Abode vs Home Widget for HomeKit · HW
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Abode
Control your home security system remotely. Arm and disarm your system, view live and recorded video, and receive instant alerts. Automate your home with custom actions and notifications, all from your mobile device.
- Arm & disarm system
- View live & recorded video
- Receive security alerts
- Home automation
- Customizable notifications
- System setup & expansion
- Timeline event filtering
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The Abode App gives you complete peace of mind when it comes to your security by allowing you to arm & disarm, view live and recorded video, get a timeline history of your system, and receive immediate security alerts all right from your iPhone or iPad. It’s your security at your fingertips. EASY SETUP abode’s starter kits are incredibly easy to set up using our app. Simply open your kit and app and follow the guided instructions to be up & running in under 30 minutes. DASHBOARD Your system at a glance. The dashboard allows you to arm & disarm, pull up live video, view your most recent timeline events, and run quick actions all without leaving this screen. CUE HOME AUTOMATION Create powerful automations with your connected devices. From turning on lights and raising thermostats for your morning routine to arming your system and locking your doors for bedtime, you can do it all right from the app. EXPAND YOUR SYSTEM Much like the setup process, adding new devices to your system couldn’t be easier via the app. Just follow the guided instructions and build out the system of your dreams in minutes. CUSTOMIZABLE NOTIFICATIONS Determine what you’d like to receive notifications for. From doors opening & closing to water leaks detected, how much (or little) you are alerted to is totally up to you. SET UP CUSTOM WIDGETS & SHORTCUTS Add system arming & disarming, quick actions, and camera images to your homescreen or control center so you can quickly take care of your most important actions without ever having to open the abode app. FILTER YOUR TIMELINE EVENTS View only the events you want with the ability to filter by device type, device grouping, and date. Want to see only what happened at your front door? How about last weekend? With these filters, you can. PUT YOUR SYSTEM ON AUTOPILOT Use your phone’s location to automatically arm and disarm your system as you come and go. Set up the locations important to you and let abode do the rest. IN-APP PANIC ALARMS Manually trigger your alarm audibly or silently to immediately alert our professional monitoring center and other users on your system in emergencies.
Home Widget for HomeKit · HW
Control your HomeKit devices directly from your iPhone or iPad's Home Screen. Create customizable panels with accessories, scenes, and shortcuts for streamlined smart home management. View live camera feeds and receive state feedback for all your connected devices.
- Home Screen widgets for HomeKit
- Customizable control panels
- Add accessories, scenes, and shortcuts
- Live camera feed access
- State feedback for devices
- Lock Screen access
- Panel sharing via iCloud/AirDrop
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Control your HomeKit home faster with fully customizable widgets for your Home Screen, Lock Screen and Apple Watch. Home Widget brings accessories, scenes, groups, sensors, cameras and shortcuts together in panels built around your routines. LAUNCH HOMEKIT ACTIONS FROM YOUR LOCK SCREEN Open a compatible gate or garage when you arrive, turn on an accessory or run your Welcome Home scene with one tap on your configured widget. BUILD YOUR OWN HOME SCREEN CONTROL PANEL Create a panel, add accessories, scenes, sensors and shortcuts, then place the widget: your dashboard is ready in minutes. Turn a room's lights on or off together, run a shortcut or control several HomeKit homes. OPEN A CAMERA WITH ONE TAP See who is at the front door, check the driveway or look in on your pets. A Home Screen or Lock Screen widget opens the selected HomeKit camera or video doorbell in Home Widget. Audio options depend on your camera. OPEN YOUR CAMERA MOSAIC WITH ONE TAP Check several cameras on one screen instead of opening them individually. Launch the mosaic from your Home Screen, Lock Screen or Control Center, and choose which cameras to include. ADJUST LIGHT BRIGHTNESS AND COLOR Dim the living room for a movie or change the color of a lamp. Use interactive Home Screen controls or open the light control from a Lock Screen widget. Control one light or the lights in a room. SET BLINDS AND SHADES TO THE POSITION YOU WANT Let in the morning light or lower your blinds partway for privacy. Open the position control from your Home Screen or Lock Screen instead of settling for fully open or closed. ADJUST YOUR HOMEKIT THERMOSTAT Change the target temperature or a supported heating/cooling mode. Use interactive Home Screen controls or open the thermostat control from your Lock Screen. SEE THE READINGS THAT MATTER TO YOU Visual buttons help you tell which accessories are on or off. Display individual sensor values: temperature, humidity, CO₂, air quality and accessory batteries. Add counters for open doors, unsecured locks or unreachable accessories to spot what needs attention. KEEP YOUR HOME ON YOUR WRIST Use Apple Watch complications and