Comparison

Hive vs Nearcut

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

Head to head
About

Hive

Control your home's energy usage, from heating and EV charging to lighting and solar power, all from your smartphone. Save money and reduce your carbon footprint with smart scheduling, real-time tracking, and personalized insights.

Highlights
  • Smart heating control
  • EV charging management
  • Smart lighting and plugs
  • Solar energy generation and storage
  • Energy usage tracking and budgeting
  • Personalized dashboard
  • Smart actions and scheduling
Features
Read full description

SAVE MONEY AND ENERGY WITH HIVE From smart heating to EV charging and so much more, Hive makes it easy to cut costs and carbon – all from your smartphone. Already trusted by more than 2 million customers, our clever technology is changing the way homes use, store and generate energy for the better. So we can get Britain living more sustainably every day. INTRODUCING THE NEW HIVE APP Our better-than-ever app has even more features to make saving energy easier – all based on feedback from real Hive users. • Personalise your dashboard to show your most-used devices first for quicker control. • Track budgets, check your history and discover more ways to save with Trends. • Switch on your devices, set smart actions and control it all from the dashboard.   HIVE THERMOSTATS • Get everything you need to take control of your heating with the best-selling Hive Thermostat - or choose the Hive Thermostat Mini for all the benefits at an even more affordable price. • Set energy-saving schedules, boost the temperature and get alerts if you’ve accidentally left the heating on. • Save energy and protect your heating system with built-in features like Frost Protection and Holiday Mode. • Boost your control with smart Hive Radiator Valves and save by never heating a room you’re not using. • Upgrade to Hive Heating Plus for even more ways to save, including insight tools, budget tracking and personalised recommendations.   HIVE EV CHARGING • Make the switch to EV easier with Hive EV Charging, including a smart home charger, installation by British Gas and simple control via the Hive app. • Pair it with any British Gas electricity tariff to access SmartCharge – our revolutionary scheduling tool that automatically charges at the greenest and cheapest times. Then, get any money you’ve saved credited on your next bill. • Or if you’re a new customer, get exclusive access to FreeCharge for a year of free charging on us! • See how much you’re spending in the Hive app and get real-time updates when your car’s ready to go.   HIVE LIGHTS, SENSORS & PLUGS • Set the mood with a swipe and get light where you need it with our ultra-efficient bulbs. • Monitor power-hungry appliances with smart plugs, so you can see how much energy you’re using at any time. • Link your whole smart home together with Motion Sensors and get it saving energy without lifting a finger.   *NEW* HIVE SOLAR • Get everything you need to power your home with greener, renewable energy, including solar panels, home battery, expert installation and full app control. • Generate free green energy from the sun, store what you don’t use with a solar battery and sell any you don’t need back to the grid. • Pair it with the Hive Solar Saver tariff from British Gas and save hundreds on your energy bills. Discover more at hivehome.com

About

Nearcut

Discover barbershops nearby and easily schedule your next haircut. Browse available slots and book appointments directly through the app.

Highlights
  • Find nearby barbers
  • Book appointments
  • View available slots
  • Schedule haircuts
Features
Read full description

Find your nearest barber and book an appointment!

Screenshots

Hive4 screens
Nearcut4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nearcut at 81% against Hive's 18%. Nearcut also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (42K vs 811). Hive's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months). On price, ads, 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

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

Nearcut holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nearcut has 42K ratings behind it against 811, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Hive's written reviews are positive against 81% of Nearcut's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hive ships an update fortnightly, Nearcut every 9 months. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hive versus Nearcut: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHiveNearcut
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (811 ratings)4.9 (42K ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.4% of reviews80.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings81142K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.114.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size200 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCentrica Hive LimitedNearcut Ltd

Customer experience

Hive

All ratings802 ratings
Positive79.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative15.7%
Written reviews1,929 reviews
Positive18.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative71.2%

Nearcut

All ratings35 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative15.0%

User reviews

Hive

From 811 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🔒 Secure system
  • 👍 Convenient remote control
  • 👍 Integrates well with Alexa and Google

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Unreliable app performance
  • 🐛 Scheduling problems
  • 🔋 High battery drain on devices
  • 👎 Paywall for basic features

Nearcut

From 42K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use booking system
  • 👍 Convenient appointment booking
  • 👍 Saves waiting time
  • 👍 Professional haircuts
  • 👍 Friendly barbers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Login issues
  • 🐛 Password problems
  • 🐛 Email not recognized
  • 🐛 App not working properly
  • 🐛 Multiple accounts needed per barber

Bugs and requests

Hive

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Devices randomly going offline
  • Heating/cooling schedules not working as expected
  • Camera live view and recordings not functioning properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More granular scheduling controls
  • Better integration with smart home platforms
  • Improved camera functionality and recording

Nearcut

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Circle of doom when logging in
  • App loses login details
  • Email not recognized after registration
  • App keeps asking for password
  • App sticks on one barber
Show 8 more
  • Reminder sent after cancellation period
  • App doesn't work properly
  • Password reset fails
  • Saving password issues
  • App not updated for years
  • Constant login issues
  • App not recognizing password after reset
  • App support unresponsive

Requested features

7 requests
  • SMS reminders instead of email
  • Option to add appointments to phone calendar
  • Single login for all barbers
  • UI upgrade
  • Better security for payments (e.g., Apple Pay, Mastercard SecureCode)
Show 2 more
  • Sync passwords across barbers
  • Improved notification system for barbers

In-app purchases

None

Hive

No in-app purchases

None

Nearcut

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hive free?
Hive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nearcut free?
Nearcut is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hive or Nearcut?
Nearcut is rated higher. Hive averages 4.2 out of 5 from 811 ratings, while Nearcut averages 4.9 from 42K ratings.
Do Hive or Nearcut have ads?
Neither Hive nor Nearcut shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hive or Nearcut?
Hive ships an update fortnightly, and Nearcut every 9 months. Most recently, Hive was updated on October 25, 2026 and Nearcut on October 25, 2026.

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