Comparison

Google Home vs SmartThings

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

Head to head
About

Google Home

Manage your smart home devices and stay updated on home activity. Easily control devices with voice commands and view live camera feeds. Organize your home into custom dashboards for quick access.

Highlights
  • Home status overview
  • Device grouping into dashboards
  • Live camera view and history
  • Voice control with Gemini for Home
  • Streamlined settings navigation
Currently charting
Read full description

The Google Home app helps you get the most out of Gemini for Home. See your home at a glance The Google Home app is designed to show you the status of your home and keep you up to date with what you may have missed. Keep up with what’s important Updated design and streamlined organization help you group your devices into dashboards and easily navigate your settings. Plus you can check in on your home anytime. Scan camera events quickly The camera live view and history interface makes it easier than ever to see what happened. Search or ask your home Control your home in a brand new way. Just say what you want your devices to do with Gemini for Home. * Some products and features may not be available in all regions. Compatible devices required.

About

SmartThings

Unify and manage all your smart home devices from a single application. Connect hundreds of brands, create custom scenes and routines, and control your home remotely. Monitor energy usage and even get meal planning assistance.

Highlights
  • Connect and control devices from multiple brands
  • Create custom scenes and routines
  • Remote home monitoring and control
  • Automated notifications and status updates
  • Voice control with Google Assistant
  • Energy tracking and saving features
  • Smart cooking and meal planning assistance
Features
Read full description

Quickly and easily connect and control your smart home devices through SmartThings. SmartThings is compatible with 100s of smart home brands. So, you can control all of your smart home gadgets in one place, including your Samsung Smart TV and smart home appliances. With SmartThings, you can connect, monitor and control multiple smart home devices quicker and easier. Connect your Samsung smart TVs, smart appliances, smart speakers and brands like Ring, Nest and Philips Hue - all from one app. Then control your smart devices using voice assistants including Google Assistant [Key Features] - Control and check in on your home from wherever you are - Connect your smart devices across many different brands to work together by setting ‘scenes’ - Build routines that are set on time, weather, and device status, so your home runs smoothly in the background - Allow shared control by giving access to other users - Receive status updates about your devices with automated notifications - Talk to your devices using Google Assistant - Track, monitor and save money on energy with SmartThings Energy. See how much your home and compatible Samsung devices cost to run, and try various energy saving features, such as AI saving mode, or schedule devices to run during off peak hours. - Receive recipe recommendations by scanning meal kits, wine, and meat. Plan, shop and prep meals with the help of SmartThings Cooking ※ Some features may not be available in all countries. [App requirements] Some mobile devices may not be supported. - iOS 17.0 or later / iPhone XR or later / iPad 6 or later ※ App permissions The following permissions are required for the app service. For optional permissions, the default functionality of the service is turned on, but not allowed. [Optional access permissions] • Apple Health : Used to sync with Apple Health data to give you better Family Care insights • Apple Music : Used to read music album information • Bluetooth : Used to scan for nearby devices using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) • Camera: Used to scan QR codes so you can easily add members and devices to SmartThings • Contacts : Used to get phone numbers of your contacts to send text message notifications • Location : Used to locate your devices, create routines based on your location, and scan for nearby devices using Wi-Fi • Local Network : Used to find Wi-Fi connected devices • Microphone: Used to add certain devices to SmartThings using high-frequency sounds • Notification : Used to provide notifications about SmartThings devices and features • NFC : Used to check information about devices that you intend to connect • Photos : Used to play photos and videos on SmartThings devices • Voice recognition : Used to convert voice to text

Screenshots

Google Home4 screens
SmartThings4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SmartThings at none against Google Home's shown. SmartThings also leads on review sentiment (31% vs 15%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Google Home's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. 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 — 4.6 for Google Home against 4.6 for SmartThings. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.4M and 809K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 15% of Google Home's written reviews are positive against 31% of SmartThings's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Google Home ships an update weekly, SmartThings monthly. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Google Home versus SmartThings: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle HomeSmartThings
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.4M ratings)4.6 (809K ratings)
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews31.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4M — better809K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
Best chart rank#9#5 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.417.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size606 MB961 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGoogleSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Google Home

All ratings1,369,034 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews4,216 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral8.6%
Negative76.0%

SmartThings

All ratings808,682 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews7,398 reviews
Positive31.0%
Neutral6.4%
Negative62.6%

User reviews

Google Home

From 1.4M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent camera quality
  • 👍 Secure home monitoring
  • 🚀 Reliable notifications

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent disconnections
  • 🐛 Buggy app performance
  • 👎 Lacking advanced features
  • 👎 Unintuitive user interface

SmartThings

From 809K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Remote control functionality
  • 📚 Laundry cycle recommendations
  • 🤖 Automation and scheduling capabilities
  • 🔧 Customizable settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent disconnections and crashes
  • ⏱️ Slow and laggy performance
  • 🔍 Difficulty connecting and configuring devices
  • 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive user interface
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with location tracking

Bugs and requests

Google Home

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to remove 'ghost' devices
  • Inconsistent connectivity between app and devices
  • Unreliable motion detection

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to customize notification settings
  • Integration with more smart home devices
  • Improved video history browsing

SmartThings

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to add or remove devices
  • Inconsistent device status updates
  • Notifications not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to control TV without remote
  • Improved photo/artwork management for Frame TV
  • More advanced automation and scheduling options
  • Better integration with other smart home platforms

In-app purchases

None

Google Home

No in-app purchases

None

SmartThings

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Google Home free?
Google Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SmartThings free?
SmartThings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Google Home or SmartThings?
Google Home and SmartThings are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.4M and 809K ratings respectively.
Do Google Home or SmartThings have ads?
Google Home shows ads; SmartThings does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Home or SmartThings?
Google Home ships an update weekly, and SmartThings monthly. Most recently, Google Home was updated on September 26, 2026 and SmartThings on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Google Home or SmartThings?
Google Home currently peaks at #9 in the App Store charts, and SmartThings at #5. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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