Home Dashboard Setup vs NextExplorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Home Dashboard Setup
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Turn your Apple TV into a dashboard for your home, set up in minutes on your iPhone. Events, weather, lights, workouts and Sonos appear big on your TV. This app sets up Hemlu on Apple TV. You need both: get Hemlu from the App Store on your Apple TV and scan the QR code on screen. HOW TO SET UP 1. Open Hemlu on Apple TV 2. Scan the QR code with your iPhone 3. Connect calendars, weather location, Health and Sonos while the TV follows every step 4. Done: your dashboard is live YOUR DASHBOARD, YOUR STYLE • Live preview of your TV right on your iPhone • Arrange widgets for time, events, weather, fitness and Sonos • Pick a background: Light, Dark or Gradient • Accent color in blue, pink, green or orange • Show or hide pages SONOS ON YOUR TV • Connect your Sonos account and choose the default room for Apple TV • Create scenes like "Good Morning" or "Party": rooms, volume and music in one click • On Apple TV: playback, rooms, groups, volume, favorites, playlists, Night Sound and Speech Enhancement WHAT YOUR TV SHOWS • Weather: current conditions, hourly forecast, 7-day outlook with chance of rain, data from Apple Weather • Home: HomeKit lamps and plugs by room, switchable with the remote • Fitness: activity rings, trends and workouts with heart rate from the Health app, only with your permission • Events from the calendars you choose Hemlu was previously called Home Dashboard. Your settings stay as they are. PRIVATE No account with us, no server of our own, no ads. Events, locations, health data and device states stay between your devices and Apple, synced through your iCloud. Sonos control runs through your own Sonos account. REQUIREMENTS • Apple TV with tvOS 26 or later • iPhone with iOS 26 or later • The same Apple Account on Apple TV and iPhone • For Home: accessories in the Apple Home app • For Sonos: a Sonos account Questions or ideas? rw-apps.de/en/support
NextExplorer
Access and manage your self-hosted files privately and at native speeds. Browse, edit code, and share documents with robust search and offline capabilities. This client requires a separate server instance.
- Native file browsing with thumbnails
- Rich media previews and archive inspection
- Built-in code editor with syntax highlighting
- Full-text and name search
- Offline access with background sync
- Private, zero-tracking data transfer
- Link sharing and file management
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NextExplorer is the fast, native iOS client for your self-hosted NextExplorer server. Experience private, full-speed access to your files, photos, documents, and code, all hosted on your own infrastructure. Your server. Your data. Native speed. NOTE: NextExplorer requires an active NextExplorer server instance. It does not host files independently. NATIVE FILE BROWSING - Grid & List Views: Seamless navigation with server-generated thumbnails, breadcrumbs, and pull-to-refresh. - Rich Media Previews: Full-screen photo gallery with gesture support, inline video/audio players, and native PDF rendering. - Archive Inspection: Browse straight inside ZIP archives without extracting files. BUILT-IN CODE & TEXT EDITOR - Syntax Highlighting: Edit Swift, Python, JS/TS, Go, Rust, Java, HTML, CSS, JSON, YAML, Markdown, and more. - Fast Edits: Make quick changes to server files directly from your iPhone or iPad. POWERFUL SEARCH & ORGANIZATION - Full-Text & Name Search: Recursive searching across files with exact line-matching for content. - Instant Filtering: Filter search results by file type with a single tap. - Share & Manage: Create read-only or read-write link shares, manage favorites, upload, move, rename, and organize folders on the fly. OFFLINE & PRIVACY FIRST - Offline Access: Recently viewed folders and file lists remain accessible offline with automatic background sync when reconnected. - Zero Tracking: Your files transfer directly between your device and your server. No middleman, no telemetry. ACCESSIBLE & GLOBAL - Localized: Fully translated into 17 languages, including full Right-to-Left (RTL) support for Arabic. - iOS Native: Optimized for Dark Mode, Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, reduced motion, and high contrast settings. Run your own cloud. Keep your data yours.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Home Dashboard Setup at none against NextExplorer's 3. NextExplorer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. NextExplorer sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Home Dashboard Setup asks for nothing beyond the download.
Home Dashboard Setup ships an update every 3 weeks, NextExplorer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Home Dashboard Setup | NextExplorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 136 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rico Weigand | Phillip Maizza |
In-app purchases
Home Dashboard Setup
No in-app purchases
NextExplorer
- Coffee$0.99
- Cake$2.99
- Generous$4.99
Questions
Is Home Dashboard Setup free?
Is NextExplorer free?
Do Home Dashboard Setup or NextExplorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Home Dashboard Setup or NextExplorer?
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