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.
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.
- Home status overview
- Device grouping into dashboards
- Live camera view and history
- Voice control with Gemini for Home
- Streamlined settings navigation
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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.
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.
- Personalized user interface
- Control lights, thermostats, security
- Manage music and video
- Access favorites and room-specific settings
- Intuitive volume control
- Customizable room wallpapers
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Google Home | Control4 for OS 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.4M ratings) — better | 3.1 (570 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 15.4% of reviews | 22.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.4M — better | 570 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #10 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 606 MB | 207 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Snap One, LLC | |
Customer experience
Google Home
Control4 for OS 3
User reviews
Google Home
From 1.4M App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Google Home
No in-app purchases
Control4 for OS 3
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Google Home free?
Is Control4 for OS 3 free?
Which has better reviews, Google Home or Control4 for OS 3?
Do Google Home or Control4 for OS 3 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Google Home or Control4 for OS 3?
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