Comparison

Abode vs Starling Home Hub

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Arm & disarm system
  • View live & recorded video
  • Receive security alerts
  • Home automation
  • Customizable notifications
  • System setup & expansion
  • Timeline event filtering
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Starling Home Hub

This application allows users to set up, configure, and receive support for their smart home hub. It enhances the user experience with their connected devices.

Highlights
  • Set up smart home hub
  • Configure smart home devices
  • Get support for hub
  • Manage connected devices
Features
Read full description

Use the Starling app to set up, configure, and get support for your Starling Home Hub. Apple's standard EULA applies to this app: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Abode4 screens
Starling Home Hub3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starling Home Hub at 83% against Abode's 24%. Starling Home Hub also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). Abode's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Abode sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Starling Home Hub sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starling Home Hub holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.8K and 1.9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Abode's written reviews are positive against 83% of Starling Home Hub's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Abode ships an update every 6 weeks, Starling Home Hub every 5 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Abode versus Starling Home Hub: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbodeStarling Home Hub
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (4.8K ratings)4.8 (1.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.7% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.8K — better1.9K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size258 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAbode Systems, Inc.Starling LLC

Customer experience

Abode

All ratings4,811 ratings
Positive78.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews283 reviews
Positive23.7%
Neutral11.3%
Negative65.0%

Starling Home Hub

All ratings1,870 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative15.1%

User reviews

Abode

From 4.8K App Store ratings

What 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

Starling Home Hub

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and easy setup
  • 👍 Great integration between Google and Apple
  • 👍 Excellent for Nest products
  • 👍 Best Google Nest bridge for HomeKit
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Apple Home

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Firmware updates causing issues
  • 🐛 Connectivity problems and disconnections
  • 🐛 Limited to Nest/Google Home devices only
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS updates

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

Starling Home Hub

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Firmware updates deleting connected devices
  • Inability to downgrade firmware
  • Automatic updates causing issues
  • Connectivity problems after iOS updates

Requested features

2 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Expanded device compatibility

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Abode

Subscriptions8
  • Single Camera1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Standard Plan1 Month trial$8.491 Month
  • 24/7 Recording14 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • 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
1 purchases

Starling Home Hub

Subscriptions1
  • Starling Protect1 Month trial$7.991 Month

Questions

Is Abode free?
Abode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starling Home Hub free?
Starling Home Hub is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Abode or Starling Home Hub?
Starling Home Hub is rated higher. Abode averages 4.2 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while Starling Home Hub averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.
Do Abode or Starling Home Hub have ads?
Neither Abode nor Starling Home Hub shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Abode or Starling Home Hub?
Abode ships an update every 6 weeks, and Starling Home Hub every 5 months. Most recently, Abode was updated on September 22, 2026 and Starling Home Hub on September 22, 2026.

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