Hive vs Sky Smart Home
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
Sky Smart Home
This app offers a smart approach to home insurance, integrating devices and services into a single platform. Monitor your home remotely with live camera feeds, receive alerts from sensors, and manage your insurance needs conveniently.
- Live HD camera feed
- Video doorbell alerts and communication
- Motion and contact sensor monitoring
- Leak detection alerts
- Automatic arming for home security
- Secure cloud video storage
- In-app customer support
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Welcome to Sky Smart Home, where you can feel close to home while you’re away. Watch all the action from your front door, live, and get everything you need in one simple package. Your privacy? Protected. Your clips? Secured. Your questions? Answered. And you’ll be set up before you know it, with step-by-step instructions in the Sky Smart Home app. What can I do in the Sky Smart Home app? Quick hello: Answer the door, even when you’re out. See it live: See all the moments from your front door, in crystal-clear HD. Saved for later: Your videos stay in the Cloud for 30 days. Worth sharing: Save clips and share them with anyone. Don’t have Sky Smart Home yet? Head to Sky.com to find out more.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Hive at 785 against Sky Smart Home's 2. Hive also leads on rating (4.2 vs 4.0) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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.
Hive holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hive has 785 ratings behind it against 2, 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 13% of Sky Smart Home's.
Hive ships an update every 3 weeks, Sky Smart Home monthly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Hive | Sky Smart Home |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (785 ratings) — better | 4.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 18.4% of reviews — better | 13.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 785 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 197 MB | 165 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Centrica Hive Limited | Sky UK Limited |
Customer experience
Hive
Sky Smart Home
User reviews
Hive
From 785 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Sky Smart Home
From 2 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy setup process for most users
- 💰 Good value for money/insurance bundling
- 📷 Decent video quality when working
- 🔋 Improved battery life compared to Ring (some users)
- 🌐 Works well on WiFi and remote 4G/5G connections
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent disconnection issues from network
- 🔋 Poor doorbell battery life (2-5 days)
- ⏱️ Significant lag when viewing live feed
- 📱 App constantly logs users out
- 🔌 Weak WiFi signal range and connectivity
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
Sky Smart Home
Reported bugs
15 issues- Error 401 code preventing app access
- Login access denied without password entry option
- Firmware update failures rendering app unusable
- App won't open - constant error messages
- Camera stuck on pink screen during setup
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Indoor camera won't connect to WiFi
- Doorbell won't update firmware
- Auto-arm function not working after updates
- Video playback shows black screen despite stored footage
- Motion detection alerts but no recording
- App loses connection and locks up during updates
- Sensors disconnect and become unresponsive
- Chime won't pair with doorbell
- App takes excessive time to connect to cameras
- Settings screen appears with no add device option
Requested features
15 requests- Landscape full-screen video viewing mode
- Separate notification types for doorbell vs motion detection
- Phone ring alert instead of beep for doorbell
- Customizable notification sounds
- Portable/wireless chime option
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- SD card support for continuous recording
- Ability to set recording duration (not just 15 seconds)
- Two-way audio that works smoothly
- Adjustable camera quality and IR settings
- Dark mode for app
- Alexa integration
- Ability to purchase additional sensors
- Auto-arm that works reliably without opening app
- Better battery charge indicator for doorbell
- Adjustable water sensor sensitivity
In-app purchases
Hive
No in-app purchases
Sky Smart Home
No in-app purchases







