Comparison

Google Home vs Control4 for OS 3

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

Control4 for OS 3

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a personal interface for your smart home. Control all connected devices, including lights, thermostats, security, and media, with a redesigned, personalized experience. Requires a Control4 Smart Home OS 3 system.

Highlights
  • Personalized user interface
  • Control lights, thermostats, security
  • Manage music and video
  • Access favorites and room-specific settings
  • Intuitive volume control
  • Customizable room wallpapers
Features
Read full description

This Control4 app is specifically designed to be used with Control4 Smart Homes running OS 3. It turns your iPhone or iPad into your personal user interface to control all your smart home devices. ------------ NOTE: Prior to using this app, your Control4 system must be updated to Control4 Smart Home OS 3 or later. If you are unsure of the software version on your system, check with your Control4 Dealer or login to your Control4 account at control4.com. ------------ Smart Home OS 3 was thoughtfully redesigned to make it more personal and the smart home OS of choice for families. It enables you to check on the status and control your entire smart home including music, video, lights, thermostats, security system, cameras, door locks, garage doors, pools, and much more. New features in OS 3 • Favorites give you fast access to the devices and sources that you use most • Quickly personalize the interface right from the app • Each room can have its own favorites for fast access to the things you use most • Hide icons that are less important, but easily access them through the room menu • Swipe between favorite rooms to quickly navigate around the home • Filtering lets you see all lights, locks and shades, or just those that are on, unlocked or open • All-new Active Media Bar shows what’s currently playing and gives you fast control of media • Easily adjust volume through a new, intuitive volume slider control • Background wallpapers for each room can now be easily changed right from the app Visit Control4.com to learn more, find a showroom near you, or find a independent professional integrator.

Screenshots

Google Home4 screens
Control4 for OS 34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Google Home at 4.6 against Control4 for OS 3's 3.1. Google Home also leads on ratings volume (1.4M vs 570) and chart position (#10 vs unranked). Control4 for OS 3's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

Google Home holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Home has 1.4M ratings behind it against 570, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 15% of Google Home's written reviews are positive against 22% of Control4 for OS 3's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Google Home ships an update weekly, Control4 for OS 3 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Google Home versus Control4 for OS 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle HomeControl4 for OS 3
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.4M ratings) — better3.1 (570 ratings)
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews22.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4M — better570
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
Best chart rank#10 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size606 MB207 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoogleSnap One, LLC

Customer experience

Google Home

All ratings1,369,034 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews4,153 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral8.6%
Negative76.0%

Control4 for OS 3

All ratings570 ratings
Positive46.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative45.8%
Written reviews273 reviews
Positive22.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative70.3%

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

Control4 for OS 3

From 570 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Responsive and fast
  • 🌟 Elegant and modern UI
  • 🔒 Robust security features
  • 👍 Customizable and personalized
  • 🎨 Improved visual design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • ⏱️ Slow load times and reconnections
  • 🔌 Unreliable connectivity
  • 🤖 Lacking integration with smart home platforms
  • 💰 Expensive and costly to maintain

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

Control4 for OS 3

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Intercom and doorbell issues
  • Thermostat controls not working as expected
  • Inability to connect to the system remotely
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • Unexpected app crashes and freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Apple Watch app support
  • Better integration with Apple ecosystem
  • Improved voice control and Alexa integration
  • More customization options for users
  • Faster and more responsive app performance

In-app purchases

None

Google Home

No in-app purchases

None

Control4 for OS 3

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Google Home free?
Google Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Control4 for OS 3 free?
Control4 for OS 3 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Google Home or Control4 for OS 3?
Google Home is rated higher. Google Home averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.4M ratings, while Control4 for OS 3 averages 3.1 from 570 ratings.
Do Google Home or Control4 for OS 3 have ads?
Google Home shows ads; Control4 for OS 3 does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Home or Control4 for OS 3?
Google Home ships an update weekly, and Control4 for OS 3 fortnightly. Most recently, Google Home was updated on September 24, 2026 and Control4 for OS 3 on September 23, 2026.

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