Google Home vs TCL Home
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Google Home
Manage and monitor your smart home devices with this app. It provides a clear overview of your home's status, allows for easy device control through voice commands, and offers quick access to camera feeds and event history.
- Home status overview
- Device grouping and dashboards
- Voice control with Gemini for Home
- Camera live view and history
- 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.
TCL Home
Control and manage all your TCL smart devices from one app. Use your phone as a TV remote, cast media to your TV, and access exclusive content and support for TCL users.
- Smart TV remote control
- Media casting to TV
- Integrated smart home device management
- Exclusive TCL user content
- Customer support access
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TCL Home APP, your TCL Smart Hub. Manage your TCL smart devices anytime, anywhere. ● Smart TV TV Remote: Control the TV simply on your phone. Remote control, keyboard input and voice control are all supported. Media Cast: Larger screen, a better experience. Cast movies, pictures, videos and music on TV to build yourself a home theater. *This feature is available in the following countries, India, Australia, Brazil, France, the UK, Germany, and Italy. ● Smart Home The integrated control hub to get access to & control all your TCL smart devices, including TVs, air conditioners, soundbars, robot vacuums, air purifiers, and more. ● Explore & Have Fun Tips & tricks, rewarded quizzes, latest offers, and so on. There are diverse content & activities exclusive to TCL users. Join us, explore more & have fun! ● Service & Care Learn skills and find solutions when using your devices. Get instant access to customer support. We are always here to help! Enjoy the intelligent life with TCL Home APP. *Some features are only available in certain regions. For terms and conditions, please visit: https://www.tcl.com/global/en/legal/terms-and-conditions For privacy notice, please visit: https://www.tcl.com/global/en/legal/privacy-notice
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Google Home at 4.6 against TCL Home's 2.8. Google Home also leads on ratings volume (1.4M vs 20) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). TCL Home's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.4). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Home has 1.4M ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of Google Home's written reviews are positive against 13% of TCL Home's.
Google Home ships an update weekly, TCL Home every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Google Home | TCL Home |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.4M ratings) — better | 2.8 (20 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 15.8% of reviews — better | 13.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.4M — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #15 — better | #165 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 645 MB | 397 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Google LLC | Shenzhen TCL New Technology Co.,LTD. |
Customer experience
Google Home
TCL Home
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
TCL Home
From 20 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works great
- 👍 Convenient remote control
- 🚀 Flawless connectivity
- 👍 Easy setup
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🔒 Security concerns
- 👎 Difficult to use
- 👎 Terrible UI design
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
TCL Home
Reported bugs
6 issues- App freezes on login
- Unable to create account
- Verification code not received
- Devices not detected
- Remote control not working
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- Inconsistent app behavior
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved remote control functionality
- Better device compatibility
- Streamlined setup process
- Reliable connectivity
In-app purchases
Google Home
No in-app purchases
TCL Home
No in-app purchases
