# Hive vs Cornerstone Residential

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hive at fortnightly against Cornerstone Residential's every 12 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Hive ships an update fortnightly, Cornerstone Residential every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hive | Cornerstone Residential |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (802 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive/id712829172/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **802** | — |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 200 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Centrica Hive Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1171162560) | [Global NoticeBoard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1163498664) |

## What reviewers say

### Hive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive/id712829172)

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:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

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


### Cornerstone Residential

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cornerstone-residential/id6447354516)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hive free?

Hive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cornerstone Residential free?

Cornerstone Residential is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Hive or Cornerstone Residential have ads?

Neither Hive nor Cornerstone Residential shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hive or Cornerstone Residential?

Hive ships an update fortnightly, and Cornerstone Residential every 12 months. Most recently, Hive was updated on October 18, 2026 and Cornerstone Residential on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*