Rachio vs Barber Blues™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Automated watering schedules
- Remote sprinkler control
- Water and money saving
- Weather-based adjustments
- Smart home integration
- Mobile app access
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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.
Barber Blues™
Easily book and pay for haircuts and shaves with just a few taps. Check real-time availability, reserve your preferred time slot, and securely pay using your card on file, eliminating the need for cash.
- Book haircuts and shaves
- Check real-time availability
- Reserve time slots
- Secure card payments
- Tip service providers
- Cashless transactions
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Barber Blues Our app lets you book and pay for a haircut or shave in a few taps. - Check availability and reserve a time slot that fits your schedule. - Use your card on file to quickly and securely pay for your service and tip so you never need cash on hand.
Screenshots
Verdict
Rachio and Barber Blues™ both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Barber Blues™'s written reviews are positive against 58% of Rachio's. Barber Blues™ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). Rachio's advantage is ratings volume (159K vs 47) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement 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. Rachio sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Barber Blues™ asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Rachio against 5.0 for Barber Blues™. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rachio has 159K ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Rachio's written reviews are positive against 100% of Barber Blues™'s.
Rachio ships an update every 3 weeks, Barber Blues™ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rachio | Barber Blues™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (159K ratings) | 5.0 (47 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 159K — better | 47 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 163 MB | 127 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RACHIO, INC. | BARBER BLUES LLC |
Customer experience
Rachio
Barber Blues™
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
Barber Blues™
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Rachio
- Tempest Integration$29.99
- AirLink Integration$29.99
- Heat Wave Boost$29.99
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- Wire Status$29.99
- Valve & Heat Monitoring Bundle$49.99
Barber Blues™
No in-app purchases
