Comparison

Rachio vs B

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

Head to head
About

Rachio

This app allows you to control your sprinkler system remotely, creating custom watering schedules. It helps save water and money by optimizing irrigation based on weather and yard needs. Access your system from anywhere for convenient lawn care.

Highlights
  • Automated watering schedules
  • Remote sprinkler control
  • Water and money saving
  • Weather-based adjustments
  • Smart home integration
  • Mobile app access
Features
Read full description

The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller changes the way you water. It makes running your sprinklers easy and convenient while saving you water and money. Rachio automatically creates a watering schedule that lowers your water bill and ensures the beautiful yard you want, while the mobile app gives you access to your sprinkler system from anywhere. Plus, Rachio is compatible with nearly any sized yard and smart home platform. This is the companion app to the industry-leading Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller.

About

B

Control and monitor your sprinklers from anywhere with this smart watering app. It uses local weather data and plant information to create optimized watering schedules, saving water and money. You can also set custom programs and utilize an integrated irrigation audit tool.

Highlights
  • Remote sprinkler control
  • Smart watering schedules
  • Weather-based adjustments
  • Custom program settings
  • Integrated irrigation audit tool
  • Water conservation features
Features
Read full description

The B-hyve smart sprinkler timer app allows you to control or monitor your sprinklers from anywhere in the world with the convenience of your smart device. Smart Watering Knowing how long and how often to water your plants can be challenging. When set to smart watering mode, B-hyve takes the guesswork out of watering and utilizes Mother Nature, along with some really great technology, to determine the watering schedule for your yard. When set and left in smart watering mode, B-hyve can save users as much as 50% more water over a traditional controller. Weather When set in smart mode, B-hyve uses local weather data to determine how much water is evaporated and transpired through your plants each day to know when it needs to water. It also accounts for any rainfall that is in the forecast, shuts off the system for rain, then looks back to see how much actually fell. That’s smart! But all yards are not the same. B-hyve also takes into account things like soil type, plant type, sun/shade and slope to determine a watering schedule that takes the water to the roots and helps avoid runoff. WeatherSense If you want to be the one in control of the schedule, that’s okay too. With B-hyve you can set custom programs to water how you want while still taking advantage of the local weather data to override watering in case of a weather event. This will shut off your system during the rain and resume your program when the rain has passed. That’s smart! Integrated Irrigation Audit Tool The B-hyve app also integrates the award-winning irrigation audit tool right to your smart device. By performing a catch cup test on your sprinkler system, you will know exactly how much water is being applied rather than relying on estimated sprinkler head water use that other timers/apps use, which can be off by as much as 50%, saving you more water and money. This is the app for the best-selling, WaterSense and SWAT certified Orbit B-hyve Smart Wifi Sprinkler Timer. This is also the companion app for homeowners with the Hydro-Rain B-hyve Pro Wifi Controller. Please let us know if you have questions or problems. ALEXA – Works with Alexa. For a list of Alexa commands visit http://help.orbitbhyve.com/Alexa-Commands/ Bhyve.orbitonline.com 800-488-6156 support@orbitbhyve.com

Screenshots

Rachio4 screens
B4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: B at none against Rachio's 5. B also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Rachio sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. B asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rachio holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 159K and 336K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Rachio's written reviews are positive against 61% of B's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rachio ships an update every 3 weeks, B every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Rachio versus B: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRachioB
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (159K ratings) — better4.7 (336K ratings)
Positive reviews58.5% of reviews60.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings159K336K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB128 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRACHIO, INC.Orbit Irrigation

Customer experience

Rachio

All ratings158,275 ratings
Positive98.4%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews479 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral9.8%
Negative31.7%

B

All ratings330,461 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews1,921 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral7.7%
Negative31.5%

User reviews

Rachio

From 159K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient remote control
  • 🌱 Saves water and money
  • 🌳 Helps maintain healthy lawn and plants

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 💸 Aggressive upselling
  • 🤔 Confusing user interface
  • 🌧️ Inaccurate weather-based scheduling

B

From 336K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Easy to use app
  • 🌳 Effective smart watering
  • 🌍 Remote control from anywhere
  • ⏱️ Convenient manual control
  • 📊 Detailed watering history

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🌧️ Inaccurate weather data
  • 🔍 Unintuitive interface
  • 🔀 Inability to control multiple devices together
  • 🕰️ Inconsistent watering schedules

Bugs and requests

Rachio

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Zones running at unexpected times
  • Schedules not working as programmed
  • App crashing during setup and use
  • Syncing issues between app and controller

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to skip multiple upcoming watering cycles
  • Customizable notifications for low battery and offline status
  • Better integration with smart home platforms like HomeKit
  • More granular control over watering schedules and durations

B

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Watering programs not executing as scheduled
  • Zones not responding to manual controls
  • Connectivity issues causing loss of watering history
  • Unexpected changes to programmed watering schedules

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to pause and resume watering programs
  • Integration with smart home platforms (e.g., HomeKit)
  • More granular control over watering schedules and zones
  • Improved weather forecasting and rain delay functionality
  • Global calendar view of all connected devices

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Rachio

One-time5
  • Tempest Integration$29.99
  • AirLink Integration$29.99
  • Heat Wave Boost$29.99
Show 2 more
  • Wire Status$29.99
  • Valve & Heat Monitoring Bundle$49.99
None

B

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rachio free?
Rachio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is B free?
B is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rachio or B?
Rachio is rated higher. Rachio averages 4.9 out of 5 from 159K ratings, while B averages 4.7 from 336K ratings.
Do Rachio or B have ads?
Rachio shows ads; B does not.
Which is updated more often, Rachio or B?
Rachio ships an update every 3 weeks, and B every 6 weeks. Most recently, Rachio was updated on November 3, 2026 and B on November 3, 2026.

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