Hive vs SmartAlarm+2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
SmartAlarm+2
This app integrates CCTV and intrusion detection for comprehensive home or business security. Remotely view camera feeds, arm/disarm your system, and control various smart devices like gates, lights, and locks. Receive instant voice notifications for alarms and events, with secure cloud management.
- View multiple IP camera streams
- Arm and disarm security system
- Voice push notifications for alarms
- Control gates, lights, doors, sprinklers
- System status monitoring
- Unlock with Face ID or fingerprint
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The SmartAlarm+2 combines CCTV and Intrusion systems in one app, providing a total security solution for your home or business. SmartAlarm+2 allows you to: • View multiple streams of IP Cameras from Hikvision • Arm and disarm your security system • Receive voice push notifications in case of alarms and events • View the system status • Control up to 30 devices including: - Opening and closing your gates - Turning your lights on and off - Locking and unlocking your doors - Turning your sprinklers on and off • Notifications when your system is armed or disarmed • Get your system to tell you who has armed the system • Unlock the app by Face ID or fingerprint • And much more! These features can quickly and easily be setup and managed through the cloud, enabling you to rapidly benefit from controlling your security and CCTV systems from one app, anytime, anywhere using a secure connection. The system is further supported by 24/7 monitoring and alarm response by the Banham Alarm Receiving Centre.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Hive at fortnightly against SmartAlarm+2's every 8 months. Hive also leads on ratings volume (802 vs 22) and review sentiment (18% vs 0%). SmartAlarm+2's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.1). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SmartAlarm+2 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hive has 802 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 18% of Hive's written reviews are positive against 0% of SmartAlarm+2's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Hive ships an update fortnightly, SmartAlarm+2 every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hive | SmartAlarm+2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (802 ratings) | 4.6 (22 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 802 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 200 MB | 271 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Centrica Hive Limited | Pyronix Ltd. |
Customer experience
Hive
SmartAlarm+2
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
SmartAlarm+2
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hive
No in-app purchases
SmartAlarm+2
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hive free?
Is SmartAlarm+2 free?
Which has better reviews, Hive or SmartAlarm+2?
Do Hive or SmartAlarm+2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hive or SmartAlarm+2?
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