Comparison

Google Home vs Control4 for OS 2

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 2

Transform your smart home devices into a unified command center. Control audio, video, lighting, climate, security, and more from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Access your system remotely with an optional subscription.

Highlights
  • Smart home control center
  • Audio and video management
  • Lighting control and scenes
  • Climate control
  • Security system monitoring
  • Remote access
  • Apple Watch integration
Read full description

The Control4 app turns your iPhone, Apple Watch, or iPad into the ultimate command center for your Control4 smart home automation system. ------------ PLEASE NOTE: Prior to using this app, you need a Control4 controller and automation system running Control4 OS 2.7.2 or later (2.10 recommended) at your home or business. If you are unsure of the software version on your system, please check with your Control4 dealer or login to your Control4 account at https://customer.control4.com for more information. ------------ On your iPhone and iPad, use the Control4 app and enjoy the convenience of controlling and viewing the status of your entire smart home, including audio, video, lights, thermostats, security system and cameras, door locks, sensors, pools, and much more. Quickly browse your own music collection or find a favorite track on streaming music services like Rhapsody--and listen in one room or across every room in your home. Adjust your lights with interactive dimmers or use a lighting scene as a single button press to control lights across multiple rooms. Fire up the heater on your pool or spa. Open garage doors or an electric gate, or use the app to unlock a deadbolt on a door. Connect to your system at home over your own Wi-Fi network. You can also use the app to access and manage your home from virtually anywhere in the world using 3G/4G or remote Wi-Fi networks when the app is enabled with a Control4 4Sight subscription. Highlighted Features on iPhone and iPad: • Audio playback and distribution • Video control and distribution • Lighting control and scene editing (scene editing is only available on the iPad) • Heating and air conditioning control • Security system management and camera viewing • Feedback from sensors and control through relays • Cover art for movies and music • Playlist management • Anywhere Access (4Sight subscription required, contact your dealer) Use your Apple Watch to quickly control the most often used features of your Control4 system, including: • Custom action buttons • Audio and video control • Temperature • Lighting (including scenes) • Door locks and garage doors. NOTE: Apple Watch support requires watchOS 2 or later and a Control4 controller and automation system running Control4 OS 2.8.1 or later at your home or business.

Screenshots

Google Home4 screens
Control4 for OS 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Google Home at 4.6 against Control4 for OS 2's 3.0. Google Home also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (1.4M vs 198). Control4 for OS 2's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, review sentiment 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 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Home has 1.4M ratings behind it against 198, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 15% of Google Home's written reviews are positive against 23% of Control4 for OS 2'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 2 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Google Home versus Control4 for OS 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle HomeControl4 for OS 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.4M ratings) — better3.0 (198 ratings)
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews22.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4M — better198
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
Best chart rank#11 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.413.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size606 MB255 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 2

All ratings198 ratings
Positive47.0%
Neutral6.6%
Negative46.5%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive22.7%
Neutral8.7%
Negative68.7%

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 2

From 198 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works perfectly
  • 🚀 High quality product
  • 🚀 Great app
  • 🚀 Solid release
  • 🚀 Awesome

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frustrating to use
  • 🐛 Laggy
  • 🐛 Terrible system
  • 🐛 Clunky and outdated
  • 🐛 Slow to connect

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 2

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Tunein stations not streaming
  • Insteon driver not working properly
  • Crashes when opening security cameras

Requested features

6 requests
  • When > then feature
  • Large volume button
  • Keyboard for searching
  • Apple Watch app
  • Dark mode
Show 1 more
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

In-app purchases

None

Google Home

No in-app purchases

None

Control4 for OS 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Google Home free?
Google Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Control4 for OS 2 free?
Control4 for OS 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Google Home or Control4 for OS 2?
Google Home is rated higher. Google Home averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.4M ratings, while Control4 for OS 2 averages 3.0 from 198 ratings.
Do Google Home or Control4 for OS 2 have ads?
Google Home shows ads; Control4 for OS 2 does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Home or Control4 for OS 2?
Google Home ships an update weekly, and Control4 for OS 2 every 2 months. Most recently, Google Home was updated on September 24, 2026 and Control4 for OS 2 on July 30, 2026.

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