Smart Stack widgets to reach your panels, cameras, lights and scenes. Keep your controls and readings on your wrist when your iPhone is out of reach. CUSTOMIZE EVERY DETAIL Choose icons, names, colors, backgrounds, transparency and blur. Use different panel sizes to build compact controls or a full smart home dashboard that feels truly yours. YOUR PANELS ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Sync your panels with iCloud. Add widgets to a stack or Today View on compatible devices to keep your home within reach. Home Widget goes beyond basic on/off widgets with adjustable controls, camera access and personal dashboards. A tap runs an action or opens its control, then you choose the setting. Security actions may require authentication or confirmation. Widget states update within system refresh limits. Works with accessories already configured in Apple's Home app. Some features require Home Widget Premium, available as a one-time purchase or a monthly or yearly subscription. Questions or ideas? Write to us at contact@vision-apps.com The Vision-Apps team HomeKit is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://vision-apps.com/website/en/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
Abode and Home Widget for HomeKit · HW both sit at 4.2 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Home Widget for HomeKit · HW's written reviews are positive against 23% of Abode's. Home Widget for HomeKit · HW also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). Abode's advantage is ratings volume (4.9K vs 158). On price, rating, ads 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
Both are free to download. Abode sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Home Widget for HomeKit · HW sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Abode against 4.1 for Home Widget for HomeKit · HW. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Abode has 4.9K ratings behind it against 158, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of Abode's written reviews are positive against 74% of Home Widget for HomeKit · HW's.
Abode ships an update every 6 weeks, Home Widget for HomeKit · HW every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Abode | Home Widget for HomeKit · HW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (4.9K ratings) — better | 4.1 (158 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | 73.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.9K — better | 158 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 258 MB | 146 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Abode Systems, Inc. | Clement Marty |
Customer experience
Abode
Home Widget for HomeKit · HW
User reviews
Abode
From 4.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent security system
- 👍 Easy to install and set up
- 🔒 Reliable monitoring and notifications
- 💡 Flexible automation and integration options
- 🚀 Smooth and user-friendly app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable camera connectivity and performance
- 🔋 Inconsistent geofencing and location services
- 💸 Paywall for basic features and notifications
- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent crashes and issues
- 👎 Poor customer support and responsiveness
Home Widget for HomeKit · HW
From 158 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great auxiliary options
- 🚀 Insanely useful
- 👍 Awesome
- 👍 Beautiful widgets
- 👍 Plenty of customization options
Room to improve
- 🐛 Stopped working
- 🐛 Doesn't update
- 🐛 Doesn't refresh
- 🐛 Freezing widgets
- 🔋 Draining battery
Bugs and requests
Abode
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Inconsistent device connectivity and offline issues
- Inaccurate sensor and alarm notifications
- Incompatibility with certain Wi-Fi network configurations
Requested features
4 requests- Improved HomeKit integration
- More customization options for sensors and automations
- Better battery life indicators and management
- Ability to rename devices within the app
Home Widget for HomeKit · HW
Reported bugs
5 issues- Widgets don't save
- Widgets don't update status
- Incompatibility with iOS 16/17
- Double downloads
- Panels don't work
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to pinch to zoom on video
- Control temperature on thermostats
- Adjust brightness/color of lights
- Custom sounds for actions
- More widget size/layout options
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- Live camera previews
- Ability to control non-HomeKit devices
In-app purchases
Abode
- Single Camera1 Month trial$3.991 Month
- Standard Plan1 Month trial$8.491 Month
- 24/7 Recording14 Days trial$9.991 Month
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- Pro Plan1 Month trial$26.991 Month
- Single Camera1 Month trial$34.991 Year
- Standard Plan1 Month trial$79.991 Year
- 24/7 Recording14 Days trial$109.991 Year
- Pro Plan1 Month trial$249.991 Year
Home Widget for HomeKit · HW
- Monthly subscription7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Annual subscription14 Days trial$6.991 Year
- Lifetime License$14.99
Questions
Is Abode free?
Is Home Widget for HomeKit · HW free?
Which has better reviews, Abode or Home Widget for HomeKit · HW?
Do Abode or Home Widget for HomeKit · HW have ads?
Which is updated more often, Abode or Home Widget for HomeKit · HW?
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