Real-time Lovelace dashboards
  • Multi-server management
  • Quick actions and deep linking
  • 100% private and local
Features
Read full description

Haven is a fast, beautifully designed, and privacy-focused native iOS client for Home Assistant. Built from the ground up in Swift and SwiftUI, Haven connects directly to your Home Assistant instances with zero middleman servers. KEY FEATURES: • Native Speed & Polish: Fluid SwiftUI animations, adaptive responsive layouts, and modern iOS typography. • Live WebRTC & HLS Camera Streaming: Zero-latency camera feeds for Google Nest, go2rtc, and RTSP cameras with picture-in-picture and full-screen controls. • Real-time Lovelace Dashboards: Full support for custom Lovelace cards, tile cards, entity grids, climate gauges, and media players with instant WebSocket synchronization. • Multi-Server Management: Connect to multiple Home Assistant servers simultaneously and switch seamlessly. • Quick Actions & Deep Linking: Control favorite entities and access server dashboards directly from the Home Screen. • 100% Private & Local: No tracking, no analytics, no third-party telemetry. All credentials stay securely stored in your device's Apple Keychain. REQUIREMENTS: • An active Home Assistant instance (Core, Supervised, Container, or OS). • Works over local Wi-Fi, Tailscale, WireGuard, Nabu Casa (Home Assistant Cloud), or reverse proxies.

Screenshots

Shellbee4 screens
Haven4 screens

Verdict

The call

Shellbee and Haven are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Shellbee against 5.0 for Haven. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Shellbee versus Haven: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellbeeHaven
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysEvery 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenneth BergJOHAN M BILIEN

Customer experience

Shellbee

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Haven

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Shellbee

No in-app purchases

None

Haven

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shellbee free?
Shellbee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Haven free?
Haven is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shellbee or Haven?
Shellbee and Haven are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Shellbee or Haven have ads?
Neither Shellbee nor Haven shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shellbee or Haven?
Shellbee ships an update every 2 days, and Haven every 2 days. Most recently, Shellbee was updated on October 31, 2026 and Haven on October 31, 2026.

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